Senators decry Governor Murphy's proposed higher ed cuts
Senators decried proposed cuts to higher education at a May 1 Budget Committee meeting, signaling they could move to restore some funding. (Daniella Heminghaus for New Jersey Monitor)
Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle signaled Thursday they would seek a reversal of cuts Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget would make to universities, colleges, and the financial assistance to attend them.
The governor's proposal would cut operational aid to the state's four-year public universities by $126 million, roll back a $20 million increase in operating aid for community colleges approved last year, and reduce or eliminate tuition assistance for certain students, among numerous other cuts.
'We understand that difficult decisions need to be made in the state budget each year, but we are truly concerned that each year higher education seems to bear a great brunt of these reductions,' said Michael Avaltroni, president of Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Outcomes-based allocation funding, another source of aid for public four-year universities, would fall by $70 million under Murphy's proposal, which would also cut $19.6 million in grants for community colleges and reduce aid to private and independent universities by $23.6 million.
Cuts at the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority would eliminate awards through College Opportunity Grants or the Garden State Guarantee for those with income greater than $65,000, though those in that income band who had previously received an award under either program could still receive assistance if they otherwise remained eligible.
The proposal would entirely eliminate a $20 million appropriation for summer tuition aid grants that would fund courses for students in the summer of 2026. Overall, financial aid grants for students would fall by $50.4 million under Murphy's proposal.
University and community college presidents called to testify before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Thursday decried the cuts, cautioning they would make higher education less affordable or lead to programmatic cuts as universities face inflation, rising benefit and utility costs, and widespread uncertainty at the federal level.
'The cut is real to us in pretty significant ways. Having that cut restored eases pressure on tuition,' said Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway. 'Tuition is over a quarter of our revenue stream at Rutgers, and we don't have much wiggle room in other places, to be quite honest, so having that assistance does go a long way.'
Officials warned community colleges, which are meant to be more accessible than their four-year peers, faced particular risks.
Community colleges account for about half of the state's undergraduate students and on average charge roughly a third of the tuition at public four-year universities, said Margaret McMenamin, president of Union County College.
That could make them especially vulnerable to changes in enrollment spurred by higher costs.
'We're not asking you for new investments. We're just asking you not to go backward,' she said.
Higher Education Secretary Brian Bridges, at times, appeared to support lawmakers' call for greater investment in higher education, noting that a recommendation to zero out $12 million in funding for a new veterinary school at Rowan University did not originate in his office.
'This is a difficult budget year, as I've mentioned before, and at this time, the budget is with you,' he said. 'As the secretary of higher education, I endorse supporting the investment in the sector that is needed to allow it to thrive, so I stand ready to provide any support that you might need in advocating for the reinstatement of those reductions.'
The proposed cuts reflect current fiscal circumstances more than a shift in priorities, Bridges added.
We understand that difficult decisions need to be made in the state budget each year, but we are truly concerned that each year higher education seems to bear a great brunt of these reductions.
– Michael Avaltroni, Fairleigh Dickinson University president
Strong performance in April revenues could help defray some cuts Murphy has proffered in his $58.1 billion budget proposal.
Sen. Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth) on Thursday said the Treasury had indicated April collections would come in strong, bringing as much as $1 billion more revenue than the agency's earlier projections.
'The good news that I think we can make this morning is that we've heard from treasury that it appears as if our revenues are going to pretty dramatically overperform,' O'Scanlon said. 'This should be music to all our ears given these cuts and things that need to absolutely be restored.'
How much of that money might be used to undo higher education cuts remains to be seen. Murphy's proposed budget includes a $1.2 billion deficit, meaning a $1 billion April surprise would still leave the state spending more than it takes in.
Other lawmakers signaled different priorities could take precedence.
'I warn all not to get giddy over the revenue projections of incoming revenue because one of the charges of this committee that we feel strongly about is to do away with over a billion dollars-worth of new taxes in the budget, so any new revenue is spoken for three times over,' said Sen. John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester).
