March Wrap-Up

Above: Gottheimer announcing new legislation to protect Jersey seniors.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced new action to combat the ongoing assault on Jersey seniors as far-right extremists in Congress and the Trump Administration push forward with devastating budget cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. Gottheimer is also helping introduce legislation that would stop the Trump Administration from randomly closing Social Security offices around the country, which would cause delays in seniors’ checks and benefits.

Gottheimer also unveiled a new report outlining the devastating damage that cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will have on Jersey seniors and families.

Gottheimer’s New Senior Security Strategy Steps:

• First, Gottheimer helped introduce new legislation, the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act, to suspend the closure of all Social Security offices.
  • The legislation requires a detailed report to Congress before the Administration can shut down these critical facilities.
  • Gottheimer also helped send a letter to the Trump Administration demanding they immediately halt plans for any further office closures or staffing reductions.

• Second, Gottheimer sent a letter and report to House Speaker Mike Johnson outlining the devastating damage cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will have on Jersey seniors and families, while urging him to protect these critical programs.
  • Gottheimer also sent a letter with 46 of his colleagues calling on the Speaker to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid on behalf of the millions of seniors who depend on these programs nationwide.

• Third, Gottheimer helped introduce the Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act to stop Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration.

“I’m all for making government more efficient, but not haphazardly hacking away at our most essential benefits that so many seniors desperately rely on. Making things worse — the Administration knows they are screwing over our seniors and families with all of this chaos. Rather than cutting red tape, the President is cutting critical lifelines that Jersey seniors rely on. This is an assault on our seniors,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “President Trump promised to bring down costs but has not announced a single concrete plan to help struggling families. Instead, he is threatening critical support for our seniors and proposing tariffs that will drive prices higher. We need to defend our Jersey Values and lower costs and taxes, not create chaos and abandon our seniors.”

Above: Gottheimer announcing action to protect and expand school meal programs.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined local leaders at Memorial Elementary School in Maywood to announce new steps in his “Stop School Hunger Plan,” which includes new action and legislation to protect school meal programs from far-right extremists so that no child goes hungry. Gottheimer is fighting back against a new tax the Trump Administration is imposing on our hardworking families: a $1 billion cut in federal funding for fresh fruits and vegetables at schools and food banks, including a $26 million cut hurting Jersey children and families.

Gottheimer’s Stop School Hunger Plan:

• Gottheimer sent a letter to the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, with 27 of his colleagues urging the Administration to reverse these vicious cuts to school breakfast and lunch programs and demand answers on why these cuts were made while stressing the disastrous impact they will have on Jersey children, families, and farmers.
• Gottheimer is introducing the Expanding Access to School Meals Act, which allows any child who qualifies for reduced meals to receive them at no cost.
• Last Congress, Gottheimer helped introduce the No Hungry Kids in Schools Act, which would eliminate requirements to collect bureaucratic, hard-to-manage applications from individual households that prevent many children and families from receiving assistance.

“You can’t propel a rocket without fuel – the same goes for a growing student. They are rockets ready to take off to a successful life and career. Yet, the Trump Administration is slashing a billion dollars of food assistance for America’s children and the most vulnerable in our communities, which will lead to higher taxes on Jersey families. I simply don’t get it. Not only are far-right extremists sticking it to our farmers and the local economy, they are so dead set on cutting federal spending without a plan that they are willing to literally snatch fresh fruits and vegetables out of the mouths of hungry children. It’s shameless,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the Congressional Hunger Caucus. “There is nothing red or blue about feeding our children and educating the leaders of the future — it’s why school breakfast and lunch has always been a bipartisan issue. Not only is it the right thing to do for our children’s health and wellness, but they are key to our long-term competitiveness as a nation.”

Above: Gottheimer announces new action to protect women’s rights, safety, and health Care. 

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined local leaders and women’s rights advocates to honor Women’s History Month and announce new action to protect women’s rights and reproductive health care against far-right extremist attacks.

