New Jersey Senate Stephen Sweeney has launched a scathing verbal attack on governor Chris Christie after the two men became embroiled in a bitter dispute over Christie's state budget.
His remarks came the day after Christie announced cuts of more than $1.3bn in spending and rejected all Democratic suggestions to bring the state budget under control.
Instead, the governor made sweeping cuts to spending in education and other health services as well as cutting tax credits for poorer people and voting plans to further tax those on higher incomes.
Speaking in an interview on Friday Sweeney described Christie as 'a bully and a punk' and added, 'I wanted to punch him in the head.'
'You know who he reminds me of?' he added. 'Mr Potter from It's A Wonderful Life, that mean old b*****d who screws everybody.'
Christie's more controversial moves included cutting $45m worth of tax credits for the working poor, as well as $9 million in health care for those on lower incomes, $8 million for women’s health, another $8 million in Aids funding and $9 million in mental health services.
However he did invest $150m into school aid for suburban areas which include some of the wealthiest towns in the state, and made cuts to the Senate and Assembly budgets - but not his own.
'Listen, you can punch me in the face and knock me down,' Sweeney said, 'but don't be vindictive and punish innocent people. These people didn't do anything to him, it's like a bank robber taking hostages. And now he's starting to shoot people.'
'He was angry because he wanted a mutual budget. But do you hurt people because of that? Do you take $8 million in AIDS funding away?
Legal services is drowning as it is, and you take away another $5 million? I’m just so angry that he hurt people like this to prove a point. He is a cruel man.'
Sweeney said that the cuts had been made to to 'punish' Democrats - and also said that Christie refused to speak to him in the week leading up to the budget, despite saying that he would.
Problems initially arose when the Democrats decided to draft their own budget - but the governor's office wanted to negotiate a single budget, which they refused to discuss until they had reached an agreement on pension and health reform.
Christie then took the Democrats plan and made his sweeping cuts to it, without discussing it with Sweeney - who called the move 'mean-spirited'.
'He’s angry,' Sweeney said. 'I liken it to being spoiled, I’m going to get my way, or else.
His remarks came the day after Christie announced cuts of more than $1.3bn in spending and rejected all Democratic suggestions to bring the state budget under control.
Instead, the governor made sweeping cuts to spending in education and other health services as well as cutting tax credits for poorer people and voting plans to further tax those on higher incomes.
Speaking in an interview on Friday Sweeney described Christie as 'a bully and a punk' and added, 'I wanted to punch him in the head.'
'You know who he reminds me of?' he added. 'Mr Potter from It's A Wonderful Life, that mean old b*****d who screws everybody.'
Christie's more controversial moves included cutting $45m worth of tax credits for the working poor, as well as $9 million in health care for those on lower incomes, $8 million for women’s health, another $8 million in Aids funding and $9 million in mental health services.
However he did invest $150m into school aid for suburban areas which include some of the wealthiest towns in the state, and made cuts to the Senate and Assembly budgets - but not his own.
'Listen, you can punch me in the face and knock me down,' Sweeney said, 'but don't be vindictive and punish innocent people. These people didn't do anything to him, it's like a bank robber taking hostages. And now he's starting to shoot people.'
'He was angry because he wanted a mutual budget. But do you hurt people because of that? Do you take $8 million in AIDS funding away?
Sweeney said that the cuts had been made to to 'punish' Democrats - and also said that Christie refused to speak to him in the week leading up to the budget, despite saying that he would.
Problems initially arose when the Democrats decided to draft their own budget - but the governor's office wanted to negotiate a single budget, which they refused to discuss until they had reached an agreement on pension and health reform.
Christie then took the Democrats plan and made his sweeping cuts to it, without discussing it with Sweeney - who called the move 'mean-spirited'.
'He’s angry,' Sweeney said. 'I liken it to being spoiled, I’m going to get my way, or else.
