The Week Just Passed:

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Safeguarding New Jersey’s Water Supply

Part-time Jobs: The New Normal?

The Crisis on the Border

Stand with Israel

Obama Earns “Three Pinocchios” for Blaming House for Inaction

Wall Street Journal: Obama Contends With Arc of Instability Unseen Since '70s

A More “Tranquil” World – Really?

“Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed.”

Salute: The Late Congressman Bob Roe

Salute: Nutley’s Jack Kane, new State VFW Commander

Salute: Morristown’s Zach Certner Wins National Community Service Award

Salute: The Great Swamp Featured on CBS

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

My thoughts are with the families of the victims of this horrific attack, at least one of whom is an American citizen. 

President Obama confirmed earlier today that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was destroyed yesterday by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from an area in Eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian separatists. 

Safeguarding New Jersey’s Water Supply

Did you know that more than 5 million New Jerseyans get their drinking water from sources located in the Highlands region? Protecting our water supply by protecting the Highlands has long been a top priority of mine.

In 2003, I introduced in the House the Highlands Conservation Act, which authorized $10 million a year over ten years for land acquisition and conservation partnership projects in the Highlands region.  President Bush signed my bill into law in 2004.  Since becoming law, the Highlands Conservation Act has protected more than 5,000 acres. 

To help ensure that we continue to protect this vital natural resource, I have been working for the past several months to secure a $3.5 million appropriation to help fund additional land acquisitions in the Highlands region. I am pleased to report that this past Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the FY 2015 Interior appropriations bill, which included the money I requested.  

This money will be matched by non-federal sources on at least a two-to-one basis. This represents public-private environmental partnerships at their best. By leveraging non-federal dollars, the federal government can support the acquisition of environmentally sensitive land, owned by willing sellers, to advance the public good.

Part-time Jobs: The New Normal?

Despite some claims to the contrary, the country remains mired in the weakest economic recovery in decades. The latest evidence: the enormous number of people who would like to be working full-time but can only find part-time jobs.

Mort Zuckerman, writing in the Wall Street Journal, points out that 28 million Americans are working in part-time jobs and fewer than half of all American adults (47.7 percent) are employed full-time.  

Robert Samuelson, an economics columnist for the Washington Post,considers Zuckerman’s piece and writes:

The Great Recession doubled the number of part-time workers who wanted full-time jobs.  It’s still more than 3 million higher (almost 75 percent) than in 2007.  Moreover, the incentives from Obamacare to hire part-time workers — defined by the ACA as less than 30 hours a week — are powerful; companies with 50 workers or more would have to pay thousands to buy insurance for their workers.

On April 3, 2014, the House passed, with my strong support, a bill to change the definition of a full-time worker in the Affordable Care Act to someone working at least 40 hours a week. The Senate has been sitting on this bill for months. It’s long past time for the Senate to act on this important bill.

The Crisis on the Border

As thousands of children and others from Central America continue to stream across our southern border in violation of our laws, the Obama Administration’s ongoing failure to stem the tide is compounding the problem. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now projects that it will apprehend more than 90,000 unaccompanied minors in 2014.   

For the ten years preceding Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the federal government dealt with approximately 7,000 to 8,000 unaccompanied illegal alien children a year. In FY 2011, there were 6,560. However, in 2012, the President signed an Executive Order entitled “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the number jumped to 13,625.  Since last October, at least 50,000 have entered illegally. Officials estimate at least 150,000-160,000 more will try next year.

Every day that this situation continues, more and more children are put at risk and the temptation grows for more and more people to enter our country illegally. We must secure the border and make clear that we will enforce our immigration laws. People entering the country illegally should be deported back to their home countries, especially Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Stand with Israel

The relentless attacks on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas continueunabated.   Israel has every right to defend itself and its people from these barbaric assaults.  Israel agreed to a ceasefire proposed by Egypt – which Hamas rejected. Israel has also shown enormous restraint – even warning civilians before they launched an offensive to into northern Gaza.

I stand with Israel and support its right to defend itself.

Obama Earns “Three Pinocchios” for Blaming House for Inaction

President Obama rarely lets a day go by without blaming Republicans in Congress for obstructing every serious idea he has proposed to help the middle class. The Fact Checker put his rhetoric up against the record and found that the President “is engaging in rhetorical overkill,” earning him three out of a possible four Pinocchios. 

Wall Street Journal: Obama Contends With Arc of Instability Unseen Since '70s

This article, detailing the many foreign policy crises unfolding around the world, is an excellent read.

A More “Tranquil” World – Really?

More than a few heads were shaking when White House press secretary Josh Earnest claimed that President Obama was bringing “tranquility” to the world.  Columnist Dana Milbank effectivelydismantles that claim, in this must-read column that ran earlier this week.   

“Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed. ”

Exactly forty-five years ago, the entire world was riveted by the journey of Apollo 11, which had lifted off on July 16, 1969 for what would be the first manned landing on the Moon. This Sunday marks the 45^thanniversary of that landing, which was announced with the unforgettable words, “Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed. ” When that transmission came through, the entire world breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had landed safely on the moon. Along with Michael Collins, the crew of Apollo 11 made one of the most historic voyages in human history.   

All of us who remember that day do so with pride, not just in our country, but also in the incredible power of human ingenuity and determination to achieve the impossible. Some wonderful NASA photos of the Apollo 11 mission can be found here. 

Salute: The Late Congressman Bob Roe

New Jersey has lost one of its most dedicated public servants with the passing of Congressman Bob Roe.  A veteran of World War II, a former mayor of Wayne, a Passaic County freeholder, a member of Governor Hughes’ cabinet, and a member of Congress, he served in every level of government over a long and productive career. 

During his nearly 24 years in Congress, Bob Roe was a leader who earned the respect of his constituents and his colleagues as Mr. Transportation for New Jersey as Chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee.  Well into his retirement, he was a friend and advisor to me.  He has left a legacy of accomplishment that will long endure.

Salute: Nutley’s Jack Kane, new State VFW Commander

Congratulations to Jack Kane of Nutley, the recently installed commander of the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars.  Jack, a veteran of the United States Army, has long been active in the VFW. An effective advocate for his fellow veterans, the state VFW has chosenwisely in selecting Jack as its new commander. 

Salute: Morristown’s Zach Certner Wins National Community Service Award

Congratulations to Zach Certner for being named one of just 15 recipients nationwide of the 2014 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, given for “outstanding leadership in community service.” 

Zach, who graduated last month from Morristown High School, is the co-founder of SNAP, Special Needs Athletic Programs. Since its founding in 2006, SNAP has provided thousands of special need students with the opportunity to participate in athletic opportunities not regularly available to them.   

Zach plans on attending Duke University this fall. 

Salute: The Great Swamp Featured on CBS

CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” recently featured a charming video set in “the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, where creatures great and small beat the heat any way they can.” 

To learn more about the Great Swamp, click here.