Officials from Treasury and the Office of Legislative Services are due to deliver updated budget projections on May 14.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
30 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Search Broadens as Investigators Race to Track Down Minnesota Suspect
EDITORS NOTE: EDS: SUBS 2nd graf to update with possible found vehicle; TWEAKS graf 3 and graf starting "-- The suspect: ..." Investigators expanded their search across Minnesota on Sunday as they raced to track the footsteps of a man suspected of assassinating a Democratic state lawmaker and trying to kill a second. Police found what they believe is a vehicle belonging to the suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, in Sibley County, near a listed address for him and about an hour's drive southwest of where Saturday's shootings occurred. Officials have pleaded for help from the public, offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's arrest. At the same time they urged caution, saying that he was believed to be armed, dangerous and willing to kill. "He is someone that no one should mess with, except for law enforcement," Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday morning on NBC's "Meet the Press." Communities were on edge around the Minneapolis suburbs where authorities say the suspect went to the homes of two lawmakers early Saturday, pretending to be a police officer. Wearing a ballistic vest, gloves and an identity-disguising mask, investigators say he killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. The police almost caught the suspect at the home, but he escaped on foot after exchanging gunfire with officers. State Sen. John A. Hoffman, a fellow Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot in a separate attack but survived. Klobuchar said Sunday that the couple was "hanging in there." Hoffman, she said, "may face some additional surgeries, but he is also in stable condition right now, from what I know." Investigators have been examining surveillance footage, bank records, Boelter's associations and his movements from before the shootings. He had been politically engaged: A friend said he opposed abortion and had supported President Donald Trump, and he previously served on a state workforce development board alongside Hoffman. Here's what else we know: -- The victims: Hortman served as speaker of the Minnesota House for a six-year period that ended this year and helped pass several key policies on abortion rights, marijuana legalization and medical leave. Hoffman is a fourth-term state senator from Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb, and leads the Senate's Human Services Committee. -- The suspect: Boelter and his wife run a private security company that promotes the usage of SUVs similar to those used by police departments, according to its website. The couple also appears to have run a religious nonprofit. An archived version of the organization's website described Boelter as an ordained minister who had preached overseas. It said that he "sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer." -- Political violence: Slowly but surely, violence has moved from the fringes to become part of the political landscape. Threats and even assassinations, attempted or successful, have become a steady undercurrent of American life. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Transcript: Sen. Alex Padilla on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," June 15, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on June 15, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're joined now by California Senator Alex Padilla. Good morning and Happy Father's Day to you. SEN. ALEX PADILLA: Thank you. Thank you. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, and including those who are probably living a little bit fearful right now because of what we're seeing these increasingly cruel and extreme immigration enforcement raids, but nonetheless, they're going to work trying to provide for their families. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I want to ask you about your personal experience with some of this, as many of our viewers saw that video of you being briefly detained when you were trying to get a question in to the Homeland Security Secretary. There- her office later said you spoke for nearly 15 minutes afterwards. Did you get the answer to the question you were trying to ask? And what was it? SEN. PADILLA: Yes- sadly, no. And so a little bit of context here, the reason I tried to- the reason I was at the press conference, it was at a scheduled briefing with representatives of Northern Command just a couple doors down the hall in the same federal building when I learned of the press conference. My briefing delayed because the folks I was supposed to meet with were at that press conference. So I asked if we could listen in I was escorted over, and that's what I was doing. Why? Because for months and months, whether it's in committee, the Secretary herself testifying and not providing substantive answers to questions, other representatives of the department, formal letters and inquiries that we've submitted, doing my job as a senator to get information as part of our oversight and accountability responsibility. So to be able to ask a question of the Secretary directly when they offered the meeting after the incident, I took it. But sadly, no, nothing substantive, nothing informative-- MARGARET BRENNAN: She couldn't answer the question, or-- SEN. PADILLA: Either couldn't or wouldn't. And frankly, that says a lot, right? In terms of they type-- MARGARET BRENNAN: What was the question? SEN. PADILLA: Well, among other things, their justification for the federalization of the National Guard, not only not necessary, but counterproductive as we've seen this last week in Los Angeles, and also just truth. You know, for all the talk about the focus and targeting of violent criminals, if that's all the Trump administration was doing, there would be no debate. There is no disagreement on that. But as you're hearing more and more stories of undocumented, long term residents of the United States who are otherwise law abiding, working hard, paying taxes, raising families and, frankly, working in jobs that under the first Trump administration, when the COVID pandemic hit, were deemed essential. