Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday that he would sign the $32.7 billion, nine-month state budget “as is” and not veto any items in the face of claims from critics that the plan including hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary projects.

Both the Assembly and state Senate approved the spending bill and an assortment of taxes on Sept. 24. The budget calls for $4.5 billion of new debt that will be issued without voter approval, a tax hike on millionaires, the extension of an increased business tax, and a higher HMO assessment. Murphy’s comments came during his regular COVID-19 briefing on Sept. 25.

A four-person legislative borrowing committee – consisting of the Senate President, Assembly Speaker and budget chairs from both houses – will vote Monday on the borrowing, which it is the panel is expected to approve, after which the governor can enact the spending plan ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.

Republicans decried what they saw as pet projects for lawmakers in Democratic legislative districts. They argued that given the dire state of the government’s finances, such levels of spending were not appropriate.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, R-13th District, said he wore a Christmas tie to the Thursday Senate voting session, because of items he characterized as gifts. “I figured with the presents included in the budget, you might be starting the holidays a little earlier this year,” he quipped.

Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick, R-21st District, tweeted  that “the ‘pork projects’ that the governor will give [away] to his political friends are in direct contradiction to the words of the Supreme Court.”

“The court allowed borrowing without voter approval but not for things like golf courses. We may have to return to the Supreme Court,” Bramnick continued.

The state constitution grants Murphy the power to remove items from the budget before he signs it, and if does the Legislature could override the vetoes.

But Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-19th District, told reporters on Sept. 24 that he was confident “the governor’s going to sign the budget.”

Democratic lawmakers disputed that there was any pork-spending, contending that every dollar spent was for necessary services.

“This is also a budget that has certain priorities in here that really work toward some social justice impacts as well, and making sure that people that are in underserved areas are exposed to things they wouldn’t normally be doing,” Assembly Budget Chair Eliana Pintor-Marin, D-29th District, told reporters. “Especially at a time when kids are not going back to school, or seniors are stuck at home.”

Republicans cited the $4 million to Essex County’s First Tee golfing program, $1.5 million to the New Jersey Hall of Fame Foundation and $1 million to the Battleship New Jersey Museum in Camden.

They also pointed to $1 million for continued restorations to Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, $500,000 to the Newark Museum, and $150,000 for the Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum. Metuchen’s shade tree management gets $100,000 and East Brunswick gets $400,000 to renovate its town hall.