Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today because I came to Washington to cut taxes for the residents of north Jersey. Our taxes are simply too high.

This morning, at The Heritage Foundation, the Speaker claimed that the rest of the country is propping up New Jersey. That is backwards. Currently, New Jersey pays in so that States like Wisconsin can cash out.

New Jersey is already a grand subsidizer of other States. We are one of the top 3 percent taxpaying districts in the entire country and at the bottom in what we get back. We need to change that.

New Jersey only gets back 33 cents for every dollar we send to Washington. New Jersey residents get $3,076 less, as this shows, than what they pay in. West Virginia, for example, gets $4.23 back for every dollar it sends in.

New Jersey is not America's piggybank.

Our one saving grace has been the State and local property tax deduction: the ability to deduct those higher State, local, and property taxes before we have to send in our tax checks every April. It allows us to avoid double taxation. Eliminating these State and local tax deductions will cost New Jersey an average of a $3,500 tax increase per resident. Property values will go down more than 10 percent.

So I am fighting to remove this tax hike provision from the tax reform bill that can hurt our businesses and our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a decorated veteran and a true American hero from New Jersey's Fifth District, Lance Corporal Jedh Colby Barker. Corporal Barker grew up in Bergen County in New Jersey, and graduated from Park Ridge High School. In 1967, Corporal Barker was assigned to Fox Company in the Marine Corps, where he heroically defended his comrades in the line of fire during Operation Kingfisher. Corporal Barker's actions on this day earned him the most prestigious military decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I am including the Congressional Medal of Honor citation to highlight Corporal Barker's actions:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of

his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a

machine gunner with Company F. During a reconnaissance

operation L/Cpl. Barker's squad was suddenly hit by enemy

sniper fire. The squad immediately deployed to a combat

formation and advanced to a strongly fortified enemy

position, when it was again struck by small arms and

automatic weapons fire, sustaining numerous casualties.

Although wounded by the initial burst of fire, L/Cpl. Barker

boldly remained in the open, delivering a devastating volume

of accurate fire on the numerically superior force. The enemy

was intent upon annihilating the small marine force and,

realizing that L/Cpl. Barker was a threat to their position,

directed the preponderance of their fire on his position. He

was again wounded, this time in the right hand, which

prevented him from operating his vitally needed machine gun.

Suddenly and without warning, an enemy grenade landed in the

midst of the few surviving marines. Unhesitatingly and with

complete disregard for his personal safety, L/Cpl. Barker

threw himself upon the deadly grenade, absorbing with his

body the full and tremendous force of the explosion. In a

final act of bravery, he crawled to the side of a wounded

comrade and administered first aid before succumbing to his

grievous wounds. His bold initiative, intrepid fighting

spirit and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost

certain death undoubtedly saved his comrades from further

injury or possible death and reflected great credit upon

himself, the Marine Corps, and the U.S. Naval Service. He

gallantly gave his life for his country.

September 21, 2017 will mark the 50th anniversary of Corporal Barker's remarkable patriotism and valor on the battlefield during the Vietnam War. The Marine Corps motto is, ``Semper Fidelis'', meaning, ``always faithful''. Corporal Barker lived and embodied that to the fullest. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Lance Corporal Jedh Colby Barker, a true American hero. His family, the Fifth District, and all Americans should be proud of Lance Corporal Jedh Colby Barker. His memory and heroism in the line of duty will never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an American hero from New Jersey's Fifth District, First Lieutenant William C. Ryan, Jr. Lieutenant Ryan served our country as an aviator in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. For his heroism in combat, Lieutenant Ryan was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart. Lieutenant Ryan grew up in Bogota, New Jersey, and was an athlete and community leader at St. Cecilia's High School. Nicknamed ``Rhino'' for his toughness and composure, Lieutenant Ryan was a stern fighter and devoted family man. ``Billy,'' as he was known to his friends, attended St. Francis College, where he met Judy, who would become his wife.

Upon graduation, Billy answered the call to serve in the United States Marine Corps. His outstanding character, determination, and willingness to serve his country, made him a natural fit for flight school where he trained to become a Marine Aviator. While deployed in Vietnam, Lieutenant Ryan took on enemy fire and was once rescued in the South China Sea. On May 11, 1969, Lieutenant Ryan faced heavy enemy fire and was shot down again. He was pronounced dead on May 13, 1969.

On the same day that her husband was downed by heavy fire, Judy packed her bags eagerly awaiting a planned vacation with her husband. Their son Michael was just a few hours shy of his first birthday. For forty-seven years, Lieutenant Ryan, who is a hero, never received the proper burial he deserved. In 1990, investigators recovered Lieutenant Ryan's aircraft seat from the crash landing, and decades later, investigators recovered his remains in January 2016, bringing much- needed peace to his family. With the hero's welcoming that the Ryan family deserved, Billy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, on May 10, 2017.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the heroism of First Lieutenant William C. Ryan, Jr. and the Ryan family. His sacrifice, patriotism, and valor represent the best of New Jersey and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the retirement of New Jersey Senator Kevin O'Toole.

Like me, Senator O'Toole is a proud son of New Jersey. He was born to an Irish-American GI and Korean war refugee in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, where he still lives today with his wife, Beth. They are proud parents of two children, Kevin, Jr., and Ryan Marie.

Kevin's parents instilled in him a strong commitment to service that shaped his entire career. At age 25, Kevin was elected to the Cedar Grove Township Council and then mayor.

As assemblyman and State senator, Kevin has been a tireless advocate for small businesses, for law enforcement, first responders, our seniors, and our families. Like me, Kevin has been a strong advocate and force for lowering property taxes, supporting our veterans and first responders, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and strengthening domestic violence statutes. Kevin will soon continue his service at the New Jersey Port Authority, advocating for the critical infrastructure needed to drive economic growth.

He has been a true leader on business growth and streamlining regulations to attract companies to our State and encourage the ones in New Jersey to stay in New Jersey.

I applaud the high value Kevin has importantly placed on constituent service throughout his career as a legislator, a key and essential priority for any public servant. And Kevin has worked across the aisle with Republicans and Democrats alike, a practice that is essential in this time of gridlock.

As Kevin departs the Senate, we wish him all the best. I hope he enjoys more time with his family, many more rounds of golf, and I applaud and thank Kevin O'Toole, a true public servant.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bipartisan amendment to reauthorize the Suicide Prevention and Resilience Program to 2019.

This is a critical program that provides members of the National Guard and Reserves, as well as their families, with training in suicide prevention, resilience, and community healing resources.

We simply cannot allow this critical suicide prevention program to expire, not for the men and women who are or have been on the front lines. Our Nation's veterans deserve the best care after putting their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we hold dear.

My bipartisan amendment reauthorizes and extends this program to improve safety and ensure continuity and peace of mind for the men and women who serve.

Just one soldier lost to suicide is too many. We should do everything in our power to help as many servicemembers as we can.

National Guardsmen and Reservists face unique challenges. They are citizen soldiers who do not live on a base. They often leave their jobs and families on a moment's notice to suit up to protect us.

Even a great Guardsman or Reservist may not know when and how to ask for help, yet these men and women still need access to support systems and community networks to help identify potential mental health issues. That is why it is critical that we extend this program to protect the well-being of all of our soldiers.

I am proud to offer this amendment in honor of those who serve in the New Jersey Guard and Reserve and across the Nation, as well as for their families.

I thank my colleague, Congresswoman McSally, for her leadership on this issue and for her advocacy on behalf of all servicemembers.

I also thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their important work on this critical legislation. I look forward to coming together as Democrats and Republicans to defend our Nation and protect all of those who serve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against dark- of-night policymaking and extreme partisanship and turn to where we can work together with civility on our most pressing issues.

Instead of focusing on what we do not agree on, we must work together where we can find common ground on cutting taxes for hardworking Americans and businesses of all sizes and investing in the crumbling roads, tunnels, and bridges Americans drive over every day. In New Jersey, our roads are the eighth worst in the country, while our taxes are way too high.

As co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, I have been working around the clock with both parties since I was sworn in to fix our roads, while lowering taxes and cutting unnecessary regulation and red tape. By doing so, we can increase economic growth in jobs, improve safety, fight terror, ensure clean drinking water, stand by our vets and first responders, and give our country a competitive advantage on the world stage.

We simply can't have a first-rate nation with second-class infrastructure and sky-high taxes. There is political will on both sides of the aisle on these issues, but we can't be spending our energy on rehashing the same tired partisan debates and jamming through partisan bills. We must work together to get things done for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Eileen Sevano and her unwavering service as a pillar of the Teaneck Public School system for nearly thirty years. On the occasion of her retirement, I applaud Eileen for an incredible forty years of teaching, spanning from Teaneck and Englewood Cliffs, in New Jersey to Brooklyn and Chinatown in New York. During the course of her career, Eileen touched the lives of many students and helped shaped the minds of the next generation.

William Arthur Ward once said, ``The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.'' As a public-school teacher in elementary and middle school, Eileen inspired her students both inside and outside of the classroom. For years, Eileen coached softball in Teaneck, empowering young women on the field. For fourteen years, as Director of Camp Kookooskoos, Eileen inspired young campers through the arts, science, sports, and by exploring and nurturing the environment. Eileen helped our young people create memories that last a lifetime. By focusing on the breadth of learning, even beyond the classroom, Eileen put the best interests of her students first and helped them grow and thrive.

Generations of students, who Eileen taught, have had limitless potential. They have and continue to launch new businesses in New Jersey, find cures for diseases like cancer, create the next breakthrough in technology, and much more. With the help of a supportive teacher like Eileen, all of this has been possible.

Nobody is surprised to hear that in retirement Eileen will continue her lifetime of service by volunteering with students in her community and babysitting her granddaughters. Encouraging learning and creating a supportive environment for young people is what Eileen enjoys most.

I am lucky to know Eileen and am profoundly thankful for her lifetime of service. I commend her for being a wonderful role model to my children and to many students from across the Fifth District. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Eileen's hard work, and wish her, her husband Dennis, her

daughters Brenna and Perri, and her granddaughters Maddy and Sydney, all the best as Eileen celebrates this new chapter.

In closing, I join countless families across the Fifth District in saying thank you to Eileen for her dedication to children and to her community. The world just would not be the same without her hard work and inspiration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Police Week and to say ``thank you'' to the men and women in New Jersey and in our country who keep our community safe, and especially to honor those who paid the ultimate price in their efforts to do so.

Sadly, this year alone, we have lost 48 police officers in the line of duty across the United States. We cannot repay the debt our communities owe to these heroes and their families, but we can start by expressing appreciation for their bravery, dedication, and service, and making sure law enforcement knows that they have our full support.

Our police officers and all first responders can't protect us and themselves without the resources they need to do their job safely and effectively. Not only do police protect us from criminals, but they are on the front lines of the war on terror, especially as we have seen the rise of homegrown and lone-wolf terror after 9/11.

To close, I want to reiterate my deep appreciation for the work of local, county, and State police officers in my district in New Jersey and across our country who keep our communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the retirement of Richard J. Naples, Executive Vice President and Chief Regulatory Officer of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). Rick has been a key leader to the BD family of more than 40,000 associates in 50 countries. Since 2006, he has worked tirelessly at BD, and over the last 30 years, has helped bring innovative, lifesaving technologies to patients and families. Rick truly embodied BD's commitment to advance the world of health.

Rick's work hasn't gone unnoticed. He and his team have led more than three hundred successful FDA regulatory submissions, and driven countless industry-wide initiatives to ensure more timely patient access to safe and innovative technologies. Rick currently serves on the Board of the Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC), the first public-private partnership with FDA to advance regulatory science to speed time to market for new medical technology. For several years, he chaired the AdvaMed Diagnostics Task Force and has been recognized as one of the top regulatory professionals in the industry.

Congratulations on this significant milestone, I wish Rick and his wife, Leslie, and their family, the very best in both his retirement and future adventures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my friend and spiritual mentor, Rabbi Elyse Frishman, for her 22 years of exceptional service to Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

After decades of service to the Jewish community, Rabbi Frishman will be retiring this June. Personally, I am very lucky to call Rabbi Frishman my rabbi.

In addition to leading our congregation, she is the editor of the reform prayer book ``Mishkan Tefilah,'' and a national leader in worship and congregational engagement.

Rabbi Frishman has stood as a model citizen and faith leader, going the extra mile to bring together the community in times of anxiety and fear.

She was recently featured by The Bergen Record for her work to unite the interfaith communities in a common mission, forming dialogues, understanding, and building friendships where they didn't exist before.

In doing so, she has long set an example for the families of our congregation. As a parent, I am glad my children are growing up knowing and being led and educated by her in our faith community.

Rabbi Frishman deserves to be held up as a model for public service. And though our congregation and I will miss her deeply, I congratulate her on her retirement, and I hope everyone enjoys the evening celebrating her years of service to us. America and our community has been very lucky to have Rabbi Elyse Frishman.

Thank you, Rabbi Frishman.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and Representative Wenstrup for their work on this important bill.

This legislation empowers the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with the authority to hire the best and brightest employees.

We can all agree that you can't have a top-notch VA without employing young veterans who want to continue serving their country after they return from the front lines. Each and every day, our brave men and women in uniform put their lives on the line for us, and we owe it to them to ensure that, when they return home, they have the best care at the VA and that they also have the best career opportunities available to them.

This legislation is about veterans serving veterans. Young veterans in the Fifth District of New Jersey, where I live, tell me that they face significant challenges when they return home, even though many of them have a desire to help serve other veterans.

I was lucky enough to hire one such veteran on my team, Mike DeVilliers, who served in the U.S. Army. Mike is committed to helping other veterans and has, at a local community college, where he ran a program for student veterans. He now serves my constituents, including our veterans and across the four counties in the Fifth District.

