
by Joe Donohue/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday June 17, 2008
Gov. Jon Corzine and legislative leaders Monday agreed on a $32.8 billion state budget that the governor said will include "unprecedented" spending cuts and a new way to help New Jersey pay down its debt.
The deal, which came four months after Corzine called on lawmakers to reject "the patterns of overspending and tortured borrowing that burden our taxpayers," resulted in a spending plan that is actually $100 million less than the governor proposed in February.
It was produced amid weeks of protests from teachers, farmers, mayors, nursing home operators and other groups seeking to stave off the cuts.
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"Though the details are scarce, New Jerseyans should be dismayed by the short-sighted budget cuts apparently included in today's budget deal," said Eva Bonime, spokeswoman for the Better Choices Budget Campaign, a coalition of community, housing, environmental, labor and student groups that oppose Corzine's cuts.