Christie Orders Government Shutdown Amid Budget Impasse

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's state government has shut down for the first time under Republican Gov. Chris Christie after he and the Democrat-led Legislature failed to reach an agreement on a budget by the deadline at midnight Friday.

Christie, a former GOP presidential candidate and adviser to President Donald Trump who is leading the White House's anti-opioid commission, announced the shutdown of the state's nonessential services in an executive order.

The shutdown means state parks and nonessential services such as the Motor Vehicle Commission are shutting down just ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Prisons, the state police and casinos will remain open.

Christie, who is deeply unpopular in the state as he heads into his final six months in office, made supporting a $34.7 billion budget that includes 73 Democratic priorities contingent on a proposal to overhaul the nonprofit Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, aiming to tap into their surplus to finance drug treatment.


Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-jersey/articles/2017-06-30/stalemate-continues-government-shutdown-deadline-nears

[dalton99a]

1. Helluva job

[Hortensis]

2. Boy, he's hitting all walls in his electoral death spiral.

I have a horrible fear that Christie's going to turn into Newt V.2, a failed, disgraced politician whose sheer horribleness will enable him to grab camera time for the next few decades.

[beachbum bob]

3. too bad the democrats did not impeach his ass

bridge gate....

[iluvtennis]

13. Yep, the folks at the bottom jailed and Christie walked...something wrong with that.

[beachbum bob]

17. democrats in NJ continue to make themselves look weak...christie clearly deserved impeachment

[n2doc]

4. Love how casinos are 'essential services'

Bada Bing Bada Boom.

So we have Maine, Illinois, and now NJ as failed states that can't pass budgets because of butthead republican governors.

[NastyRiffraff]

9. Yeah, must have casinos!

Does Christie have a personal financial stake in them? A thug like him, it wouldn't surprise me.

[joshdawg]

18. Yeah, if the state republicans don't get what they want,

shut the government down. Stupid, simple but stupid.
Haven't seen any evidence of any kind that republicans know how to govern, either at city, county, state or federal level. Clueless, all of them. And christie/trump is the epitome of stupid.

[George II]

5. He's going out with a flourish, or is it down in flames?

But I'm sure he'll find a way to give his casino buddies more subsidies. He's pissed away hundreds of millions of dollars giving it to the failing casinos while he's neglected other segments of the state.

[Honeycombe8]

6. Well, a shutdown is going to cost the state money, for sure. Sounds counter-productive.nt

[dembotoz]

7. is he gonna close the damn bridge again?

[jmowreader]

8. Interesting...

Driver licensing is not an "essential function" of government...

...but poker is.

[Sunlei]

10. sell those boarded up casinos, they're ruining HALF of Atlantic city beach front for tourists!

can't miss them on google street view.

[jpak]

11. Maine is in shutdown as well

Morans of a feather...

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

22. Our state parks are open at least.

I think they should update those highway signs to say "Closed for Business".

http://bangordailynews.com/2017/07/01/politics/these-state-services-will-continue-during-a-shutdown/

[Tiggeroshii]

12. Jesus that guy's still governor?

Sure he's looking forward to retirement.

[maxrandb]

14. Is this shit even making it into mainstream news?

Sorry, this is off topic but WTF is a "Democrat" led legislature? Who fucking wrote this news item? Someone named Sean Limbaugh or Rush Hannity?

I stopped reading at that point

[Madam Mossfern]

16. Here's the latest

the article explains it. Christie was holding funding for several items hostage.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/07/prieto_im_open_to_compromise_on_horizon_bill_after.html#incart_river_home

[edhopper]

15. How is Christie

mot in jail??

[jumptheshadow]

19. And the people of New Jersey suffer...

I wonder how many families planned holiday weekends to their beautiful state parks? The local economies of New Jersey's recreational areas count on the income generated during the tourist season. What a selfish maneuver!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

21. Liberty State Park and ferry access to Statue of Liberty from NJ side is closed too

Not cool for the weekend leading up to the 4th of July. I'm not from NJ, but I actually just visited for the first time last week. I went to the Statue of Liberty via ferry from Liberty State Park last Monday. I'm glad I got to see it before this state shut down. I feel bad for all the people that had plans to see Statue of Liberty via NJ side this past weekend. You can still go from NYC side, but that is a huge inconvenience because it is NYC. The line for the NYC ferry was incredibly long last Monday, whereas the NJ ferry line was pretty short in comparison.

[Eugene]

20. New Jersey beach shut for everyone bar Chris Christie and family

Source: The Guardian

New Jersey beach shut for everyone bar Chris Christie and family

Budget standoff closes down state government, including shutting Island State Park Beach to the public, but governor still gets to partake of sun and sand

Pádraig Collins
Monday 3 July 2017 02.28 BST

New Jersey’s picturesque Island Beach State Park was closed over on Sunday due to a budget standoff, except for Governor Chris Christie, his family and friends.

The governor, a Republican, shut down the state government at midnight on Saturday in a health insurance battle with the Democrat-led legislature.

While others were reportedly turned away by police, New Jersey Advance Media took a picture of Christie with his wife Mary Pat and others on the otherwise deserted beach.

Link to tweet

Christie later travelled by helicopter from the beach in Berkeley to the state capital Trenton to hold a news conference about the shutdown. Asked if he got any sun, Christie replied “I didn’t get any sun today.”

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/03/new-jersey-beach-shut-for-everyone-bar-chris-christie-and-family

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

23. Christie is leading the White House's anti-opioid commission while still gov of NJ?

I'm surprised that is allowed.