Advocates from across New Jersey converged on the Glen Rock district office of Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Bergen) yesterday, calling on him to keep his promise to President Biden and swiftly vote to approve the president’s transformative Build Back Better Act.

The nearly $2 trillion bill is at the heart of the Biden domestic agenda. It would invest billions of dollars to create millions of good-paying jobs addressing our climate crisis, lowering health care costs for seniors, cutting child poverty and expanding access to affordable pre-K for millions of families.

“The people of New Jersey have waited too long to have a Washington that puts the needs of working families ahead of the desires of wealthy donors and corporate special interests,” said New Jersey Working Families State Director Sue Altman. “After months of debate, Congressman Gottheimer pledged that he and other so-called ‘moderate Democrats’ would vote to pass the president’s agenda when it received an official score from the Congressional Budget Office. With that score scheduled to come any day, it is essential that Rep. Gottheimer remember his pledge to the president and act on behalf of his North Jersey constituents by voting to pass this transformative legislation.”

“It is unacceptable that in the richest country in the world families go bankrupt because of medical costs,” said Anna-Marta Visky, Our Revolution Regional Organizer. “It is not normal that people need three jobs just to make ends meet. We need Build Back Better now. It is critical.”

In addition to Our Revolution and New Jersey Working Families, the event was sponsored by Indivisible NJ-5, JOLT, Glen Rock After the March, New Jersey Citizen Action, Make the Road and Women for Progress.

To highlight the high stakes for New Jersey families, advocates presented the congressman’s representatives with a petition from North Jersey small business owners that called on him to vote to swiftly pass the bill to grow the local economy. Advocates also brought receipts demonstrating the high cost of prescription drugs that they are now forced to bear, as well as stuffed animals underlining the impact affordable pre-K will have on millions of young children, particularly those from low-income families.

"Families should not have to win a lottery to attend an affordable, quality pre-school for their children,” said Leela Ortiz, a Bergen County mom who spoke at the event. “Our families need universal pre-K. We need the Build Back Better bill."

Throughout the negotiations in Congress, Gottheimer has consistently raised concerns about the cost of the legislation and worked to shrink the bill in order to keep taxes low for his wealthy corporate donors.

“The urgency is so real,” said Nedia Morsy, Organizing Director of Make the Road New Jersey. “Sometimes we think that because we have gotten out of the Trump era that the urgency has gone away but it cannot be further from the truth. We are here today because this urgency is real and if Build Back Better is watered down largely due to the advocacy of Josh Gottheimer. We’re calling for citizenship for all and we’re saying stop delaying any more. Continue the fight for citizenship for all.”

The Build Back Better Act is essential to building back a more equitable economy after the COVID-19 pandemic that works for the middle class and addresses longstanding issues of systemic racism.

“We want Rep Josh Gottheimer to end the political games and vote ‘yes’ on the Build BAck Better Act so that our people and our communities in NJ can survive and begin to recover from the pandemic,” said Bergen County progressive advocate Arati Kreibich.

"Without family and medical leave, a lot of us would not be able to stay with our families,” said Yarrow Willman-Cole, Regional Organizer for New Jersey Citizen Action. “And it’s crazy to think that in 40 other stats there is no program, and in the U.S. we have no paid family leave. Especially during the pandemic. And Build Back Better has a national paid family leave program to address that."