New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told a town hall meeting in Somerset Tuesday that the state's public pension system is unsustainable and that he plans to force legislators to tackle the issue during his last term.
Christie's remarks came a day after he led a rally with local officials in Trenton calling for a new cap on police and firefighter salary increases.
The Republican governor slammed Assembly Democrats for letting the cap on arbitration awards to expire this month. The cap was approved by both houses of the legislature in 201 along with a law capping property taxes at two percent.
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Christie also attacked employee benefits, saying that 50 percent of all new spending in his latest budget goes to pay for pensions, 30 percent pays for debt and 14 percent pays for health benefits.
He compared New Jersey to bankrupt Detroit, saying that the Garden State will for the first time be spending more on benefits for retirees than for current employees.
"We are paying more for people who are doing nothing than people doing something," he said.
Christie said he plans to introduce a plan to reform the pension system but did not give specifics.
"We have to worry about the greater good. And wishing it away is not going to make it go away," he said.
"We are going to have this conversation. I am going to force the conversation."
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