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Suspects First, Citizens Second

http://holt.house.gov/images/user_images/ACLO.jpgOn Monday, I joined Udi Ofer, the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, to discuss my career as a scientist and a civil libertarian. Not only have I received a 100 percent score from the ACLU for my work in Congress, but I have also been a card-carrying member of the ACLU for three decades, and my drive to protect civil rights goes back much further.

It is a drive I share with my colleague in the House, Representative Mike Honda from California. A third-generation Japanese-American, Mike and his family were sent to Camp Amache, an internment camp in Colorado, and remained there from 1941 until the end of WWII. The experience shaped his political fights for equality and justice for all.

If we recommit ourselves to upholding the Constitution and protect everyone’s civil liberties we will prevent the overreaches that lead to the internment of thousands of innocent Americans, and we would finally rein in the out-of-control nature of the NSA that is still treating us as suspects first and citizens second.

 

Public Investment in Higher Education

A new report out this week makes clear that “...public investment in higher education is vital to the performance of our economy.” Earlier this week, I met with leaders from New Jersey’s colleges and universities to discuss the future of higher education and to be recognized for my work to make college more affordable. I am proud of the law I wrote to create the TEACH grant program which provides up to $4000 per year in upfront tuition assistance to college students who agree teach for at least four years. I also helped write the law that cut interest rates for student loans in half a few years ago. Unfortunately, over my strong objections last year, Congress voted to increase interest rates and subject them to market fluctuations. 

Yet college remains out of reach for too many Americans. In 1981, the maximum Pell Grant covered almost 70 percent of attending a traditional four year public school. Now the maximum Pell Grant covers only 35 percent of the cost. That is why I have been fighting to double the maximum Pell Grant. Additionally, we need to reverse the growing trend of more and more students borrowing to finance their education. The burden of student debt has a ripple effect on the entire economy and economists are debating how much it may drag down economic growth.  We need to dramatically lower interest rates on student loans, because allowing students to borrow at near zero interest rates for their education is one of the most cost effective investments we can make.  Doing so would help ensure that America’s workforce remains the most educated and innovative in the world.

Recurring Superstorms

Two years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated New Jersey and much of the East Coast in the second most costly storm in U.S. history. However, the costs could have been reduced had we made the appropriate investments in more resilient infrastructure. Fortunately, federal funding is allowing New Jersey now to build a stronger, more resilient infrastructure.

In October of 2013, I joined Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, a tidal marsh in New Jersey, to announce a $162 million investment in Atlantic coastal restoration projects. Tidal marshes provide an important buffer when storms hit.

This September, $1.5 billion in Sandy resiliency grants were awarded to New Jersey to repair and fortify our state’s transit system. Another $300 million in federal disaster money has been used to support both the Blue Acres program’s purchasing of flood-prone homes from willing sellers, and the preservation of the land as open space, which serves as a natural buffer against future storms and floods. 

We do far better, financially and morally, to invest today to ensure that our communities are better suited to tomorrow’s recurring superstorms.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

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