Democrat,

I wanted to begin this week’s Chairman’s Corner by wishing President Biden and his family strength and courage in the wake of his recent cancer diagnosis. This is very sad news, but we know that President Biden is a fighter and he will bring that fight to this diagnosis. 

There is a lot going on this week from the delays and outages at Newark Airport caused by Elon Musk’s unnecessary and dangerous DOGE cuts to the FAA, to House Republicans passing a budget that guts health care and food assistance for NJ families to fund tax breaks for billionaires. On top of that, Donald Trump and US Attorney Alina Habba launched an unjust and obviously politically motivated attack on Congresswoman LaMonica McIver because she had the courage to provide oversight on their government overreach. Amidst this chaos, Democrats are fighting back. 

In today’s newsletter, we’ll cover key updates on the GOP’s dangerous budget cuts, executive actions that threaten workers' rights, and the latest unfounded claims surrounding abortion medication. We also highlight how New Jersey lawmakers are pushing back against these harmful policies.

— Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.    

In a disturbing move, a federal appeals court is allowing an Executive Order Trump signed back in March to go forward, which would strip hundreds of thousands of federal workers of their right to unionize and collectively bargain. This order, targeting key federal agencies like Departments of Justice, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, would leave workers without a voice in their working conditions. Despite the National Treasury Employees Union's pushback, the court sided with Trump's dangerous power grab, claiming national security justifies gutting workers' rights. This is a blatant attack on labor, affecting 75% of federal workers.

This week, House Republicans, including Reps. Tom Kean Jr., Jeff Van Drew, and Chris Smith, delivered a devastating blow to their constituents in an effort to appease Donald Trump and his billionaire backers. On Trump’s orders, House Republicans launched a toxic attack on New Jersey families to rip away quality, affordable health care and take food off of many tables — all to give tax handouts to the top 1%. Here’s the reality: The GOP’s catastrophic ‘billionaire first’ budget will harm our state’s economy, cost hardworking New Jerseyans their jobs, and leave working families footing the bill for America’s wealthiest.

What exactly did Reps. Kean, Van Drew, and Smith vote for?

• Gutting affordable health care for ⅓ of all NJ kids

• Taking food off the tables of 827,000 New Jerseyans

• Tax cuts for the wealthy in the top 1%

• Funding cuts for Planned Parenthood

• More mass deportations without due process

• More drilling and mining on public lands

If passed by the Senate, this budget will cripple New Jersey’s economy and hurt our most vulnerable citizens. Trump and NJ Republicans are once again prioritizing billionaires over hard-working families, but Democrats are ready to fight back and hold them accountable at the ballot box.

Claim:
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is forcing the FDA to reevaluate the safety of mifepristone, the medication first approved 25 years ago and utilized in over half of all abortions.

The Truth:
The study RFK Jr and fellow anti-abortion extremists are using to justify a reevaluation of this critical medication is based on flawed and misleading research. It’s a report released by a conservative think tank that was never peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal. Real rigorous scientific studies clearly prove the pill’s safety.

Impact on New Jersey: 

This reevaluation is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to restrict access to reproductive health care. These actions threaten Americans’ freedoms even in states like New Jersey by overriding the strong protections enacted by our local leaders.   

Booker Stands Up for Needed Fixes at Newark Airport

The outages and delays at Newark Airport are a direct result of Elon Musk gutting the FAA, causing air traffic chaos and a deep concern among the American people. This week, Senator Booker demanded action from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to address staffing shortages, outdated air traffic control systems, and fix Musk’s mess. 

McIver Strong in the Face of Political Persecution 

The charges waged by Donald Trump and Alina Habba against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver are a politically motivated miscarriage of justice. Rep. McIver is a dedicated public servant who arrived at Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center on May 9th with her colleagues to provide oversight, as our Constitution demands of her. Trump and Habba are now attempting to rewrite the reality of what happened—but we can all see with our own eyes how she was attacked for doing her job. Rep. McIver’s resilience in the face of prosecution is a testament to her character and leadership—and we stand with her in this fight for our democracy.  

With just 18 days left until the primary, it's time to step up. Let’s turn out, speak up, and make our voices count. Below are volunteer opportunities and upcoming events to help keep our state blue. 

Upcoming Events:

Our Phone/Text Bank Series - 2x a week 

New Leaders, Real Change: Emerging Leaders Caucus Phone & Text Bank Takeover

Frontlines to Phone Lines: Veterans Caucus Phone & Text Bank Takeover

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How Executive Orders Impact You: A Conversation with Representatives Rob Menendez & Nellie Pou- May 27th, 7:00 - 8:30PM