Gottheimer is fighting back against the Trump Administration’s decision to jeopardize critical funding for the Violence Against Women Act, which supports survivors of domestic violence and helps prevent violence and abuse. These are part of broader efforts to roll back women’s rights, including assaults on reproductive freedom and cutting critical investments in breast cancer and ovarian cancer research.

Gottheimer’s Efforts to Fight Back Against Attacks:

• First, Gottheimer is urging New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin to use every tool at his disposal to enforce the FACE Act, bipartisan legislation that protects women seeking reproductive health care, and to hold anyone who threatens patients or providers at reproductive health care clinics accountable.
• Second, Gottheimer is sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding that she uphold the promises she made in her testimony before Congress to protect VAWA funding so these life-saving investments remain available to states and communities. 
• Third, Gottheimer helped introduce the bipartisan Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act to prevent abusers from using car location technology to track, intimidate, or control survivors.

“We are witnessing in real time a full-scale assault by far-right extremists on women’s safety, rights, and health care. The President said he would ‘protect women whether they like it or not,’ yet he is refusing to enforce laws that protect them and handing out get-out-of-jail-free cards to those who threaten them. It’s completely disgusting. Here in Jersey, we will stand up and stand together against these far-right extremist attacks that are putting women’s lives at risk,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus. “All you need to do is open your history books and read about what life was like for women in our country before Roe, the countless lives lost every single year, and you’ll understand why this situation is so dangerous. We can’t go back. If we don’t stand up now and make our voices heard, far-right extremists will continue to advance their agenda. We won’t allow extremism to win.”

Above: Gottheimer fights New York’s Congestion Tax.

U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined local leaders to demand New York halt collection of its crushing Congestion Tax. Gottheimer announced new action to protect Jersey commuters and hold the MTA accountable if New York does not comply. 

Gottheimer is Fighting to Protect Jersey Commuters 

• Gottheimer wrote to the New Jersey Department of Transportation urging them to bill New York’s MTA for any and all charges to Jersey families.
  • Gottheimer is calling for the New Jersey DOT to invoice New York every single week that it refuses to comply with the shutoff deadline.

• Gottheimer sent a letter to E-ZPass calling on them to stop charging drivers who enter the Congestion Zone after the deadline.
  • Gottheimer is also calling on NY E-ZPass to fix its broken system that prevents Jersey commuters from challenging New York’s fraudulent charges. Currently, only New York drivers can challenge incorrect charges, not New Jersey E-ZPass holders. 

• As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, Gottheimer reintroduced a bipartisan legislative package to halt the Congestion Tax and hold the MTA accountable.

“From Day One, nearly six years ago when we first started this fight, we knew that the Congestion Tax was not about easing congestion or pollution, it was just a giant cash grab for New York and the MTA — all on the backs of hardworking Jersey families. Time’s up on New York’s Congestion Tax. I said we would fight this till the end, and it looks like New York will ultimately lose at the final buzzer,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus. “The decision to keep the Congestion Tax cameras on is completely ludicrous. It’s literally highway robbery. We are not going to sit around and let New York stick it to hardworking Jersey families. We will keep bringing the Jersey fight until New York turns off the Congestion Tax cameras and ends their cash grab once and for all.”

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) announced that they are hosting the Alexander family — parents of American hostage Edan Alexander from Tenafly, NJ — as their guests for President Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress. Alexander is the last living American hostage held by Hamas terrorists. 

“Leader Jeffries and I are honored to have the Alexander family from Tenafly, NJ, as our guests to the President’s joint address to Congress. Their presence ensures that no American forgets their son, 21-year-old Edan, is still being held hostage in Gaza. We must get every hostage home. The United States should never leave any man or woman behind,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “For more than 500 days, the Alexander family has lived in fear, with few updates on Edan’s condition or whereabouts, as he remains in the hands of Hamas terrorists. I will not rest until every single hostage, including the five remaining Americans, is brought home.”

As always, if you’re experiencing an issue with a federal agency, Congressman Gottheimer's Constituent Service team is here to listen & help with VA benefits, Social Security, Medicare, & much more.

Call at 201-389-1100 or email [email protected].

You can also follow Congressman Gottheimer's Twitter here, Facebook here, and Instagram here.

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