Credit: Creative Commons

Gov. Phil Murphy discussed his first proposed state budget on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show yesterday. Asked about headlines that highlighted the budget’s raising of taxes, he said, “We’re digging out of an eight-year narrative that was all about gutting government spending,” adding, “You can’t do everything in one year but this is about tax equity and fairness, about getting back to the basics of investing in education at all levels from pre-K up through higher ed, infrastructure, transit — both rail and buses…”

Lehrer noted that Republicans have dubbed Murphy “Florio Two,” after the Democratic governor “who never recovered politically from raising taxes in year one.” But Murphy laughed that off, saying, “I got elected to do what’s right in New Jersey, period, full stop. And that’s what we’re going to do, and that is at long last… get back to investing in the middle class…”

Murphy also took questions from New Jersey residents on school budgeting, the Pompton Lakes toxic clean-up, social justice, and his push to legalize marijuana in the state.

WNYC is a content partner of NJ Spotlight.