• Listening Tour Continues Across 11th Congressional District
• On Iran Deal, Americans Want Congressional Review
• “Obama and the Inevitable Critics” of the Iran Deal
• Free File Your Tax Return!
• Another Reminder: Deadline Near for Congressional Art Competition
• Salute: James and Dorothy Greengrove for their service to Nutley
• Salute: Remembering the life and service of retired Morris County Freeholder Jack Schrier

Listening Tour Continues Across 11^th Congressional District

It was another busy week for me as my “Listening Tour” continued all across my Congressional District.  I visited local colleges (two of them), a middle school and elementary schools (two of them), met with business leaders at companies large and small (three of them), delivered a speech at the National Defense Industry Association “Summit” in Parsippany, visited with members of the Morris County Police Chiefs Association and discussed important issues with constituents at local diners and in my Congressional office. 

In all these venues, people’s concerns are remarkably consistent. 

They do not believe that an economic recovery has taken firm hold in Morris, Essex, Passaic and Sussex counties and they worry about family members, friends and neighbors who have largely given up hope that they will ever find permanent new employment.  In fact, many feel the unemployment is actually double the official figure of 6.4 percent.

Many of my constituents have had bad experiences or outcomes they attribute to ObamaCare: premiums have gone up, longtime doctors have been lost, and their deductibles are rising.  Some report that their work hours have been cut by their employers due to the President's healthcare law.  Please let me know your experiences!

It’s clear that now – more than ever – Americans need solutions to help create jobs, build a healthy economy, and lead to greater economic freedom and opportunity. Congress needs to get to work on solutions that help everyone get ahead and achieve a better life, not higher taxes or more government regulation and red-tape.   

Increasingly, however, conversations with my constituents turn to our country’s security and how events overseas could spill across our borders.  Frankly, the Constitution requires Congress to provide for the ‘common defence’.  It remains to be seen if the Obama Administration will work with us to secure our borders, root out radical Islamic terrorists and fight the ‘bad guys’ ‘over there’ so we do not have to fight them ‘over here.’

On Iran Deal, Americans Want Congressional Review

By a wide margin, Americans want Congress to have final authority on any final nuclear deal struck between the White House and Iran.  62 percent of those surveyed want Congress to have the last word on the President’s pact with Iran’s leaders.

After the President last week released the “framework” of an agreement, he urged Congress to support the deal, threatening to veto any attempt by Congress to weigh in. Given the President’s ‘reluctance’ to seek Congressional approval, it is no wonder Americans want Congress to review this deal. These are a few of the headlines from the last week:

Washington Post: “Obama’s Iran deal falls far short of his own goals”

“The administration will have much other work to do: It must convince Mideast allies that Iran is not being empowered to become the region’s hegemon; and it must accommodate Congress’s legitimate prerogative to review the accord. We hope Mr. Obama will make as much effort to engage in good faith with skeptical allies and domestic critics as he has with the Iranian regime.”

Associated Press: “Analysis: Iran deal leaves major questions unresolved”

“The limits are vague on Iran’s research and development of advanced technology that could be used for producing nuclear weapons. Inspectors still might not be able to enter Iranian military sites where nuclear work previously took place. The Americans and Iranians already are bickering over how fast economic sanctions on Iran would be relaxed. And Obama’s assertion that the penalties could always be snapped back into force is undermined by the U.S. fact sheet describing a “dispute resolution process” enshrined in the agreement.”

Bloomberg View: “Obama Undermines His Own Case for the Iran Deal”

“All of this presents a major problem for Obama and his team as they try to sell their deal to a skeptical Congress. If Obama doesn’t think the sanctions that have cut off Iran’s banks from the international finance system and blocked the Tehran government from legally selling its oil will halt the regime’s nuclear program, why does he think snapping them back would deter Iran from cheating?”

And then there’s the piece by Bret Stephens this week…

“Obama and the Inevitable Critics” of the Iran Deal

Bret Stephens wrote a powerful column in the Wall Street Journal this week which highlights the folly of lifting sanctions on Iran, among other key aspects of the Iran nuclear agreement.  Read it here:

Free File Your Tax Return!

With the April 15 deadline looming, this will be a busy weekend for Americans who have delayed filling out their 2014 federal tax returns. 

Did you know that you can take advantage of free tax services available through the Free File program?

Taxpayers with a 2014 Adjusted Gross Income of $60,000 or less may visit www.IRS.gov/freefile to prepare, complete and e-file their federal tax returns at no cost. Free File also provides basic online e-filing services, called Free File Fillable Forms, to all taxpayers regardless of income.

Since its inception in 2003, the program has offered 70 percent of taxpayers free access to leading commercial tax preparation software.  Free File has reportedly saved taxpayers more than $1 billion since its inception.

Another Reminder: Deadline Approaching for Congressional Art Competition

Another deadline is quickly approaching for high school students. 

The deadline for art submissions to our 11th Congressional District isApril 17. Works of art must be received at my Morristown office, 30 Schuyler Place, by 5 pm.

We are planning a reception honoring the contestants at The Morris Museum, April 27, 2015 (5:30pm-7:30pm).

Please contact my Morristown office at 973-984-0711 should you have any questions.

Salute: James and Dorothy Greengrove for their service to Nutley

“This year's Dr. Virginius D. Mattia Distinguished Community Service Award recipients will be James and Dorothy Greengrove.  The Greengroves will follow a long line of the award's diverse honorees, who have contributed to making Nutley a good place to live.”

Read more about their service to Nutley here:

Salute: Remembering the life and service of retired Morris County Freeholder Jack Schrier

Remembering the life and service of retired Morris County Freeholder Jack Schrier who passed away in late March. Jack was a wonderful freeholder for many years, assuring that Morris County had the finest park system in the state, the most effective human services and that all county programs and services were delivered within budget and with compassion.  Read more about his life and legacy in William Westhoven’s Daily Record article here.