Last week, governor denounced Washington bureaucrats for not allowing state to correct error, later refuted by video
Lifting a copy of the 1,000 page "Race to the Top" application onto the podium, Governor Chris Christie last Wednesday begins to explain the one page "clerical error" that allegedly cost the state $400M in federal funds for education. TRENTON — Last week, Gov. Chris Christie said President Obama should apologize to New Jersey residents for allowing a “clerical error” in its “Race to the Top” application to cost the state its chance at up to $400 million in federal education funds.
Today, following a series of revelations about the error and the subsequent blame game, the state Senate’s top two Democrats said the Republican governor now owes Obama an apology.
“The disparaging and partisan attack on our federal education officials that you engaged in during last week’s press conference was a shameful attempt to rationalize a careless error by your administration that cost New Jersey taxpayers $400 million in federal funding,” wrote Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) in a letter to Christie.
“The blame that you foisted on the Obama administration was misdirected and your display completely at odds with the actions expected of a state leader,” they continued.
In response to a routine question on its “Race to the Top” application, the state provided budget information for the wrong years, costing New Jersey 4.8 points. That could have been enough to beat out Ohio – the lowest ranking state to win funds — which beat New Jersey by just three points.
After the error was revealed, Christie said he took responsibility for leaving out the budget information but denounced U.S. Department of Education bureaucrats for not allowing the state to correct its error.
“Are you guys just down there checking boxes like mindless drones, or are you thinking?” he said Wednesday.
Christie said Schundler provided a panel of judges with the correct budget information at its Aug. 12 budget presentation. A video showed that not to be true, leading Christie to fire Schundler on Friday.
On Monday, Schundler also said he was responsible for the initial mistake on the application.
Sweeney and Buono said Christie should publicly apologize to the Obama administration, saying his comments could hurt the state’s relationship with the federal government.
A spokesman for Christie could not immediately be reached for comment.
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