TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey is going to build up a supply of medication used in abortions, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday during his state of the state address as he both pledged to work with President-elect Donald Trump and warned that the state is ready to push back against the incoming administration.
Murphy is one of a handful of Democratic governors who criticized Trump on the campaign trail yet now say they’re open to cooperation. But Murphy said he will not back down in the face of “anti-choice” policies supported by the Republican majorities in Congress. He said the state will stockpile mifepristone “so every woman can access this crucial form of reproductive care.”
“I will never back away from partnering with the Trump Administration where our priorities align,” Murphy said during his address before a joint meeting of the Democrat-led Legislature. “But just as importantly, I will never back down from defending our New Jersey values — if and when they are tested.”
New Jersey joins other Democrat-led states, including Massachusetts and California in stockpiling mifepristone, one of two drugs used in combination used to end pregnancies.
During an interview with NBC News last month, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but he also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” Abortion rights groups are particularly concerned that Trump’s choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi, may revive the Comstock Act, an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans the mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion.
Tuesday’s speech was Murphy’s second-to-last, and he emphasized his reluctance to become a lame-duck governor in the final stretch of his second term. Among the other proposals he unveiled, Murphy said he would direct schools to ban cellphones in grades K-12.
“Our children are inundated with screens,” he said. “And they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids, not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn.”
Murphy is entering the final 12 months of his second term, coinciding with the dawn of a second Trump administration, just as the beginning of his governorship overlapped with Trump’s first term.
Murphy has defined himself as progressive and ran for reelection that way. But his 2021 victory was far narrower than many expected and his party’s losses in the Legislature saw the Democrats refocus on affordability issues like property tax relief.
“During this final chapter of our journey, our absolute top priority — as it has been since Day One — is delivering economic security and opportunity to every New Jerseyan,” Murphy said.
Now Murphy’s legacy — which includes a lengthy list of legislation thanks to the Democrat-led Legislature like tightening gun laws, legalizing recreational marijuana, taxing the wealthy and boosting education funding — is set against the backdrop of a pitched Democratic primary.
Term-limited from seeking another four years in office, Murphy will be turning the reins of the party over to the eventual winner of a six-person field running for governor in this year’s contest. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states regularly scheduled with gubernatorial races this year.
Murphy’s vision for the state also coincides with a Democratic Party angling for a way forward and a vote-getting national message after last year’s loss to Trump and the GOP victories, narrow as they are, in Congress.
The speech, analogous to the presidential state of the union address but at the state level, amounts to a blueprint for how the governor wants the year to unfold.
Legislation he sought last year to bar debt collectors from divulging patients’ medical debts to consumer credit reporting agencies, for instance, was enacted. He also succeeded in getting legislation overhauling affordable housing requirements are managed in the state.
But the speech can also underscore how limited the governor’s power can be. Last year, he called for legislation to permit 16-year-olds to vote in school board elections. The measure hasn’t advanced in the Legislature, though he reiterated his call for the bill on Tuesday. He also called for an “artificial intelligence moonshot.” So far, a task force the governor established has issued a report calling for the state to embrace generative AI.
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously preserved access in June to mifepristone, which is used in nearly two-thirds of abortions. The case before the court threatened to cut back access to the drug, including in states where abortion is legal. Abortion is banned at all stages of pregnancy in 14 states, and after about six weeks of pregnancy in three others, often before women realize they’re pregnant.