Chris Christie Is About To Give One Of The Most Anticipated State Of The State Addresses In Recent Memory
Christie is expected to address the scandal that has popped up in his administration over the past week - the revelation that some of his top aides and political appointees were involved in a decision to cut off access to two lanes on the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, N.J., in September.
Christie is facing two separate investigations on the matter - one by Democrats on the New Jersey State Assembly, and another by Paul Fishman, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.
Although he will mention the George Washington Bridge lane closures, Christie will also attempt to shift the focus from a topic that has dominated national headlines over the past week.
According to ABC, which was provided excerpts of Christie's speech, Christie's most noteworthy proposal will come in making the case for extending the school day - and school year - in the state.
"Our school calendar is antiquated both educationally and culturally," Christie will say, according to the excerpts. "Life in 2014 demands something more for our students. It is time to lengthen both the school day and school year in New Jersey."
Christie's office also released more general excerpts of his speech, in which he emphasizes the bipartisan accomplishments of his tenure as governor:
"It's no accident how we got to this place today. We chose the way. And in this new year and in the next four years, we need to build on this momentum by creating a new attitude: we need to create an attitude of choice.
"It is not about choosing everything; it is not about saying yes to everyone; it is about setting our priorities and choosing to invest in New Jersey where it matters and to put in place the reforms and reductions that make it possible.
"And the best part of our turnaround in these past four years is because we have chosen to work together.
"These are our achievements.
"Four balanced budgets. Passed with bipartisan support. Pension reform and tenure reform. Passed with bipartisan support. A cap on property taxes. Passed with bipartisan support.
"We acted and we acted together."