We should be encouraging talented and qualified young veterans like Mike to put their skills to use and give back to their fellow servicemen and -women. The VA is one place those skills are sorely needed to best serve the 473,000 veterans who live in New Jersey and the many other veterans across our country.

Mr. Chairman, approximately 60 percent of VA employees are over the age of 45, and the Department has struggled to develop an adequate pipeline for younger employees and emerging leaders to fill crucial and critical roles. We have seen the negative effects of not having the right team in place to support our veterans. While programs like Pathways at the VA are a step in the right direction, we can do more to improve the process and give a leg up to all veterans who wish to bring their skills to the VA.

More than half of the post-9/11 veterans are 34 years of age or younger, and approximately 30 percent have bachelor's or advanced degrees; yet the Department of Labor reported that post-9/11 vets face a higher unemployment rate than other veterans. That is simply unacceptable.

The VA should draw from their excellent source of talent to strengthen the care all of our veterans receive by considering more young veterans for excepted service appointments. That is why my amendment would make sure that the VA Secretary includes recipients of the post-9/11 GI Bill and younger veterans who have recently graduated from college as a distinct category qualifying for excepted service appointments to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Chairman, the mission statement of the VA is inscribed outside the Department's headquarters. It reads: ``To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.'' This is President Lincoln's promise to serving and honoring the men and women who are America's heroes, and it should and must be our same commitment today. I know of no one who stands more willing and able to serve fellow veterans and their brothers and sisters in arms than the veterans themselves.

There is nothing partisan about serving our veterans. This is a commonsense solution without any new costs, and it is a perfect example of working across party lines to help get the backs of those who have served our country.

I urge my colleagues to join me in standing up for our veterans by supporting this win-win solution.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the healthcare bill that is currently making its way through the House. It is an attack on seniors that will raise New Jersey taxes, and I refuse to sit idly by.

First, it includes a premium senior tax that would make older Americans pay five times more for their health care.

Second, the plan before Congress takes aim at long-term care to support the elderly and disabled and could ultimately throw seniors out of nursing homes. Three out of five nursing home residents in New Jersey rely on Medicaid to access long-term care.

Finally, it is not only seniors who would be hurt. This bill is a new tax on all New Jersey residents. It cuts Medicaid and leaves the State holding the bag for other States, and it puts additional costs on New Jersey to confront healthcare challenges like the opioid crisis sweeping our State.

We need a bipartisan fix to the Affordable Care Act. This plan does just the opposite. I am ready to sit at the table with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to come up with a real fix.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the rising wave of desecration, threats, and harassment targeting Jewish cemeteries, Jewish community centers, and religious institutions in northern New Jersey and across our country.

JCCs and synagogues are bedrocks of religious and civic life for Jewish communities, housing preschools for children and a range of religious, educational, and social programs for families and seniors. Yet the safety and well-being of these communal spaces are the scope of extremism and anti-Semitism.

Recently, there have been eight bomb threats targeting six Jewish community centers in New Jersey and more than 100 across our country. Parents are pulling their children from religious schools. Others are afraid to attend religious services. It is unacceptable.

In the last 24 hours alone, officials in my district have uncovered multiple swastikas defacing our public spaces. These are not cases of random hatred. They are part of a deeply disturbing national trend that requires immediate and decisive action from law enforcement and community leaders at all levels.

As Elie Wiesel said: ``Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger or hatred.'' Leaders must stand up now against the rising trend of hate-driven terrorism against any ethnic or religious group, including Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others.

Hate and intolerance have no place in the greatest democracy in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a very happy birthday to Frank Lucia, a treasured member of our North Jersey community. Frank recently celebrated his 107th birthday, a tremendous milestone in a very special life. Frank is an outstanding father and a true blessing to our Demarest community. I am sure he and his family had a wonderful time celebrating, dancing, and singing in Italian. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Frank and wishing him many more years of good health and happiness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on her birthday, to honor the tireless dedication of Senator Loretta Weinberg to the people of New Jersey. Senator Weinberg has

been a remarkable advocate for the people of Bergen County for decades, serving first as Assistant Administrator of Bergen County, on the Teaneck Council, then in the New Jersey Assembly and now in the New Jersey State Senate. She is currently the Senate Majority Leader.

Majority Leader Weinberg has used every post she's held to fight tenaciously on behalf of the people of New Jersey. She's advocated relentlessly for making the investments in our infrastructure that we need to keep our economy humming and create new jobs, for ethics and transparency in government, for strengthening our communities, and for women, and for all of those left out of the circle of opportunity.

I salute Weinberg for her strong and dogged voice, her countless accomplishments, and for her tireless advocacy on behalf of the people of New Jersey. I look forward to working with her to serve our mutual constituents in Bergen County.