Gottheimer Votes to Keep Government Services Open, Give Pay Raise to Armed Forces, Extend Essential Health Programs
Statement
Today, Tuesday, November 19, 2019, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) voted to pass legislation out of the House keeping the federal government open through December 20th, giving our brave men and women in the armed forces a 3.1% pay raise, extending critical health programs in Medicare and Medicaid, improving benefits available for 9/11 victims' families, and protecting federal highway investments for New Jersey to keep clawing back more of our tax dollars to improve our roads.
"I'm proud that the House has voted today to keep government services, including VA benefits, functioning, to give our brave men and women serving in our nation's Armed Forces a much needed pay raise, and to improve benefits available for the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer. "While this legislation is important in the short term and it keeps our government open, it's clear that our budget system is broken. We have to keep working across the aisle to find a solution, with both the House and the Senate, for long-term bipartisan budget solutions that put the nation first."
Today's bipartisan legislation comes two months after the House passed legislation funding the government through November 21.
This bipartisan legislation includes:
-A 3.1% pay raise for members of our military;
-Improvements to ensure fairness and equity for widows and children of 9/11 victims and other victims of state sponsored terrorism;
-Federal investment for New Jersey highways from the FAST Act, which already allowed New Jersey to claw back more than $1 billion to improve our roads in Fiscal Year 2019;
-Delays, as Gottheimer has championed, proposed payment reductions for qualifying hospitals that serve a large number of Medicaid and uninsured individuals;
-Legislation, of which Gottheimer is an original cosponsor, to extend the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinical demonstration program, which would expand access to community mental health and addiction treatment in New Jersey's Fifth District
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