TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie took a veto pen to the state budget Friday, slashing $361 million from the spending plan Democrats sent him before signing it into law.
Christie waited till the 11th hour to act — a balanced budget needs to be in place by 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the start of the new fiscal year.
Among the vetoes was a tax credit increase for the working poor.
The Republican governor's $32 billion budget relies on revenue projections that Democrats insist are overly optimistic.
The main partisan dispute in the budget has been over a tax cut.
Christie wants a commitment to fund the first installment of a 10 percent cut.
Legislators set aside $183 million for the cut but won't implement it until it's clear state revenues support it.
