The Week Just Past: “Keep Calm.  Carry on”

Labor Union Calls for Obamacare Repeal

Rodney Honored for His Sandy Recovery Efforts

Hagel, Dempsey, CENTCOM, Afghanistan Commanders Before Defense Subcommittee

Two Weeks Left to Register for FEMA Assistance

The Week Just Past: “Keep Calm.  Carry on”

“The attention and the prayers of the nation were focused on Boston this week as cowardly terrorists detonated two explosive devices designed to kill and wound. 

“For many Americans, the attack was an eerie reminder about how we can all be so vulnerable and that the possibility of evil and tragedy occurring is always real.  

“But just as we saw on that horrible day in September of 2001, incredible stories of individual heroism and unselfish service emerged from Boyleston Street in Boston - people stepping forward to help people.  Americans being Americans.

“Once again, we are united by what connects us: first, our deep sadness for the victims and their families; second, our shared values as Americans; and third, our steadfast resolve to stand up and fight back.

“Yes, we do recognize that we have an obligation to hold accountable those who perpetrated this terrorist attack.  These individuals set out to murder and maim innocents.  But they really intended to shake America to its core.

“We won’t let them do that.

“Military historian Max Boot noted in a Wall Street Journal column this week that we cannot allow ourselves to be terrorized. ‘As the British said in World War II: Keep calm and carry on.’

“Good advice for a dangerous world.”

Rodney Frelinghuysen

Recommended Reading: Max Boot, writing in the Wednesday Wall Street Journal, “The Futility of Terrorism,Terrorists are by definition weak. Weaken them further by refusing to be terrorized.”  Read it here.

Hagel, Dempsey, CENTCOM, Afghanistan Commanders Before Defense Subcommittee

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made his first appearance before Rodney’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee this week.  Appearing with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, Hagel participated in a wide-ranging hearing on Tuesday which covered such topics as defense sequestration, Navy shipbuilding, the actions of North Korea and China and our withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Rodney questioned Secretary Hagel on “red lines”; which actions by Iran, China and North Korea would trigger a U.S. military response.

Yesterday, Rodney participated in a classified hearing with the new Commander of Central Command, General Lloyd Austin and the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Joe Dunford. 

“Leadership matters and it is very clear that we have two outstanding leaders in Generals Austin and Dunford commanding our troops in Afghanistan and the larger region,” he told the Subcommittee.

Recommended Reading:  “A labor union representing roofers is reversing course and calling for repeal of the federal health law, citing concerns the law will raise its cost for insuring members.

“Organized labor was instrumental in getting the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, but more recently has voiced concerns that the law could lead members to lose their existing health plans. The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers is believed to be the first union to initially support the law and later call for its repeal.”

Read the Wall Street Journal story here.

Rodney Honored for His Sandy Recovery Efforts

This week Rodney received the American Bar Association’s Congressional Justice Award for his successful efforts to preserve Legal Services Corporation funding in Hurricane Sandy relief legislation.

“Hurricane Sandy was the most devastating storm to strike the Northeast in recent memory,” he said.  “The reality is that Sandy’s winds, floodwaters and storm surges did not discriminate between financially secure victims and those without.  People of limited means were bound to have important legal issues with which to deal.  Our goal was to make sure that LSC was there to help.”

Last year, Hurricane Sandy destroyed and damaged homes in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. A proposed amendment to the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2012 would have stripped the $1 million designated for LSC hurricane aid. Rodney’s opposition to the amendment protected critical funding that enhances the ability of LSC grantees to offer legal services—like insurance claims and housing eviction assistance—to families recovering from the storm.

“Representative Frelinghuysen’s vote assists legal aid providers to offer greater support as New Jersey recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy,” said ABA President Laurel Bellows.

With 60 million Americans qualifying for assistance, LSC is the nation’s single largest provider of civil legal aid to citizens who live on incomes below or near the poverty line. LSC grantees provide direct services to approximately one million constituents, including veterans returning from combat, domestic violence victims, those coping with the after-effects of natural disasters, families involved in child custody disputes, people with disabilities and individuals facing foreclosure or other housing issues.

Rodney and Rep. Nita Lowey (NY-17) were honored as part of the association’s annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntaryprofessional membership organizations in the world.

Two Weeks Left to Register for FEMA Assistance

Hurricane Sandy survivors who had storm-related damages in New Jersey have just two weeks left to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Residents must register for disaster assistance by midnight (EDT), May 1.

Survivors can register online and check on the status of their applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362.

May 1 is also the deadline to return applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest disaster loans, which are the primary source of federal funds for long-term rebuilding. Survivors can apply for an SBA disaster home or business loan by filling out an online application at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela by midnight, May 1.

Survivors who applied for federal disaster assistance are urged to stay in touch with FEMA and SBA. Applicants should notify FEMA and SBA of changes to their mailing addresses, phone numbers or email addresses.

FEMA staff is available at the disaster recovery centers to provide clarification to letters, assist survivors with finding a temporary home if their primary residence was damaged or destroyed, check on the status of applications for assistance or refer survivors to other agencies that may provide additional help.

Residents are reminded that three disaster recovery centers will transition Saturday, April 20, and reopen Monday, April 22, as Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Outreach Centers.

The DRCs transitioning are located at the Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center in Leonardo, the Little Egg Harbor Senior Center in Little Egg Harbor Township and the Ocean County Southern Resource Center in Manahawkin.

Residents may choose to visit the remaining disaster recovery centers in New Jersey, located in Ocean, Cape May, Hudson, Atlantic and Monmouth counties. Survivors can locate the address of their nearest center by going to FEMA.gov/DRC or calling 800-621-3362.

As of April 15, more than $384 million in grants has been approved for home repairs or replacement, rental assistance and other needs. Another $718.9 million in SBA low-interest disaster loans has been approved for more than 10,900 homes and businesses.

For more information about the SBA, call the SBA Customer Service Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) Monday through Friday, at 800-659-2955 OR TTY 800-877-8339.  Survivors may apply online at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants also may visit the SBA Web site at sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Additional resources are available online at FEMA.gov/SandyNJ and SBA.gov/Sandy.