Over the past week, the United States and our allies carried out Operation Epic Fury, striking senior leaders of the Iranian regime and dealing a major blow to the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.

This is a regime that has funded terror, threatened our allies, and worked to destabilize the Middle East for decades. Removing the people responsible for that aggression is a significant moment and sends a clear message that America will stand up to those who threaten us and our partners.

At the same time, we must never forget the price that was paid. Several brave Americans lost their lives, and others were injured during these operations. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. I am praying for their families and for the speedy recovery of those who were wounded.

God bless our troops and the courage they show every day defending this great nation.

Click here to read my full statement.

I recently hosted Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle in South Jersey to walk our beaches and meet with local mayors to discuss the erosion we have been dealing with after this past year of storms. During the visit, he announced a major investment of tens of millions of dollars for shoreline protection in our district. This is a great start for South Jersey, and it is only just the beginning. 

In the meantime, I am working on long-term solutions for this ongoing issue. I just introduced key legislation, the Coastal Trust Fund Act, which establishes a permanent source of coastal protection funding for the entire country. The fund utilizes federal offshore energy lease revenues, the bulk majority of which come from oil and gas leases. My legislation is partly based on the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has supported hundreds of environmental conservation projects in New Jersey with oil and gas lease revenues.

Offshore energy leases are an important source of national wealth, and there are appropriate places to develop offshore energy. That does not include the Jersey Shore. It has long been my position that we should not develop any energy leases off New Jersey, neither offshore wind nor oil and gas. The Coastal Trust Fund Act leverages existing leases, primarily in the Gulf of America, to establish a program that will benefit every coastal community in the United States of America, without any new taxes or fees for anyone.

To read more about the Coastal Trust Fund Act, click here.

I want to take a moment to share just a few examples of the federal funding we have been able to bring back home to South Jersey over the past year. At the end of the day, this is your tax money. My job is to make sure it comes back home to South Jersey and is put to good use in our towns. This past year, we secured record amounts of money to fund projects that will really make a difference.

Projects Funded and Receiving Funding:

$ Tens of Millions, Beach Replenishment: Commitment from the Army Corps of Engineers to fast-track funding for beach replenishment along the Jersey Shore.

$425,000,000, U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May: Provides funding for a new state-of-the-art indoor training center that consolidates seamanship training, firefighting training, physical fitness, classrooms, and graduation spaces into a single structure. Other major components include a new small-arms firing range, gallery cafeteria, and pier. The funding also provides for the total recapitalization of the barracks system.

$43,000,000, FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Improvements: Provides funding for sustainment and infrastructure improvements at the Tech Center, including upgrades to electrical systems and resiliency projects.

$2,100,000, National Aviation Research and Technology Park (NARTP) Advanced Aviation Testing Corridor: Establishes a civilian/military drone testing corridor in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the FAA to improve our ability to detect and manage drones in national airspace.

$10,508,000, Infrastructure Projects Across South Jersey: Provides funding for various projects, including Atlantic Avenue resurfacing and traffic light synchronization.

$37,800,000, Dredging and Erosion Mitigation: Provides funding for dredging and erosion mitigation across South Jersey, including dredging the Absecon Inlet, Cold Spring Inlet, New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway, and Maurice River, as well as building outfall pipes and mitigating erosion in Atlantic City.

$24,300,000, Cape May City Seawall Flood Mitigation Project: Provides funding to build a protective seawall in Cape May.

$3,000,000, Atlantic Cape Community College Capital Fund: Supports the creation of a dental hygiene school, expanding access to healthcare education and local career opportunities.

$8,298,000, Airports Across South Jersey: Provides funding to improve and expand the infrastructure at Atlantic City International Airport, Woodbine Airport, Millville Airport, Cape May Airport, and Ocean City Airport.

$13,300,000, Head Start Programs: Provides funding for Head Start early childhood education projects across the district.

$1,000,000 ($500,000 each), Maurice River and Salem River: Historic "New Start" funding to study increasing the depth of the Maurice River and Salem River.

$2,625,000, Corbin City K9 Training Facility: For the construction of a modern K9 law enforcement training facility in Corbin City.

$2,000,000, Salem Town Bank Pump Station: To support the design and construction of flood mitigation infrastructure in Salem City.

$500,000, HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers: Supports a national expansion of the South Jersey-based HERO Campaign's designated-driver/traffic safety programming.

$1,000,000, Swedesboro Lead Pipe Abatement: Replaces lead pipes and improves drinking water safety in the Borough of Swedesboro in support of their objective to be "lead free".

