The Week Just Passed:

President Proposes Yet Another “Tax and Spend” Budget

Unemployment Jumps Again

“The greatest remedy for anger is delay.”

Defense Appropriations Hearings Start Next Week

House Passes Ukrainian Aid Bill By Huge Bipartisan Majority

“Congressman: Obama should not have delayed”

The Afghan War is Winding Down, But Not for Those Still Deployed There

Save the Date: Wayne Veterans Fair, March 22^nd

Washington Post Rips Obama’s Foreign Policy – Calls it a “fantasy”

Salute and Mazel Tov to the Hebrew Academy of Morris County on its Groundbreaking

President Proposes Yet Another “Tax and Spend” Budget

On Tuesday, President Obama released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 (the federal government runs on a fiscal year.  FY 2015 begins on October 1, 2014 and runs through September 30, 2015).  Unfortunately, the President’s budget seeks to break the two-year bi-partisan budget agreement reached last year.  He has asked for an additional $56 billion in spending beyond what he agreed to just three short months ago.  He also uses a wide array of gimmicks to make it appear his budget his fiscally responsible, when in fact, it is not.

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial, which exposes the budgetary “sleight-of-hand” used to make appear the President’s budget appear fiscally responsible, is worth a read.

Unemployment Jumps Again

The unemployment rate ticked up again in February, to 6.7 percent, while labor force participation remained at what the Wall Street Journal called “historically low levels” at just 63 percent.  The Obama recovery remains the most sluggish of any recovery since World War II.   It’s time to put people back to work and create a healthy economy by undoing the damage the done by the President’s unwise policies – including the job-killing aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

“The greatest remedy for anger is delay.”

More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “The greatest remedy for anger is delay.”  He could have been talking about the Obama Administration’s persistent habit of delaying large pieces of its health care reform law.  They are seeking to postpone the anger that millions of Americans will feel when the provisions of the law that affect them finally kick-in.

These delays represent a clear admission from the White House that the law forced through Congress is a disaster, as this story from theWall Street Journal suggests.

Defense Appropriations Hearings Start Next Week

As chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I am looking forward to beginning our hearings on the President’s FY 2015 defense budget next week.  Our first witnesses will be the Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey.

At first glance, the President’s proposed defense budget appears to be a document driven by numbers rather than a coherent long-term security strategy.  In fact, the proposal raises far more questions than it answers.  I will be expecting Secretary Hagel to address those questions in our hearing.

As we have seen in recent days and over the past year, the world continues to be a dangerous place, with American interests – and the great cause of peace and freedom – under assault in many places around the globe.  I am concerned that this budget submission may send the wrong message to our allies and adversaries alike: that the United States is not leading.

My primary goal is to ensure that our military and our intelligence agencies have the resources they need to protect our country and defend our vital interests around the globe. 

House Passes Ukrainian Aid Bill By Huge Bipartisan Majority

On Thursday afternoon I took to the floor of the House of Representatives to urge my colleagues to strongly support H.R. 4152, a bill to provide a $1 billion loan guarantee to Ukraine. The House passed the bill by a large bi-partisan majority, 385-23.

Citing the century long existence of a large Ukrainian-American community in Morris County in the 11^th Congressional District and in other areas of northern New Jersey, I shared with my colleagues my lifelong understanding that Ukrainians have always deeply cherished and fought for freedom, first against the czars, then against the Soviets, and now against Russian president Vladimir Putin.

I firmly believe that the people of Ukraine have the right and obligation to decide what they feel is best for their nation, either closer ties to the EU, the European Community, and the West or shift back to Russia. But that is their choice and that cannot and must not be decided through the force of arms.

I was proud that the House of Representatives sent such a meaningful and decisive message to Ukrainians everywhere that it stands with them in strong support of freedom and peace for their homeland.

A short video of my speech on the floor of the House in support of this bill can be found here.

“Congressman: Obama should not have delayed”

The Observer-Tribune carried a good article yesterday discussing my views on the situation in Ukraine and recapping my recent trip to the Middle East. 

The Afghan War is Winding Down, But Not for Those Still Deployed There

“The Last Casualties,” a poignant front page story from the March 4^thedition of the Washington Post, reminds us that while the United States is winding down its presence in Afghanistan, for the men and women on the ground there, the war very much continues.  While the size of our military presence is decreasing, the danger our troops face is not.  We must do everything we can to ensure that every one of our troops has everything he or she needs right up until the moment they board an airplane to come home.

Save the Date: Wayne Veterans Fair, March 22^nd

I want you to know about a Veterans Fair I am sponsoring in Wayne on Saturday, March 22 from 10 am to 2 pm.  The Veterans Fair is being held at the Wayne Police Athletic League (PAL) Building, 1 PAL Street, Wayne, NJ.  There is no cost to attend or participate.

As our men and women in uniform complete their military service, many of them need help finding jobs and identifying the many resources available to them as they transition back to civilian life.  This Veterans Fair provides ‘one stop shopping’ for veterans services.

Representatives from federal, state, and county veterans offices will be present to assist veterans in identifying services available to them and to help them apply for any for which they may be eligible.  Numerous non-profit veterans organizations are also sending representatives, as are area employers that are committed to hiring veterans.

I urge all veterans -- whether they were discharged last week or many years ago – to attend this event.  A wide range of services are in place to ensure that our veterans receive whatever assistance they need at any stage of their lives.  This Veterans Fair brings together many of those resources in one place, so that the men and women who served, along with their families, can more readily access get the assistance they have earned and are entitled to.

I want to thank Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano and the Wayne Township Council, along with the federal department of Veterans Affairs, the Passaic County Veterans Services office, the NJ Fallen Soldiers Foundation, and numerous other veterans and veterans support organizations for sponsoring this important event with me.

Washington Post Rips President Obama’s Foreign Policy – Says it is Based on “fantasy”

It is not often that the Washington Post criticizes President Obama (and it is even less frequent that I endorse one of their editorials), but they sure did take their gloves off in an editorial this past Sunday about the President’s conduct of American foreign policy over the past five years.

From its opening sentence, “For five years, President Obama has led a foreign policy based more on how he thinks the world should operate than on reality,” right through its closing paragraph, the Post makes a powerful and persuasive argument for maintaining America’s strength in the world. 

As the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee examines next year’s defense and intelligence budgets, you can be sure I will not let America’s national security be compromised.

Salute and Mazel Tov to the Hebrew Academy of Morris County on its Groundbreaking

I was honored this past Sunday to visit Randolph to participate in the Hebrew Academy of Morris County’s groundbreaking for what will be a beautiful new school building.  The school describes its new facility as “a modern, technologically advanced, impressive structure that still retains the HAMC’s warm, welcoming atmosphere and is reflective of our rich Jewish heritage.” 

The Hebrew Academy began in September 1967, with an opening enrollment of 18 students.  Today it serves 240 children, aged 18 months through eighth grade.

I salute the Hebrew Academy of Morris County on this important milestone in its history and appreciate the invitation to participate in its groundbreaking. 

For a slideshow of the event, please click here.