Murphy not worried about angering lawmakers over budget

Gov. Phil Murphy said he’s not concerned about his pushing voters to contact their legislators on the millionaire’s tax getting on the nerves of state lawmakers.

“I don’t care about rubbing anyone the wrong way,” Murphy said at a press conference Wednesday. “There’s an inside-the-Trenton-bubble reality where it’s been business as usual, kicking the can down the road, for decades. There’s a disconnect between their actions and what the public in the state wants. 72% want a millionaire’s tax, and I could go through all sorts of other areas where the gap is wide. I got elected by them, not by these folks.”

Earlier Wednesday, Murphy sent a letter to lawmakers that contained a thinly-veiled threat to veto the budget legislators are expected to approve before both chambers on Thursday.

He declined to confirm that he would take any action such action at the press conference, simply repeating that “all options” remained on the table.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin stuck by the legislative budget following Murphy’s letter, which raised concerns over the budget’s redirecting $317 million meant for the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

The deposit would have been the first made to the fund in more than a decade.

That appropriations bill also eschews a millionaire’s tax long sought by Murphy. The same is true of a number of other tax increases sought by the governor, including a hike on gun license fees and a tax on opioid manufacturers.

Murphy indicated that he’s still willing to negotiate with legislative leaders on the budget, though it’s unlikely Coughlin or Senate President Steve Sweeney will give him much ground on the millionaire’s tax.

They’ve opposed the measure since the end of last year’s budget negotiations.

“I’m a reasonable guy. I’ve given these folks and continue to give these folks ample opportunity to find common ground, and I’ll continue to do that, but at the end of the day, I was elected by them, not by these folks,” Murphy said. “I don’t know that I answered this in as full-throated a way as possible. Tax fairness, we’ll be talking about tax fairness no matter where we come out, I promise you, on July 1, Sept. 1, Dec. 1 and on into the future.”