Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order promoting the Affordable Care Act on Sunday while visiting the Hackensack church of a pastor who was among his earliest campaign supporters.
Murphy attended the 10:45 a.m. service at Mount Olive Baptist Church, where he slammed an "us versus them" approach that he attributed to President Donald Trump, and by implication to former Gov. Chris Christie.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed his fourth executive order at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack. The order concerns healthcare. Following the signing, Murphy attended a Sunday service at the church. "We've had a state that was 'us versus them' for eight years. We've got a president, now, for one year -- 'us versus them,' dividing us," said Murphy, a Democrat who succeeded the two-term Republican governor.
"There's a lot of fear," Murphy added. "There's a lot of anxiety."
PHOTOS: Murphy visits Mount Olive Baptist Church
Fifteen minutes before the service began, Murphy was surrounded by supporters in a nearby conference room as he signed an executive order -- his fourth since taking office Tuesday -- aimed at bolstering the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in New Jersey.
"Our administration will continue to stand strong against any further efforts to repeal, or continue to chip away, at the Affordable Care Act," Murphy said.
The Affordable Care Act has provided health insurance to approximately 265,000 people in the state. The enrollment deadline for 2018 was Dec. 15, and the next opportunity is not until the fall.
While the Republican-led Congress failed to repeal the law last year, the tax overhaul bill signed by Trump in December removed a provision requiring the purchase of health insurance, and his administration has significantly reduced funding for promotional activities such as sign-up events and assistance -- services that under Murphy's order will be boosted.
Murphy, a U.S. ambassador to Germany under Obama, said he remains committed to the law.
"This is simply common sense," Murphy said. "Lowering the ranks of the uninsured helps everyone, not just the people who get insured. It helps all of us and it protects public health. Doing everything possible to help residents sign up for the Affordable Care Act should be regular practice."
Asked about it afterward, the Democratic chair of the state Senate health committee said Murphy's executive order could boost enrollment when it reopens for 2019.
"It's helpful that they're preparing everyone for that time period," said state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex.
A Republican state legislator was unimpressed, stating that if Murphy feels so strongly he should propose a single-payer health care system for New Jersey.
"What he's basically saying is there's this federal program out there, and we ought to encourage people to make use of it because it isn't costing me any money," state Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, R-Morris, said of Murphy.
Murphy received a warm greeting at the predominantly African-American church, whose pastor, Rev. Gregory Jackson, was an early supporter of his campaign.
"I don't think anybody in this state stood up earlier than your pastor on our side," Murphy said, citing their shared views on social justice and the economy.
Murphy alluded to getting 94 percent of the black vote during the campaign, his stint as an NAACP board member and connection to Obama, who named him the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
"As he would say, and we say all the time, ours is an imperfect nation," Murphy said.
Murphy drew a contrast with Trump, who often has expressed the view that the nation was stronger decades earlier, in referencing his final meeting on the NAACP board about nine months ago.
"Somebody said to me, 'what was the discussion like,' and I said, let's put it this way: People weren't pining for the good old days of 1955. So let's not put on the rose-colored glasses and say that everything was rosy back in the day," Murphy said.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook