New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order intended to eliminate waste with American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding allocations.
The federal government sent New Jersey about $10 billion in ARP funds, including $6.2 billion for the state government.
Executive Order No. 267 directs the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office to work with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the state comptroller and all 21 counties and 565 municipalities that received funding in the state.
“American Rescue Plan funds have helped many families and businesses across our state and kept a stalled economy from falling into an economic collapse,” Murphy said in a statement.
“We must continue to make the most of the American Rescue Plan funds we’ve been given and appropriate the funds judiciously to set New Jersey on a path towards the best long-term recovery,” Murphy added. “This Executive Order sets up a proactive framework to identify and resolve duplications of benefits to reduce cases of fraud, waste, and abuse of these necessary funds.”
Republicans in the state have criticized Murphy for his slow allocation of the ARP money. They have asked the governor to put the federal money toward various initiatives, including replenishing New Jersey’s unemployment insurance (UI) fund.
This article was originally posted on Murphy signs executive order to reduce fraud, waste around COVID relief funds in New Jersey