A new analysis of government spending in New Jersey finds the state has been hampered by years of budget cuts to the programs most needed to protecting residents from the COVID-19 epidemic. 

New Jersey Policy Perspective released a report today that shows the cuts in spending since the recession of 2009 to three key departments: Health, Labor and Community Affairs, which coordinates the state's social safety net.

"And unfortunately what we found is that most of these departments, including the Department of Health, Department of Labor, the Department of Community Affairs, have lower staffing levels than they have had in quite some time, and their budgets are lower than where they were prior to the great recession," said Brandon McKoy, president of New Jersey Policy Perspective.

The Department of Labor has received unemployment insurance claims from 718,000 New Jersey residents since the pandemic hit. But McKoy says the department has 25 percent less staff than it did prior to the 2009 recession.

Listen to McKoy's full interview with Richard Hake by clicking on the audio player above.