Governor Phil Murphy: Recovering From COVID-19 | SALT Talks #125

Phil Murphy is the 56th Governor of the State of New Jersey. He has signed legislation putting New Jersey on the path to a $15-an-hour minimum wage, enacted the nation’s strongest equal pay law to combat gender wage discrimination, ensured all workers have access to paid sick days, and expanded the state's Paid Family Leave provisions. From 2009-13, under President Obama, Murphy served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. New Jersey was among the states, along with New York and Connecticut, hit hardest by COVID-19 early in the pandemic. This forced a series of difficult decisions around restricting indoor sports, indoor dining, concerts etc. Consistent national messaging plays a critical role in getting state residents to understand the need for responsible behavior. The lack of leadership and messaging early on, when it has the most impact, continues to have negative downstream effects. This has required states like New Jersey to be aggressive in supporting small businesses hurt by the restrictions. “We have put grants, loans, capital into, I think at this point, 35,000 small businesses.” In order to avoid a massive economic fallout, a large federal stimulus is required. The moment calls for around $3 trillion in spending. State and local governments are facing budget shortfalls and federal support will allow these governments to continue employing frontline workers facing the pandemic head-on. ————————————————————————— To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.