Activists are accusing Governor Christie of using the working poor as a bargaining chip to get a tax cut enacted.

The governor is refusing to restore full funding for the Earned Income Tax Credit unless the legislature approves a tax cut.

Rob Duffey with the New Jersey Working Families Alliance says that’s endangering the well-being of a half million of the state’s poorest residents.

“The public needs to understand that while Governor Christie tours the country stumping for Mitt Romney or rails against Democrats for not passing a tax cut that meets his requirements he’s holding the livelihoods of 500,000 working families hostage.”

Jennifer Rosado lives in Lawrenceville and is a single mother of two. She says she counts on the credit to help her buy groceries and pay her bills.

“That is a foundation for me. That’s a safety net for me. Having it reduced every year because of the changes that are going it’s kind of hard to sit here and still maintain a secure and safety net for my children and myself.”

A spokesman for the governor says Christie will continue to be an advocate for an expansion of the credit as part of a tax relief plan.

Ray Castro is senior policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective. He’s hoping the earned income tax credit can be fully restored without linking it to approval of a tax cut.

 “If we find out next year that it’s not possible to have a broad tax cut I would imagine they would revisit the issue of the EITC as a more targeted approach.”