we've reported on the controversy surrounding the final days of budget negotiations most notably all of those last minute add-ons to the budget that are largely done without oversight lawmakers call them pork barrel spending or Christmas Tree items one of those so-called Christmas Tree items funding for the new Centre Pompidou museum in Jersey City touted as a world-class one-of-a-kind destination for the entire country to experience but Republican lawmakers are crying foul calling the museum the poster child for wasteful spending senior political correspondent David Cruz spoke to Jersey City's Mayor Steven Fulop who doesn't hold back in defending the museum plans it is still Chic in some circles to look down at the French and when South Jersey state Senator Mike Testa refers to The pompadou X Project in Jersey City as the French Museum it's not a compliment the much balihood but locally criticized and for the last couple of years now State subsidized project has turned into an objective gas mile for Tesla who says he's got nothing against the French or even Art For Art's Sake what I do have something against is wasteful spending you know we were originally told that this French Museum was going to cost taxpayers of the state of New Jersey approximately 24 million dollars now we're already seeing ballooning costs of 58 million dollars and the Department of State is telling us that what I think is going to be an absolute boondoggle is going to cost us approximately 200 million dollars Tesla sits on the Senate budget committee from which he has launched criticism of democratic spending particularly on the so-called Christmas Tree items like this one that make it into the state budget in the haze of the 11th Hour he commissioned the report from the Republican Senate Office that blasted pompadux as a waste of taxpayer subsidy some of it the report says indirectly washing back into campaign coffers and entities that otherwise promote office holders supporting the project Mike Testa is either ignorant or a liar mayor Steve Fulop a democratic gubernatorial candidate says the report is a work of abstract art masquerading as realism he says Tessa a potential Republican candidate for governor has pulled numbers out of thin air and made claims that are simply untrue is it a 200 million dollar project and how much the state contributed so far so I mean that's a public record what the state contributed I I believe that the state has contributed in the range of 48 million dollars okay the entire project um will be similar to construction projects of that size that are destinations you are building a world-class Museum there's none like it in New Jersey a major destination for the entire region and if that costs 200 million dollars or more Fulop says that's okay with him because the return in economic activity will far exceed that Testa says if that's true then the project and other late budget additions like it should be okay with a little more State oversight something that resonates with some local residents who've given side eye to the project from the beginning it shouldn't take a South Jersey politician to ask about these types of things I think the city council is going to have to inquire about Jersey City's commitment and what did that look like who he's paying money to you know just having that oversight it's a franchise agreement not any different than McDonald's or Burger King or anything like that they're licensing the name they're providing management and support but they're not going to pay for operating in costs just like a franchise would it's a partnership and a partnership means that we benefit and they benefit mean the Sancho Pompa do and I'm okay with that as long as it's fair for all the excitement being generated by this project it's still years away even the mayor admitted recently that opening day has been pushed back to 2026 well after he's out of office here in Jersey City I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight News [Music]