Essex County Lawmakers React To NJ Budget With Praise, Criticism

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A record-setting state budget got a mixed reception from lawmakers in Essex County.

Gov. Phil Murphy gave a green light to the latest state budget on Monday night. The $58.78 billion spending plan cleared the Senate 26-13, with one senator not voting. The budget made it through the Assembly by a vote of 52-27, with one abstention.

• Read More: Murphy Signs Record-Busting Budget With New Taxes – And Tax Relief
• Read More: See How Each NJ Lawmaker Voted On State Budget

Reactions were split among lawmakers who represent towns and cities in Essex County.

Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin – who serves as chair of that chamber’s budget committee – issued a joint statement in support of the budget alongside two of her Democratic peers from the 29th district: Sen. Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Shanique Speight.

The district includes Newark – the state’s largest city.

“This is a budget rooted in responsibility, stability and service to the people of New Jersey,” the three lawmakers wrote. “It meets our financial obligations while continuing to invest in the programs that matter most; education, public health, property tax relief and support for our most vulnerable residents.”

“We know we are entering a period of economic uncertainty, and this budget reflects that with a strong surplus and careful planning,” they continued. “It does not overpromise, but it delivers real, meaningful support to communities across every corner of the state. [We are] proud of the work we’ve done together and proud to see this budget signed into law.”

On the other side of the aisle, Assemblyman Al Barlas (NJ-40) – a Republican who represents towns including Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells and Fairfield – panned the budget after a preliminary vote earlier this week.

One of the assemblyman’s main complaints? A lack of time to inspect last-minute changes, he reported.

“We had 20 minutes to read over hundreds of line item spending increases and language changes to the budget,” said Barlas, who eventually voted against the final version of the budget.

According to Barlas, $700 million was “added in spending, non-discretionary line items while cutting mental health resources for our first responders and early childhood intervention programs – to name a few.”

“Let’s be clear,” Barlas charged. “This isn’t fiscal responsibility – it’s fiscal malpractice. New Jersey families deserve transparency, accountability, and real tax relief. Instead, they got another backroom deal made at that last possible minute.”

Other lawmakers from Essex County reported feeling ambiguous about the state’s new spending plan.

Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie, a Democrat from the 27th district, said her vote on this year’s budget was one of the most challenging decisions she has faced as a lawmaker.

Bagolie recapped her decision-making process in a social media post:

“Voting on the state budget today was one of the most challenging decisions I have faced, and I want to be transparent about the process and my reasoning. When I walked into the State House, I was fully prepared to vote no on A-5804. Based on the information I had at the time, I had made my position clear and did not believe anything could change my mind. I had serious concerns about the budget as a whole, including higher costs to state health benefits, interference with collective bargaining rights, and new tax increases on real estate sales. I gave my word, and I do not take that lightly. But governing requires tough calls, and when the circumstances changed, I had to listen. After reviewing the final amendments and hearing directly from key stakeholders, I saw how much the bill had evolved. The reality was that allowing the budget to fail would have put our schools, municipalities, health services, and working families, including those in our own community, at serious risk. No budget is perfect. This one will not please everyone, and it does not resolve every concern I raised. But I believe the Budget Committee faced the same hard choices, and in the end, we all had to weigh the objections against the consequences. My vote reflected what I believe was in the best interest of all New Jersey residents. I made a difficult but necessary decision to ensure our state passed a budget by the constitutional deadline. That is our responsibility; and that is how we keep New Jersey moving forward, even when the decisions are hard and even when they affect us personally.”

The 27th district includes the towns of Livingston, Millburn, Montclair, Roseland and West Orange.

For Sen. Kristin Corrado, however, the choice was much simpler.

Corrado, a Republican who represents the 40th district, released the following statement after Murphy signed the latest budget into law:

“Once again, it was very easy for me to vote NO on the FY-2026 state budget that passed earlier today. This $58 billion budget lacked transparency, public input and increases taxes on New Jersey residents. Additionally, this bloated budget contains a $4 billion structural deficit, eats away at the state's surplus and adds another billion dollars in spending in comparison to last year's budget. Since assuming office in 2018, the Murphy administration has increased the state budget by a staggering $24 billion.”

“Our state is not better from the additional spending and New Jersey continues to be one of the most expensive states to live, work and raise a family,” Corrado argued.

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