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right SEN. PADILLA: Right? Workers in restaurants, in agricultural fields, in health care, construction, etc. That's who's being targeted now, and that's why there's so much fear and terror in communities, not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the country, MARGARET BRENNAN: So the vast majority of immigrants in California, we went and we looked at the stats. They are in this country legally, but Pew Research says your state has nearly 2 million undocumented and they make up about 7% of the entire labor force in some of those farming and service jobs that you you talked about. Since the Trump administration this week told ICE to pull back a bit when it comes to enforcement. Do you see that as a step in the right direction, and do you know what triggered that decision? SEN. PADILLA: Yeah, so I don't know exactly what triggered that decision. I'll take it. Is it a step in the right direction? It's at least a baby step. Let's hope there's more to follow, because they're responding to what I and others have been saying for months and months and, frankly, years, going back to the first Trump administration. You want stats. Let's talk about stats. The state of California, the most populous state in the nation, the most diverse state in the nation, home to more immigrants than any state in the nation, mostly documented, some undocumented. This is the same California that is the largest economy of any state in the nation, fourth largest economy in the world, not despite the immigrant population, but thanks to the contributions of so many immigrants as workforce, as consumers and as entrepreneurs. So again, focus on the dangerous, violent criminals. No disagreement there, but the folks are otherwise law abiding, tax paying and enriching communities, there's got to be a better way, a pathway towards legalization, a pathway to citizenship for 'Dreamers', farm workers and others. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well that's- that is hoping for movement in Congress that would take some time. I did note it was interesting to see the- in the House, the Republican Hispanic Conference, put forth a letter asking for a breakdown of how many criminals were among those actually reported. SEN. PADILLA: And that was one of the key questions they had for the Secretary. Of course, she had no data, had no answer. Promised to follow up. I hope, we'll see. And I also want to be clear about this, because when I had the audacity to try to ask a question as a Senator of a Cabinet Secretary, that's what happened. And you saw the response, everybody's seen the video, it wasn't about me, right? If that's how this administration responds to the Senator with a question, don't just imagine what their capable of, but what they are doing when the cameras are not there, to people without a title like United States Senator, that cruel, disrespectful treatment of so many people who deserve much better. MARGARET BRENNAN: We see in our polling on the policy front, we see in our polling that there still is broad support for President Trump's mass deportation policy. Our last CBS poll, as of last Sunday, showed 54% approval. There was an interesting Washington Post piece written by David Ignatius that was pretty sharp about Democrats saying that "They've gotten the border issue so wrong for so long. It's political malpractice," and that he was basically arguing Democrats are handing Trump the confrontation he wanted with the military, citing actions during the first administration. Do you think that he has a point there? SEN. PADILLA: I think-- MARGARET BRENNAN: --Because the public approval is so high in deportation. SEN. PADILLA: It depends on how you ask the question. If you ask the same people, do they think we should maintain due process in the United States of America, the answer is overwhelmingly yes. Do 'Dreamers' deserve better than the limbo that they find themselves in? Overwhelmingly, on a bipartisan basis, yes. And so I think it's important to break down three things. Number one, do we need a safe and secure, orderly, humane border? Absolutely, no disagreement. People seeking to come to the United States, whether it's to seek asylum on work pieces, etc., we definitely have to modernize that system and be more strategic in those capacities. But we can't forget the millions of long term residents, people who have been here, working, paying taxes, raising families, buying homes, contributing to the strength of our economy. They deserve better. MARGARET BRENNAN You are the ranking member on the Senate Rules Committee which oversees the Capitol Police. What if anything can you tell us about the state of security for lawmakers, given what's happening in Minnesota? SEN. PADILLA Look, a lot of questions, a lot of concerns, and work directly with both the US Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms, and they're doing what they need to do to ensure the safety of members of Congress. But I also think it's more than appropriate to step back and say, why are tensions so high? Not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the country. And I can't help but point to the beginning of not just the first Trump term, but the beginning of the campaign, the tone with which the President had launched his first campaign for President, served throughout his first term, and continues in this term, for a cabinet secretary during a press conference to not be able or be willing to de escalate a situation when I was trying to ask a question that's just indicative-- MARGARET BRENNAN: --You wanted her to say, wait a second, I know who he is. Calm down. Let him go. Is that what you're saying? SEN. PADILLA: The vast majority of people in that room knew who I was. I was escorted into that room by an FBI agent and a National Guard's member. It's the Los Angeles press corps. It said United States Senate on the chest of my polo. MARGARET BRENNAN" Senator Padilla, thank you for joining us today.
Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
The GOP's big bill would bring changes to Medicaid for millions
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has been clear about his red line as the Senate takes up the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act: no Medicaid cuts. But what, exactly, would be a cut? Hawley and other Republicans acknowledge that the main cost-saving provision in the bill – new work requirements on able-bodied adults who receive health care through the Medicaid program — would cause millions of people to lose their coverage. All told, estimates are 10.9 million fewer people would have health coverage under the bill's proposed changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. That includes some 8 million fewer in the Medicaid program, including 5.2 million dropping off because of the new eligibility requirements. 'I know that will reduce the number of people on Medicaid,' Hawley told a small scrum of reporters in the hallways at the Capitol. 'But I'm for that because I want people who are able bodied but not working to work.' Hawley and other Republicans are walking a politically fine line on how to reduce federal spending on Medicaid while also promising to protect a program that serves some 80 million Americans and is popular with the public. As the party pushes ahead on President Donald Trump' s priority package, Republicans insist they are not cutting the vital safety net program but simply rooting out what they call waste, fraud and abuse. Whether that argument lands with voters could go a long way toward determining whether Trump's bill ultimately ends up boosting — or dragging down — Republicans as they campaign for reelection next year. Republicans say that it's wrong to call the reductions in health care coverage 'cuts.' Instead, they've characterized the changes as rules that would purge people who are taking advantage of the system and protect it for the most vulnerable who need it most. House Republicans wrote the bill with instructions to find $880 billion in cuts from programs under the purview of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has a sprawling jurisdiction that includes Medicaid. In the version of the bill that the House passed on a party-line vote last month, the overall cuts ended up exceeding that number. The Kaiser Family Foundation projects that the bill will result in a $793 billion reduction in spending on Medicaid. Additionally, the House Ways & Means Committee, which handles federal tax policy, imposed a freeze on a health care provider tax that many states impose. Critics say the tax improperly boosts federal Medicaid payments to the states, but supporters like Hawley say it's important funding for rural hospitals. 'What we're doing here is an important and, frankly, heroic thing to preserve the program so that it doesn't become insolvent,' Speaker Mike Johnson said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, has denounced the bill as an 'assault on the healthcare of the American people' and warned years of progress in reducing the number of uninsured people is at risk. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the GOP's proposed changes to federal health programs would result in 10.9 million fewer people having health care coverage. Nearly 8 million fewer people would be enrolled in Medicaid by 2034 under the legislation, the CBO found, including 5.2 million people who would lose coverage due to the proposed work requirements. It said 1.4 million immigrants without legal status would lose coverage in state programs. The new Medicaid requirements would apply to nondisabled adults under age 65 who are not caretakers or parents, with some exceptions. The bill passed by the U.S. House stipulates that those eligible would need to work, take classes, or record community service for 80 hours per month. The Kaiser Family Foundation notes that more than 90% of people enrolled in Medicaid already meet those criteria. The legislation also penalizes states that fund health insurance for immigrants who have not confirmed their immigration status, and the CBO expects that those states will stop funding Medicaid for those immigrants altogether. Republicans have cited what they call the out-of-control spending in federal programs to explain their rationale for the changes proposed in the legislation. 'What we are trying to do in the One Big Beautiful Bill is ensuring that limited resources are protected for pregnant women, for children, for seniors, for individuals with disabilities,' said Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., in a speech on the House floor. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso argued that Medicaid recipients who are not working spend their time watching television and playing video games rather than looking for employment. Republicans also criticize the CBO itself, the congressional scorekeeper, questioning whether its projections are accurate. The CBO score for decades has been providing non-partisan analysis of legislation and budgetary matters. Its staff is prohibited from making political contributions and is currently led by a former economic adviser for the George W. Bush administration. While Republicans argue that their signature legislation delivers on Trump's 2024 campaign promises, health care isn't one of the president's strongest issues with Americans. Most U.S. adults, 56%, disapproved of how Trump was handling health care policy in CNN polling from March. And according to AP VoteCast, about 6 in 10 voters in the November election said they wanted the government 'more involved' in ensuring that Americans have health care coverage. Only about 2 in 10 wanted the government less involved in this, and about 2 in 10 said its involvement was about right. Half of American adults said they expected the Trump administration's policies to increase their family's health care costs, according to a May poll from KFF, and about 6 in 10 believed those policies would weaken Medicaid. If the federal government significantly reduced Medicaid spending, about 7 in 10 adults said they worried it would negatively impact nursing homes, hospitals, and other health care providers in their community. For Hawley, the 'bottom lines' are omitting provisions that could cause rural hospitals to close and hardworking citizens to lose their benefits. He and other Republicans are especially concerned about the freeze on the providers' tax in the House's legislation that they warn could hurt rural hospitals. 'Medicaid benefits for people who are working or who are otherwise qualified,' Hawley said. 'I do not want to see them cut.'
