The Latest: Lawmakers pass $36.5B budget despite veto threat

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The Latest on New Jersey’s budget (all times local):

9:10 p.m.

New Jersey’s Legislature passed a $36.5 billion budget, despite Gov. Phil Murphy threats to reject it.

The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate sent the spending plan to Murphy’s desk on Thursday.

The budget advanced amid a bitter back-and-forth among Democrats, with Murphy and lawmakers flinging insults back and forth.

Murphy has said he would veto any measure that does not include what he calls sustainable revenues. He’s criticized the lawmakers’ revenue sources, including a hike in the business tax rate, a tax amnesty and savings realized from audits.

Instead Murphy is calling for raising income taxes on people who earn more than $1 million and hiking the sales tax to 7 percent from 6.625 percent.

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6:10 p.m.

New Jersey budget talks headed into uncertain terrain, and Gov. Phil Murphy says fellow Democrats in the Legislature seem to be fighting to keep Chris Christie’s legacy alive

Murphy said Thursday that after meetings with Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin he’s “disappointed” that deal-making that occurred under his Republican predecessor “hasn’t been rung from the system.”

The comments came the same day the Democrat-led Assembly and Senate are scheduled to vote on a $36.5 billion spending.

Murphy promised to veto any measure that does not include what he calls sustainable revenues.

Instead Murphy is calling for raising income taxes on people who earn more than $1 million and hiking the sales tax to 7 percent from 6.625 percent.

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12:21 a.m.

New Jersey’s Legislature is set to vote on a $36.5 billion budget, though Gov. Phil Murphy seems poised to reject it.

The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate are scheduled to vote on the spending plan Thursday.

Murphy has said he would veto any measure that does not include what he calls sustainable revenues. He’s criticized the lawmakers’ revenue sources, including a hike in the business tax rate, a tax amnesty and savings realized from audits.

Instead Murphy is calling for raising income taxes on people who earn more than $1 million and hiking the sales tax to 7 percent from 6.625 percent.

The freshman Democratic governor has clashed with the Democrat-led Legislature during his first budget. If they don’t enact a balanced budget by June 30, state government faces a shutdown.