This is Trenton horse trading and gimmicky budgeting at its worst, because the budget itself doesn’t have anything to do with the Horizon bill when it comes to policy – it’s only being attached because of political wheeling and dealing.
The state budget is about far more than numbers, and it is certainly about much more than political gamesmanship – it is about meeting the needs of all of New Jersey’s residents. The focus today needs to be on passing the 2018 budget – not about trying to put together another Frankendeal just to fulfill the governor’s crusade against Horizon.