TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Alex Sauickie slammed Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan Thursday to hand out one-time utility bill credits of $100 to $250 as electricity costs spike by up to 20% this summer, calling it a “political gimmick” that fails to solve New Jersey’s growing energy crisis.

“We don’t need credits. We need gigawatts,” Sauickie said. “Murphy and the Democrat-controlled Legislature want to blow nearly half a billion dollars trying to paper over skyrocketing bills ahead of an election. That money should be used to restore the power generation and grid infrastructure we lost under this governor that would actually lower costs. That’s not leadership. It’s manipulation.”

Electric bills for New Jerseyans increased June 1 by 17% to 20%. Ratepayers will still owe the full amount of the increases, but under a new scheme by the governor-appointed Board of Public Utilities, they will pay later in the year after usage drops.

“This is a shell game,” Sauickie said. “He’s not stopping the increases. He’s just delaying the pain until after the November elections.”

Sauickie warned that the credits are not only a short-term distraction, but they will leave New Jersey in a worse position over the long run.

“We have to invest in real solutions like modernizing the grid and bringing new power generation online,” he said. “Instead, Murphy is draining ratepayer-funded accounts to buy time for Democrats in an election year.”

He called on Assembly Democrats to reject the plan and demand serious reforms. That includes repealing Executive Order No. 100, part of the administration’s ideological energy polices, which has made it harder and more expensive to build or expand reliable power facilities like nuclear and natural gas.

“If the governor actually wanted to lower costs, he could start by ending the permitting roadblocks his executive order created,” Sauickie said. “But that would require admitting his green energy agenda is making life harder for working families. And this administration doesn’t do accountability.”