By Kim Jarrett, includes “New Jersey is a state swimming in cash, but is still facing struggles as it recovers from the economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The state will end the year with about $2.8 billion in surplus, legislative budget and finance officer Thomas Koenig told lawmakers earlier this month. But the state is $44 billion in debt and caught between a rock and a hard place as to what funds can be used to pay off that debt.”