New Jersey’s Roadwork Stoppage Pits Christie Against Democratic Ally
- Senate president is key to increasing New Jersey gasoline tax
- In run-up to governor’s race, no deal on transportation fund
Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, walks off stage next to a U.S. Secret Service officer after speaking during an event with Donald Trump in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on July 11, 2016.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
When New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie needed Democratic support to cut public-worker benefits, Senate President Steve Sweeney came to his rescue.
Now, as Sweeney considers running for governor and Christie looks at a possible role in the White House, the duo are at an impasse over plans to fund highway and mass-transit projects. Christie, 53, backs a gasoline-tax increase, so long as it’s accompanied by a cut in the sales levy. Sweeney, 57, says that maneuver would create a $1.6 billion budget hole.