May Wrap-Up

Above: Gottheimer calls for immediate action at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) visited Newark Liberty International Airport to demand swift action to address the air traffic control crisis that is causing massive flight delays and cancellations. 

Gottheimer’s New Action:

• Gottheimer demanded that the Trump Administration and Transportation Secretary Duffy send an emergency funding request to Congress to fund their air traffic control overhaul plan.
• Gottheimer is asking the FAA, working with the Port Authority, to conduct an immediate review of the technical wiring and infrastructure at Newark Airport and in the Philadelphia TRACON facility. 
• Gottheimer is calling on the Administration to surge more air traffic controllers from other parts of the country to this short-staffed region — the busiest airspace in the world. 
• Gottheimer is calling on the FAA to establish a training program to safely and smartly fast-track military combat controllers (CCTs) to become FAA-certified air traffic controllers (ATCs).
  
  • Currently, red tape and a two to three-year certification process prevent CCTs from becoming FAA-certified ATCs.
• Gottheimer called on all airlines at Newark Airport to get ahead of cancellations and flight changes so families and passengers have more notice and flexibility on rebookings and refunds. 

“I am calling on the Trump Administration and Secretary Duffy to send their FAA air traffic control overhaul plan to Congress for us to vote on. We cannot wait a day longer to fix the technology issues at Newark, or the dire conditions and staffing issues we are seeing around the country,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We must immediately surge investment and ensure we have enough people in the towers and on the ground to ensure safety in our skies. No more copper wires. No more outdated technology. We are the greatest country in the world. We must do this now.” 

Above: Gottheimer rallies with North Jersey leaders against the extreme-right budget bill.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) slammed the far-right extremist budget bill that passed the House of Representatives by one vote, standing outside a local hospital that serves patients who rely on Medicaid.

The far-right budget guts essential programs that Jersey families rely on — slashing Medicaid, stripping affordable health care from families, cutting SNAP and school meals, and defunding Planned Parenthood. These reckless cuts would devastate Jersey’s most vulnerable populations, harming seniors, children, and families in need. The bill also fails to fully restore the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, sticking it to middle-class Jersey families. 

“There’s a reason Republicans fought among themselves for months over their extreme-right budget bill: they know it’s a disaster for our families, children, and seniors. That’s why it passed the House by one vote. This budget makes the largest cuts to health care and nutritional assistance in our nation’s history. As far-right extremists continue to fight in the Senate about how deep to gut our most critical programs, one thing is clear: Jersey children, seniors, and families will pay the price,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “Rather than making life affordable, the extreme right is cutting critical lifelines that Jersey families rely on. We need to defend our Jersey Values, lower costs, and cut taxes, not create more chaos and abandon vulnerable seniors and hungry children.”

Above: Gottheimer announces new legislation to stop reckless cuts to firefighter cancer research and health care.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) visited Fort Lee School No. 4 to announce new legislation aimed at strengthening school mental health programs and addressing the growing youth mental health crisis in New Jersey and across the country.

Gottheimer’s announcement followed the Trump Administration’s decision to cut $1 billion in federal funding for school mental health programs — critical dollars used to hire psychologists, counselors, and support staff in schools. As a direct result of these cuts, the New Jersey Department of Education will be forced to end its five-year plan to expand access to mental health professionals, a program that had already reached more than 40,000 students and helped hire 68 school-based mental health professionals over just two years.

Gottheimer’s “Youth Mental Health Strategy”:

• First, Gottheimer introduced the Preparing Our Future Act to combat the school psychologist shortage in Jersey and across the country.
  
  • Gottheimer’s bill would create a national grant program to provide up to $8,000 a year to students studying to become school psychologists. 
    
  • The legislation will require students to work at schools struggling to meet the recommended student-to-school psychologist ratio for at least four years once they graduate.
    
• Second, Gottheimer introduced the Saving Students with Software Act to help schools cover the cost of life-saving suicide prevention software.
  
• Gottheimer is supporting the Youth Mental Health Research Act to secure an annual $100 million investment in new mental health treatments.
  
• Gottheimer led 20 of his colleagues in Congress in a letter to the House Appropriations Committee fighting to secure the highest possible level of funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the next fiscal year’s budget.  

“Here in Jersey, and across the country, too many of our kids are facing a mental health crisis. We can get kids the help they need, but we must make the investments necessary to do it,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “For some reason, the Trump Administration doesn’t see it that way. Instead, they cut one billion dollars in funding from the Department of Education that helps our schools hire more psychologists, counselors, and other mental health workers who support struggling students. These are critical, lifesaving investments I helped claw back and secure for Jersey.”

Gottheimer continued, “If we’re smart and make strategic investments instead of slashing critical programs with no strategy, we can get our children the help they need, and it’ll make a world of difference for our students and families. This should not be partisan, it’s just common sense. Investing in these resources is not just the right thing to do for our children’s health and wellness, but they are key to our long-term competitiveness as a nation.” 

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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