$500,000, Cape May Desalination Plant: Brings in the United States Army Corps of Engineers to support the construction of a water desalination plant which serves Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, Cape May City, Cape May Point, West Cape May, and part of Lower Township.

$600,000, Gandy's Beach: Funds an Army Corps investigation to design shore protection features at Gandy's Beach in Cumberland County, which suffered a disaster in early 2024.

$750,000, Long Beach Township Sewer Main Replacement: Funds replacement of aging sewer main infrastructure to reduce failures/overflows and improve service reliability.

$1,000,000, Aviation Maintenance Training Academy: Establishes an Aviation Maintenance Training Academy at the Atlantic City International Airport in conjunction with the Atlantic County Economic Alliance, the U.S. Air Force, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the National Aviation Research and Technology Park, and aviation businesses. This will create a pipeline for workers and former military personnel to gain skills and access job opportunities in lucrative private sector aircraft maintenance positions.

$1,624,000, Emergency Shelter Water Supply for the City of Vineland: Supports the design and construction of additional sewer and water capacity to support the FEMA-designated emergency shelter at St. Augustine's in Richland.

For this week's Believe It or Not, I want to flag something happening right here in New Jersey that most people would never expect. It raised enough red flags that I recently chaired a House Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee hearing to take a hard look at it.

Most of us use E-ZPass every single day. You drive through the toll, it works, and you continue on your way. But who controls that system, and how the information it collects is handled, really does matter.

Earlier this year, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority awarded a $1.73 billion contract giving a company called TransCore control over the E-ZPass system on our highways. While TransCore operates in the United States, its parent company is foreign-owned and ultimately controlled by the Singaporean government. That same parent company has seriously concerning ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Think about that for a moment. We are talking about control over a system that tracks vehicle movement along one of the busiest corridors in the country. That includes commuters going to work, trucks moving goods up and down the East Coast, and travel connected to government activity. Yet a foreign-owned company with concerning ties was handed the contract. What makes this even harder to understand is that a lower bid from a U.S.-based company was passed over.

When it comes to critical infrastructure, especially systems tied to transportation and data, we should be choosing American companies whenever possible. We should not be putting ourselves in a position where basic questions about data access and oversight still need answers after the contract is signed.

That is why I held this hearing, and that is why I am not letting this go. This is about protecting New Jersey families, protecting our security, and making sure decisions like this are made with America's best interests in mind.

Click here or the image below to watch my full remarks. 

With tax filing season underway and the April 15th deadline approaching, I wanted to remind South Jersey residents to begin preparing their tax returns and highlight several tax breaks now in effect following the signing of the Working Families Tax Cut Act into law. We still have more work to do, but this is a strong start.

What You Need to Know This Tax Season:

Higher Standard Deduction Stays in Place:

• $15,750 for single filers
• $31,500 married filing jointly
• $23,625 head of household

New Tax Deduction for Seniors:

• $6,000 per eligible person
• $12,000 if both spouses are 65+
• In addition to the standard deduction

Expands the Child Tax Credit for Millions of Families:

• $2,200 per qualifying child
• Up to $1,700 refundable

Overtime Pay Relief:

• Deducts the overtime premium portion of pay
• Up to $12,500 per person ($25,000 joint)

Tax Relief for Tipped Workers:

• Deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips

Higher State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT) Cap:

• Up to $40,000 for most filers
• Up to $20,000 married filing separately

Made-in-America Auto Tax Breaks on New American-Made Vehicles:

• Up to $10,000 deduction in interest paid on a loan

I was recently joined by 106 of my colleagues in pressing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to finish the job Congress started when we passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. If an aircraft is registered in the United States, it should be maintained under the same safety standards, whether that work is done here in America or overseas. An FAA certification should mean the same thing everywhere. Right now, it does not.

For years, foreign repair stations have operated under weaker requirements, which raises serious safety and national security concerns. In last year's FAA bill, we included bipartisan provisions to fix this by requiring them to strengthen oversight of foreign repair stations by putting in place drug and alcohol testing, background checks, clear mechanic qualification standards, annual unannounced inspections, and better maintenance data collection. So far, only one piece of that has been finalized. It is a good step, but it is time for them to enforce the rest of these crucial safety measures.

South Jersey is home to the FAA Technical Center, and aviation is part of who we are. I will continue pushing the FAA to complete these rules and ensure that our safety standards are consistent and strong, no matter where the work is being done.

Click here to read the letter.

I always say the real work starts when you step outside of the office and talk to people face-to-face. Over the last few weeks, I have been back home across South Jersey, and I wanted to share a few pictures and moments from around the district.