Dear Friends,

Last week, I held a town hall at Montclair State University (MSU) to provide an update on current events and answer questions from constituents about my recent work in NJ-11 and Washington. 

A full recording of the town hall can be found here.

Major Joseph Brennan of the New Jersey State Police joined me to address concerns I have heard from our community about the rise of car thefts and provide tips to keep people and property safe. MSU Economics Professor Luis Portes also joined to discuss the state of our economy and the impact of recent legislation. MSU President Jonathan Koppell and Little Falls Mayor James Damiano also made introductory remarks at the town hall. Montclair High School Senior Ella Freund sang the National Anthem.

Hearing from people across NJ-11 is critical to my job as a Congresswoman. The wide array of ideas and feedback that my constituents share with me at my town halls and other public forums inform the solutions that I fight for in Washington, like passing full funding for the Gateway Project, managing inland flooding, and addressing the high cost of living in the Garden State. During this event, I was grateful for the discussions about legislation I’ve passed as well as local issues like public safety that affect our community daily. Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend this town hall in person or virtually.

At the town hall, I spoke about the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that will lower health and energy costs for New Jersey families. After three decades of gridlock on lowering prescription drug prices, I helped secure a provision that will empower Medicare to directly negotiate prices of costly medications purchased at the pharmacy. In addition, there is a provision in the bill that will cap what Americans with Medicare pay for insulin at $35 a month.

I also spoke about my recent trip to Ukraine. During my time in Kyiv, I had the honor of meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, mayors from Irpin and Bucha, US Ambassador Bridget Brink, and members of the 101st Airborne division. I spoke to the Ukrainian officials about the grain deal, which is now lowering food costs around the world. 

Major Joseph Brennan of the NJ State Police addressed the recent rise in car thefts in the area, including what NJ state police are doing to mitigate the auto theft problem and crime prevention safety tips. Major Brennan said it was critical to make sure that cars and homes are locked, key fobs are not left in cars, and garage door openers are secured. He shared that a statewide auto theft task force is working with local, state, county, and federal partners to determine further actions. The State Police are tracking the auto theft data closely, with an average of 46 cars being stolen per day in New Jersey, which is a 25% increase from last year. However, recent data has shown a 11% decrease in the last month.

MSU Economics Professor Luis Portes provided an economic overview, stating that, “This Congress is on economic steroids. Everything that has been done in the Inflation Reduction Act, in the CHIPS and Science act is a short term, medium term, and long-term way to increase U.S. competitiveness. By making healthcare affordable, by lowering costs for prescription medicine on Medicare and Medicaid, there are also the incentives, which is very important wording in economics, for households and companies to invest in green energy, clean energy, closing other loopholes in the tax code that allows for higher revenues. So, in reality, the fiscal policy that has been implemented this time around, it’s incredible. Hasn’t been done in a long time, and it’s going full throttle with very positive implications for the future in terms of our productive capacity.”

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Take care,