NJ Governor Murphy meeting with Trump: We're asking for federal money for front-line workers, not 'a bailout'
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is driving from Trenton to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to meet with President Trump to seek additional federal funding for the Garden State, as front-line workers grapple with the costly coronavirus outbreak.
"I'm very looking forward to sitting with [President Trump] and appreciate the opportunity to do so," Murphy told “Fox & Friends.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I wouldn’t call it a bailout. I would just say this is a war, we’re at the front lines,” Murphy said, stressing that his state does not want federal help at this time for "legacy" budget issues that predate the pandemic.
“We know what we got to do with the old legacy stuff, we need help with the here and now: educators, police, fire, EMS, the front-line stuff. We’re bleeding resources helping people, whether they’ve lost their jobs, whether they're sick, small businesses. That's where we need a big dose of federal cash.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Murphy’s comments came after he doubled down on attacks against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., last week, who said he'd rather allow states to declare bankruptcy than send additional federal relief to support struggling states hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.
"I used some strong language which was richly deserved, by the way, but that's because I know how dire the situation is," Murphy said during a coronavirus press briefing on April 24.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have been clear for weeks that if we do not get significant direct and flexible financial support from the federal government, we will be forced to make many difficult decisions about programs we all rely upon and which we will lean on in the months ahead."
Murphy decried McConnell as "wildly irresponsible" for suggesting states go bankrupt — an option not actually available to the states as it is to local governments.
Speaking on the "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on April 23, McConnell said he "would certainly be in favor of allowing states to use the bankruptcy route," rather than send additional funds to ensure pay for essential workers on the front lines of the virus, as well as to bolster economic recovery.
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Democrats had been pushing for additional help for state and local governments that are running dry on revenue during the pandemic, but Republicans have refused, and McConnell has said he won't let state's "take advantage" of the coronavirus pandemic to secure additional aid.
New Jersey has been slammed particularly hard by the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 5,368 in the state and infected 99,989 others.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Caleb Parke contributed to this report.