New Jersey Democrats balk at Christie’s budget proposals

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his budget address, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Trenton, N.J. Christie, who is considering a run for president in 2016, announced that the New Jersey Education Association — the state's largest teachers union and long one of his main political foils — has signed onto a "road map" for further reforms. He'll call on state lawmakers to join with him. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his budget address, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Trenton, N.J. Christie, who is considering a run for president in 2016, announced that the New Jersey Education Association — the state's largest teachers union and long one of his main political foils — has signed onto a "road map" for further reforms. He'll call on state lawmakers to join with him. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

By Associated Press February 25, 2015 4 min read

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – Gov. Chris Christie’s $33.8 billion budget won’t go anywhere in the Legislature without a green light from Democratic leaders, and so far their reaction amounts to more of a yellow caution light.

At its heart, Christie proposed overhauling the public pension system and at the same time lowering the state’s payment to those funds. That’s a hard proposal for Democrats to embrace after they sought to raise taxes last year to pay for higher contributions to the funds, and particularly after a Superior Court judge this week ruled in favor of unions seeking to recoup that money.

Senate President Steve Sweeney was perhaps the harshest on Christie’s ideas.

“There’s no plan here. The plan is, ‘I give up,'” Sweeney said after the governor’s budget address on Tuesday.

What comes next is the start of a months-long process leading up to the end of the June 30 fiscal year. Lawmakers will soon review the governor’s actual budget figures and then begin to hold hearings on the proposals.