Murphy not ready to talk budget ’19

With Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin standing next to him, Gov. Phil Murphy deflected a question on the speaker’s call this week for pension reforms and no tax increases in next year’s budget.

“We just got through the last budget.  It wasn’t perfect, but we didn’t let that be the enemy of the very, very good.  We got 99% of what we needed to invest in this state and to turn the page and start the long process of the middle class getting’ dug out from what they dealt with from the last administration.  Huge investments in education, in infrastructure – which we desperately need,” Murphy said.  “My view is let’s let this play out.  Let’s see how the economy looks, and we’ll deal with questions about what next year’s budget looks like going forward.”

The 80-member State Assembly is up for election in November 2019.  A state budget must be passed by June 30, 2019 or the state would face a government shutdown.