More signs.
New Jersey is nearing the fiscal cliff.
Economic experts have been warning about.
The Murphy administration has ordered all state departments to freeze pay raises for most workers, limit new hires, and to cut budgets by 5%.
It was first reported by ROI NJ The governor's office sent emails in early October and as recently as last week to the heads of all Cabinet departments asking them to take steps to, quote, conserve state resources.
The governor's call for cuts follows years of increased spending where the annual budget grew from 34.7 billion during fiscal year 2018 to 56.6 billion this year.
Now, the bulk of that was spent on funding New Jersey's long neglected public worker pension system and added money for school aid and tax relief programs.
Many Democrats in the legislature say the move isn't a surprise.
It comes as nearly all of the federal government funding from the pandemic is set to run out.
But Republicans say it just proves the governor has been, quote, kicking the can down the road and overspending.