Christie and Sweeney find themselves on opposite ends

They shepherded through landmark pension and health benefits reforms for state workers in 2011, but now Gov. Chris Christie and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) are at loggerheads on the issue.

According to a NJ Advance Media report published on Sunday, Sweeney said Democrats are likely to send Christie a budget that includes tax hikes and budget cuts to include another $1.8 billion pension payment by the end of the year.

Christie continues to maintain that New Jersey can't afford to pay for it, and is pushing for even greater reforms.

This single issue has fractured an alliance Christie had hoped to tout as an example of bipartisan cooperation in his bid for the presidency.