Executive
Waste of the Day: NJ Governor Spent Thousands On Snacks Including At Taylor Swift Concert
Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) has a habit of using the governor’s official expense account to buy snacks at events for his personal enjoyment.
Topline: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy used a state expense account to buy almost $12,000 of snacks and drinks at stadium events in 2018 and 2019, including almost $1,000 at a Taylor Swift concert, according to a recent report by Politico.
Key facts: New Jersey’s budget gives the governor an annual $95,000 expense account for “official expenses,” which cannot include “personal purposes.”
That didn’t stop Murphy from racking up food bills at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Murphy used taxpayer money at six different MetLife events, including almost $3,000 at a U.S. vs. Mexico soccer game. Purchases included $90 worth of Aquafina water, $45 for extra guacamole and $936 of snacks at Swift’s “Reputation” tour, Politico found.
A spokesperson said Murphy originally paid for the food with his own money and expected to be reimbursed by New Jersey’s Democratic State Committee. When that did not happen, the state “stepped up” to cover the costs, the spokesperson said.
Now that attention is on the issue, Murphy’s office is asking the Democratic State Committee to reimburse taxpayers for the cost.
Murphy also spent $280,000 since 2018 on food for receptions at the governor’s mansion, Politico reported. Another $100,000 went toward renovating the windows, bathrooms and more at the mansion.
One $3,000 dinner was hosted at Murphy’s personal home, and records do not indicate how the meal was related to government business.
Background: Murphy’s snacking spree is, sadly, in line with New Jersey tradition. Former Gov. Chris Christie was caught spending almost $83,000 at MetLife Stadium back in 2015, making gluttony, oddly, a bipartisan issue.
The food may have not made a huge dent in the state’s finances, but overall spending has increased almost every year since Murphy took office in 2018.
New Jersey paid $61.4 billion to outside vendors in 2018. Last year, the state spent $86.2 billion, including $23 billion in grants awarded, according to OpenTheBooks.com.
Spending topped out at nearly $99 billion in 2021.
Summary: Perhaps one extravagant night at MetLife Stadium doesn’t quite qualify Murphy as a “Swiftie,” but taxpayers would likely prefer to buy tickets for themselves rather than fund $12,000 of their governor’s stadium concessions.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.
This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-eff-ski) was the CEO/founder of OpenTheBooks.com. Before dedicating his life to public service, Adam co-founded HomePages Directories, a $20 million publishing company (1997-2007). His works have been featured on the BBC, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, C-SPAN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, FOX News, CNN, National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes, Newsweek, and many other national media.
Today, OpenTheBooks.com is the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. Mission: post "every dime, online, in real time." In 2022, OpenTheBooks.com captured nearly all public expenditures in the country, including nearly all disclosed federal government spending; 50 of 50 state checkbooks; and 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across America.
The group's aggressive transparency and forensic auditing of government spending has led to the assembly of grand juries, indictments, and successful prosecutions; congressional briefings, hearings, and subpoenas; Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits; Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports; federal legislation; and much more.
Our Honorary Chairman - In Memoriam is U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, MD.
Andrzejewski's federal oversight work was included in the President's Budget To Congress FY2021. The budget cited his organization by name, bullet-pointed their findings, and footnoted/hyperlinked to their report.
Posted on YouTube, Andrzejewski's presentation, The Depth of the Swamp, at the Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar 2020 in Naples, Florida received 3.8 million views.
Andrzejewski has spoken at the Columbia School of Journalism, Harvard Law School and the law schools at Georgetown and George Washington regarding big data journalism. As a senior policy contributor at Forbes, Adam had nearly 20 million pageviews on 206 published investigations. In 2022, investigative fact-finding on Dr. Fauci's finances led to his cancellation at Forbes.
In 2022, Andrzejewski did 473 live television and radio interviews across broadcast, major cable platforms, and radio shows. Andrzejewski is the author of The Waste of the Day column at Real Clear Policy. The column is syndicated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of nearly 200 ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates across USA.
Andrzejewski passed away in his sleep at his home in in Hinsdale, Illinois, on August 18, 2024. He is survived by his wife Kerry and three daughters. He also served as a lector at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church and finished the Chicago Marathon eight times (PR 3:58.49 in 2022).
Waste of the Day articles published after August 18, 2024 are considered posthumous publications.
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