We are Fighting Back

Dear Neighbor,

Over the past few days, my office has received thousands of calls and emails from constituents across Central Jersey expressing outrage and concern at Elon Musk’s unconstitutional raid of the federal government and his seizure of government systems and records, including the private date of American citizens and businesses. I want you to know that I hear you, share your concerns, and am taking action against the far-right extremism that Trump and Musk are trying to force on the American people. Your feedback helps me push back against their harmful policies.

I spoke out against my Republican colleagues this week for sitting in silence as the Trump Administration gives Musk and his henchmen unfettered access to government systems containing vast amounts of incredibly sensitive personal data about all Americans.

Additionally, I joined my Democratic colleagues to introduce the Taxpayer Data Protection Act. This legislation will ensure that the confidential records of all Americans are safeguarded and that only fully vetted career civil servants are able to access this sensitive data and system. We are demanding accountability for Trump’s lawlessness and will work around the clock to protect the Constitution and our fundamental American values.

Fighting to Protect CFPB

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was established in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to put an end to the predatory behaviors that led to the Great Recession and resulted in millions of people losing their homes in a wave of mass foreclosures. It is the premier agency responsible for protecting Americans from financial abuse and holding big banks and corporations accountable. Since it was established, the CFPB has returned more than $21 billion to American consumers.

Yet, this week, one of the authors of Project 2025 sent an email to everyone who works at CFPB headquarters and told them not to come into the office and to stop working. Without the CFPB, banks and bad actors will undoubtedly return to the reckless practices that destroyed our economy, eliminated thousands of jobs, and ruined people’s lives. I showed up at the CFPB building this week to speak out against Trump and Musk’s efforts to dismantle the agency to let their billionaire friends off the hook.

Watch here:

Republicans’ Heartless Medicaid Cuts

House Republicans are finalizing their budget this week, and it’s as bad, if not worse, than what we feared. The new Republican budget betrays middle class New Jerseyans by taking health care away from hardworking Americans while giving more than $4 trillion in tax breaks to billionaire donors and big corporations. Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to lower costs for American families, which is proving to be a complete and total lie. They are taking taxpayer dollars to reward the wealthy and well-connected, while middle-class families are left holding the bag.

The consequences of this will be devastating. Republicans have made clear they will try to take health care away from millions of hardworking Americans to give massive tax breaks to their ultra-rich friends. Their budget blueprint includes $880 billion or more in devastating cuts to Medicaid. If they go through with their plan, more than 105,000 people in my district are at risk of losing their health care, including tens of thousands of children and seniors. Millions of Americans will lose their coverage, hospitals will be forced to close, and Community Health Centers will be forced to lay off doctors and nurses. It is a heartless and cruel proposal that will ruin people’s lives.

Our Public Health Infrastructure is Under Attack

This week, the Trump Administration’s decided to unlawfully slash federal medical and public health research funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This decision would dramatically reduce the federal funding that supports lifesaving medical research and public health advancements. This is a direct threat to medical innovation in New Jersey and across the country. For example, at Rutgers and Princeton alone, these cuts would rip away $77 million in funding, crippling the very institutions that have been at the forefront of biomedical advancements and jeopardizing lifesaving breakthroughs in cancer treatments, infectious disease research, and so much more.

The Trump Administration was clearly breaking the law, and I’m grateful Democratic states, including New Jersey, acted swiftly to challenge this in court. New Jersey has always been a leader in medical research, and we’re not going to stand by while the Trump Administration undermines our institutions and threatens public health. I’ll keep fighting in Congress to ensure this dangerous proposal is blocked and our researchers get the support they need to keep making groundbreaking discoveries.