In his fourth telephone town hall, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11) lashed out at constituents while stepping up his attacks on Obamacare. “For people who have jammed our lines and made it difficult for us to meet our constituent needs,” he said in the call, “it would be nice for you to back off.” The call was recorded by NJ11th For Change, a grassroots group of voters in the 11th congressional district, which includes Verona. You can listen to it by clicking on the photo below.
Frelinghuysen, who voted in favor of the Republican repeal bill, also said in his weekly newsletter that Aetna’s withdrawal from the Obamacare exchanges was more “bad news” for that healthcare approach. But other assessments of the insurer’s decision attribute it to fears that the Trump administration will cancel cost-sharing subsidies that had aided insurance companies.
Closer to home, Frelinghuysen got the first indication that next year’s Congressional election may not be the cakewalk that his previous elections have been: Montclair resident Mikie Sherrill, a U.S. Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, has announced that she will run for the seat.
While the House was on a recess this past week, the Senate was in session. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reacted to President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey by reiterating his call for an independent special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the presidential election. “The President of the United States just fired the person who was investigating his campaign, which should set off alarm bells across the country,” Booker said in a statement. “The last time a presidential firing raised this many questions, America was in the middle of the Watergate crisis.”
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) spent a good part of the week in a listening tour, hearing how his constituents would be affected by House Republicans’ plan to repeal Obamacare.
“Verona In Washington” is a weekly column summing up the activity of Verona’s representatives in Congress. Here are the legislative actions by Verona’s federal representatives, both major and procedural, during the week of May 8-12:
May 8, 2017 5:32 p.m. — Vote
On the Nomination PN101: Heather Wilson, of South Dakota, to be Secretary of the Air Force
Nomination Confirmed 76/22
Sen. Booker [D-NJ]: Nay
Sen. Menéndez [D-NJ]: Yea
May 8, 2017 6:01 p.m. — Vote
Motion to Invoke Cloture On the Nomination of Scott Gottlieb to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs: Scott Gottlieb, of Connecticut, to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Department of Health and Human Services
Cloture Motion Agreed to 57/41
Sen. Booker [D-NJ]: Nay
Sen. Menéndez [D-NJ]: Nay
May 9, 2017 4:30 p.m. — Vote
On the Nomination PN118: Scott Gottlieb, of Connecticut, to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Department of Health and Human Services
Nomination Confirmed 57/42
Sen. Booker [D-NJ]: Nay
Sen. Menéndez [D-NJ]: Nay
May 10, 2017 9:50 a.m. — Vote
Motion to Proceed on H.J.Res. 36: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to “Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation”.
Motion to Proceed Rejected 49/51
Sen. Booker [D-NJ]: Nay
Sen. Menéndez [D-NJ]: Nay
May 11, 2017 11 a.m. — Vote
Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Robert Lighthizer, of Florida, to be United States Trade Representative: Robert Lighthizer, of Florida, to be United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador
Cloture Motion Agreed to 81/15
Sen. Booker [D-NJ]: Yea
Sen. Menéndez [D-NJ]: Yea
May 11, 2017 1:46 p.m. — Vote
On the Nomination PN42: Robert Lighthizer, of Florida, to be United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador
Nomination Confirmed 82/14
Sen. Booker [D-NJ]: Yea
Sen. Menéndez [D-NJ]: Yea
Sen. Robert “Bob” Menendez is a Democrat who has represented New Jersey in the United States Senate since 2006. You can read more about Menendez’ record on GovTrack, an independent developer of open data resources on Congress.
Sen. Cory Booker is a Democrat who has represented New Jersey in the United States Senate since 2013. You can read more about Booker’s record on GovTrack, an independent developer of open data resources on Congress.
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican, represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional district. Verona has been part of this district since a gerrymandering in 2012. You can read more about Frelinghuysen’s record on GovTrack, an independent developer of open data resources on Congress.
