TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie rejected legislation Thursday that would have raised monthly welfare benefits for the first time in 30 years, and would have restored $7.5 million in grants for women's clinics which he eliminated when he first took office in 2010.

In veto statements released just before 10 p.m. -- two hours before the start of the new fiscal year -- the governor said his actions "protected taxpayers" from the "irresponsible" spending by the Democrats who control the Legislature.

"Unfortunately, the Legislature has continued its annual ritual of attempting to pass additional unbudgeted spending for selected interests," according to Christie's veto statement.

Christie simultaneously announced he had signed a $34.5 billion state budget that slashed nearly all of the $300 million Democrats included in their version of the budget.

The vetoes did not come as a surprise. This is the seventh time the governor rebuffed efforts to restore the $7.5 million that had been shared by more than 50 clinics providing health screenings, birth control and other heath services.

Christie said in 2010 he eliminated the funding to help close a budget shortfall. But as he geared up to run for president last year, he touted the cuts as proof he was staunchly against abortion.

In Thursday's statement, Christie chastised lawmakers for their "predictable routine . . . of once again seek(ing) to circumvent the budget process and pass legislation that would bestow bonuses to certain family planning clinics."

Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (D-Atlantic) accused the governor of pandering "to Republicans across the country. Numerous health care centers have closed across our state, which left thousands of women without access to essential life-saving services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings and pre-natal care."

Christie also vetoed another measure that would have expanded Medicaid coverage for family planning services to a population of women with slightly higher income levels than the program would normally permit.

"In order to implement this bill, the Department of Human Services would be required to establish a completely new Medicaid program focused on administering coverage for family planning services, separate from the current Medicaid program," Christie wrote.

He also vetoed two pieces of legislation that would have boosted the amount of cash assistance welfare recipients receive each month.

A family of two receives $322 a month, a family of three receives $424, and a single childless adult is $140 - levels that has remained the same since 1987.

New Jersey Policy Perspective a left-leaning research nonprofit that supported the bill, noted that New York has raised the value of grant three times since 2000 to $789 a month for a family of three. Pennsylvania's grant is $421; Delaware is $338; Connecticut is $698.

Christie said lawmakers were forgetting the other benefits welfare recipients receive in addition to the monthly check, such as Medicaid, subsidized child care and in some cases rental assistance and food stamps.

"While I understand the sponsors' concern with ensuring adequate assistance for low-income individuals and families throughout the state, New Jersey's current maximum benefit is higher than that in Pennsylvania and Delaware, and this bill fails to recognize the plethora of assistance available," according to the governor's veto statement.

The increase would cost the state $14.2 million in the coming fiscal year, $27.1 million and $38.6 million in the two subsequent years, according to the bill's fiscal analysis by the Office of Legislative Services.

Christie also vetoed a bill (S1854) that would have eliminated the so-called "family cap" on cash benefits for women who become pregnant while on welfare. New Jersey is one of 19 states that does not expand the size of the welfare grant when a baby is born.

The current law "appropriately balances the purpose of the family cap with the larger purpose of the Work First program to end dependency on public assistance," Christie wrote.

Raymond Castro, senior analyst for New Jersey Policy Perspective, sharply criticized the governor's vetoes.

"By vetoing legislation as well as budget language that increased assistance and repealed the 'family cap,' Gov. Christie is looking the crisis of deep child poverty right in the eye, and turning away without action," Castro said.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.