Republicans in the State Senate are warning that due to the federal debt ceiling crisis, aid promised during the pandemic may be pulled back—and say it is Gov. Phil Murphy’s fault. GOP lawmakers in Washington have pushed to clawback or cancel up to $70 billion of federal stimulus as part of negotiations with President Joe Biden to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the federal deficit. State Sen. Minority Leader Steve Oroho said Republicans have made countless efforts to reach what they believe are responsible solutions, but the Murphy Administration showed no urgency to provide any legitimate long-term assistance. “If these funds are clawed back by President Biden and the federal government, the fault will land squarely on the Murphy Administration,” said Oroho. North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) failed to reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling following a meeting at the White House May 22 but planned to press ahead with talks, as the U.S. nears a deadline to prevent a first-ever default. President Biden called the meeting productive and said he “reiterated once again that default is off the table and the only way to move forward is in good faith toward a bipartisan agreement.” McCarthy said the meeting was productive and offered both leaders an opportunity to dig into the details of their positions. The Wall Street Journal
The United States faces an “elevated risk” of running out of cash to pay its bills between June 2 and 13 if Congress does not raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit, according to an analysis released May 23 by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The center said that the Treasury Department would be operating on “dangerously low” cash reserves after Memorial Day and that each day in June would come with increasing risk. The department has been using accounting maneuvers known as extraordinary measures to delay a default since the United States technically hit the debt limit in January, but those are expected to be exhausted soon. The New York Times
A contentious program regarding the outing of LGBTQ+ students to parents in Hanover will be put on pause until a State Superior Court has a chance to hear arguments May 30 from both parties. And the issue ignited a social media back and forth between the governor and one of the more conservative members of the Assembly. Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26) tweeted “shame on @NewJerseyOAG & @GovMurphy for suing to prevent loving parents from loving their kids.” Gov. Phil Murphy responded “we won’t allow government-mandated “outing” that puts the health of our young people at risk.” North-JerseyNews.com
A sign outside Morristown’s Church of the Redeemer promoting acceptance for all community members was damaged over the weekend, hours after church officials set up their annual flag display in advance of Pride Month. The sign in front of the Episcopal church on South Street, which features the message “All Are Welcome,” was split in half late Friday or night or early Saturday morning after rainbow-colored flags to honor an LGBTQ member of the congregation who died earlier this month. The group left around 9 p.m., and a church warden discovered the vandalism less than 12 hours later before the memorial service. The Daily Record
Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22) believes the state’s concealed carry law is constitutionally sound despite a judge’s ruling last week. Asked what steps the legislature might take if the law is ultimately deemed unconstitutional, Scutari said that would depend on the nature of the ruling itself. “If it’s struck down, we’ll start over,” he said. “Which might involve looking at the ruling and seeing what other steps we can do that fit within that ruling while still safeguarding New Jerseyans from lots and lots of additional guns legally carried on the street.” New Jersey Globe
Ocean Wind 1 reached a milestone on its way to building New Jersey’s first offshore wind project as a federal agency issued a final Environmental Impact Statement, moving the project closer to beginning onshore construction this fall. After the decision by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Ørsted, the developer of the wind farm, said it expects to begin construction activities offshore in 2024 on a project that could provide enough power for up to a half-million residences. NJ Spotlight News
Six marine mammals were found stranded along the Jersey Shore since May 18, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. After a lull in reports of dolphins, whale and porpoise strandings, the past five days saw an increase, starting Wednesday with a bottlenose dolphin in the Delaware Bay at the Rutgers Cape Shore Laboratory in Middle Township. Three other dolphins were found on Sunday, bringing the total number of stranded dolphins to 34. NJ1015.com
Federal prosecutors overseeing the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents have reportedly issued a subpoena for information about Trump’s business dealings in foreign countries since he took office. The subpoena—drafted by the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith —allegedly seeks details on the Trump Organization’s real estate licensing and development dealings in seven countries: China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, according to the people familiar with the matter. The subpoena sought the records for deals reached since 2017, when Trump was sworn in as president. The New York Times
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) officially announced his 2024 Presidential bid May 22 after he filed his statement of candidacy last week with the Federal Election Commission and spent months building his campaign infrastructure. Scott’s speech focused on offering a contrast with Democrats and President Joe Biden, not mentioning Donald Trump or other Republicans hoping to take the party mantle. The Wall Street Journal
State Senate President Nick Scutari confirmed he is considering an extension of the corporate business tax surcharge to fund new property tax relief programs. The possible extension of the corporate business tax comes as Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) has pitched a new program for seniors — dubbed “StayNJ” — that he claims would “effectively cut most seniors’ property taxes in half.” Scutari told reporters that he was working in tandem with Coughlin on property tax relief programs and that he would introduce legislation to do so. PoliticoNJ
A report issued by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) found top administrators at New Jersey City University (NJCU) knowingly “cooked the books” by willfully misusing COVID-19 relief funds in bolstering their budget, showing a surplus even though they knew it contained the unlawful use of federal funds. The report found that nearly a year had passed before senior university administrators at the Jersey City school finally admitted to misappropriating COVID funds, which resulted in nearly a $14 million dollar deficit along with forcing the university to declare a financial emergency. “NJCU’s senior administrators’ conduct was remarkably irresponsible,” said Acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh. “Senior administrators fundamentally failed in their duties to protect NJCU.” North-JerseyNews.com
A massive $100 million warehouse on the site of the Marcal paper factory in Elmwood Park will open this September. Texas-based Crow Holdings Development said construction is well underway on the 206,826-square-foot warehouse on vacant space just off Route 80 that will serve “food and beverage, and consumer goods.” New Jersey Herald
Denville parking enforcement officers manually chalking tires downtown in search of violators will come to an end on May 26. Instead of a chalk stick, police are armed with automated license plate reading equipment, a high-tech system of computers and digital cameras that can spot parking offenders and document the infraction with photos and time stamps without ever leaving their patrol vehicles. The Daily Record
A newly proposed limit on the number of cannabis dispensaries that can open in Jersey City and its wards could be coming soon to the city, along with changes to how applicants get prioritized for approval. The city council’s proposals, which will first be voted on May 24 to be sent for planning board review, would cap the number of retail cannabis dispensaries citywide to 48 and the amount in each of the six wards at eight. The Jersey Journal
Rutherford has awarded a liquor license to Song’E Napule, the first business to receive a liquor license in town since the late 1800s. After a non-binding referendum measure in November 2020 was approved, the borough this past December finally was able to auction one of the six liquor licenses that it can sell to restaurants. The Record
AAA predicts that this Memorial Day weekend will be the third busiest travel time since 2000 as 37.1 million people across the U.S. are planning to drive to their destinations. Experts say the best time to travel on Friday by car is in the morning or by evening after 6 p.m. They say the lightest traffic days will be Saturday and Sunday—as most people will already be at their destinations. The worst time to travel back home will be between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday. News12 New Jersey
And finally…A teenager was bitten by a shark while surfing at a Jersey Shore beach over the weekend. NJ.com
