Christie used vetoes to make $1B in budget cuts; Sweeney said: 'It's like taking hostages and shooting them just to prove a point'
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Senate President Stephen Sweeney pictured in this May file photo said Senate Democrats plan to begin overriding Gov.Christie's vetoes early next week.TRENTON — Senate Democrats today said they will start trying to override Gov. Chris Christie's vetoes on Monday morning.
"This is about priorities. This is about what is important to people," said Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester).
Last week, Christie line-item vetoed the Democrats' $30.6 billion budget by about $1 billion, making cuts that went beyond his original budget proposal that included social welfare programs and aid to struggling cities.
"It's like taking hostages and shooting them just to prove a point," said Sweeney.
Sweeney said that in addition to Monday, the Senate will hold one or two later sessions to override other cuts. He did not go into specifics about which parts of he vetoes he would attempt to overturn first.
The attempts are considered unlikely to succeed because Democrats, who hold 24 out of 40 seats in the Senate, do not have the 27 votes needed to overturn a veto, and Republicans are not expected to buck the governor.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. said Democrats would not be in this position if they had worked earlier with the governor to come up with a compromise budget.
"Overriding a Governor's veto should be a thoughtful decision that is used sparingly by the Legislature, not as a tool to churn political fodder for the fall campaign," he said in a prepared statement. "The Majority's never ending use of this extraordinary tool shows that they are more concerned about political theater than the actual outcome."
Related coverage:
• Assembly Democrats plan hearings to examine Christie budget cuts
• N.J. Assembly Democrats to hold hearings on effects of Gov. Christie's budget cuts
