Statement from Justin Strickland

I’m running for Congress to make life better for all Americans. I recently released a video message sharing some of the specific policies I’ll work on in Congress to address the affordability crisis facing regular Americans. You can watch my video by clicking the following link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTYV3i_jjSu.

I’m a new type of leader for NJ-11: I’m not a party-machine politician, I’m not a millionaire, and I don’t accept PAC money. I’m a true grassroots candidate focused on delivering progressive solutions that will make life better for everyone. I’d be honored to earn your vote in the special election primary on February 5th!

One of the biggest concerns I hear from families today is the rising cost of childcare. For some families, paying for pre-school and infant-toddler childcare can take up a significant chunk of a parent’s paycheck, if not the whole thing, leading many — especially mothers — to leave the workforce to care for their children.

To help working parents, I will introduce legislation to create a federally-funded program to provide childcare coupons, payable to private preschools and daycares, covering costs up to $25,000 per year.

By providing critical financial support, our plan will help parents pay for childcare, allowing them to remain in the workforce and allow kids to receive quality education in schools with trained professionals.

For some families, it simply does not make fiscal sense for both parents to work when the cost of child care may be as much or more than a parent’s income. Parents shouldn’t have to leave the workforce to escape childcare costs.

There is an insurmountable financial gap between the end of parental leave and the beginning of public kindergarten, which disproportionately affects working mothers. Just in the first half of 2025, over 400,000 women with children under five years of age left the workforce.

While New Jersey has made incredible progress in expanding public preschool options for children over the age of three, only half of the state’s school districts offer a public preschool option. In our congressional district, that figure is even lower, with only a quarter of municipalities offering free pre-K programs. And public daycare options for infants and toddlers under four-years-old are nearly non-existent.

The federal government can do more to support America’s families.

By making childcare affordable through a federally funded coupon program, we will fight to support working parents, put money into the economy, and make the American Dream possible for parents and their children.

About Justin Strickland:

Justin Strickland is an Army Combat Veteran who served two tours in Iraq – one year as a platoon leader in Baghdad, and another year living with and advising the Iraqi Army in Mosul. He earned a Bronze Star and multiple Army Commendation medals for his service. After the military he served as a federal official in the Pentagon working on economic development in Afghanistan – traveling to the country 16 times. He currently serves as an elected member of the Chatham Borough Council in Morris County. Justin's congressional campaign is guided by his mission to make life better for regular people. He is committed to delivering progressive solutions that lower costs and ensure all Americans have the economic liberty and justice to achieve the American Dream.

Visit Justin’s website: https://www.justinstrickland.com/.