As Trump’s policies exacerbate the affordability crisis, state Democrats are leading the way to lower costs around health care, housing, and more
WASHINGTON — 2026 legislative sessions are underway, and state Democrats are laser-focused on lowering costs and expanding economic opportunities, in stark contrast to Trump and Republicans’ agenda that’s raising prices. State Democrats are leading real progress to lower housing and health care costs, reduce utility bills, raise the minimum wage, expand child care access, lower food costs, and more.
Democratic majorities in statehouses are leading the party forward and combating Republicans’ devastating, expensive agenda that’s leaving families behind.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams issued the following statement:
“Amid an affordability crisis that’s raising costs for families across the country, all eyes should be on statehouses. As Republicans fail to address health care and housing costs and strip families of food access, state Democrats are working overtime to undo the damage and fight on behalf of their communities. The progress that state Democrats are making underscores the stakes of our historic opportunity this year to flip as many as 650 seats across the country and empower Democrats to address affordability all across the country.”
At Town Halls, Public Meetings, Our App, or Social Media
Camden County provides several ways for residents to stay informed and connected with local government, including this weekly newsletter, our social media channels, and live meetings. Camden County Board of Commissioners and Congressman Donald Norcross will be scheduling new Town Hall meetings with all levels of government as soon as possible. If you need assistance, we will forward inquiries to the appropriate level of government. Click Here to submit questions.
The Camden County Board of Commissioners holds public Monthly Meetings at 520 Market St, 6th Floor, in Camden. The next Caucus Meeting will be on Tuesday, February17th, and the next Monthly Commissioner Meeting will be on Thursday, February19th. These meetings help the community stay up-to-date on county proceedings. Click Here to watch meetings online.
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New Jersey delegation members including U.S. Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), Herb Conaway (NJ-03), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), and Donald Norcross (NJ-01) released the following statement opposing the recently announced decision by the Department of Transportation to halt previously allocated federal dollars that would have gone towards improving New Jersey’s transit infrastructure:
Congressman Norcross speaks on the House floor in support of raising the federal minimum wage.
It is an embarrassment that the federal minimum wage has not been raised in over 16 years. Last week, I spoke in favor of raising the federal minimum wage. A fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work is not just a slogan, it’s the American value that holds this country together.
I have worked a minimum wage job. I was once a young single dad raising my son while balancing work, family life, and a checkbook. Back then, it was hard. Today, for far too many Americans, it is nearly impossible.
We all know that $7.25 an hour is not a livable wage, especially now that the spending power of a dollar is only a fraction of what it was in 2009.
Last summer, Republicans voted to give tax breaks to billionaires. When will they finally vote to support the American worker?
One year ago today, President Donald J. Trump took the oath of office, becoming the 47th President of the United States. In just one year, his administration has secured the border, unleashed domestic energy, and put America back in charge on the world stage.
Members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) celebrated President Trump’s first-year accomplishments and the results he has delivered for American families.
“One year in, and President Trump proved what we already knew: weakness invites chaos, strength delivers results. Under his leadership, American workers gained back $1,100 in real wages that President Biden’s policies destroyed, manufacturing is surging, and new jobs are going to U.S. citizens instead of illegal aliens. And it’s not just our economy that’s winning again. Our adversaries are contained and our country is leading from a position of strength again. The world knows America is back. Promises made, promises kept!”said RSC Chairman August Pfluger (TX-11).
“One year into the Trump 2.0 Administration, we’ve seen bold leadership that has delivered lower taxes, stronger borders, renewed energy independence, and historic support for our military and law enforcement. President Trump has kept his promises to the American people, strengthening our economy, defending our freedoms, and holding the line against radical policies that hurt our nation. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and I look forward to the work ahead to secure a more prosperous future for all Americans,” said RSC Vice-Chair Ben Cline (VA-06). Continue reading “One Year In, Call It What It Is—The Comeback of the Century”→
Governor Mikie Sherrill today hit the ground running on her first day in office – taking historic executive action to lower costs, protect our kids, and make Trenton more accountable and effective for the people of New Jersey. At the swearing in ceremony in Newark, she signed two executive orders following through on her promise to declare a State of Emergency on Utility Costs on Day One. At the State House in Trenton, Governor Sherrill signed additional executive orders to save New Jerseyans time and money, improve kids’ online safety and mental health, and strengthen trust in state government.
“In the Navy, I learned that you have to lead, follow, or get out of the way – and I promised the people of New Jersey that I would be on a mission to deliver starting Day One. That’s why I’m beginning my term as governor by taking immediate action to deliver on some of the key issues impacting New Jerseyans. My first six executive orders include freezing utility rate hikes, ensuring that officers and staff in my administration are meeting the highest standards of transparency and accountability, bringing agencies together to protect our kids online, and cutting through the roadblocks and red tape that are making it too hard to do business here. Let’s get to work,” said Governor Mikie Sherrill.
Each executive order is summarized below, with full text linked:
Standing by her side are her children Maggie, Lincoln, Ike, and Marit. and her husband, Jason.
We enter 2026 commemorating our nation’s 250th anniversary. New Jersey has been at the heart of our American story. The crossroads of the revolution. The site of our first major victory at the Battle of Trenton. The first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
I am honored that, as we gather here today, we do so with New Jersey’s original parchment copy of the Constitution on stage with us — one of only 13 known to still be in existence. A document, by the way, New Jersey unanimously ratified.
The Constitution, born out of challenges of the early republic, clearly lays out our values: to form a more perfect union; to promote the general welfare, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
You see, inherent in our Constitution is a framework for opportunity. A commitment, a covenant, that ties generations together.
This commitment to opportunity for the people of our country is also known the world over as the American Dream.
Like so many families, my American story did not begin that auspiciously. From what relatives have told me, it includes people fleeing a famine and others fleeing religious persecution. Even once they arrived here, the road to success was uneven. Poverty, economic devastation. Sometimes building something for your family only to lose it because of forces beyond your control.
But over and over, this country has offered my family opportunity found nowhere else in the world. From my grandfather landing a good union job after the war, to my opportunities in the first class of women eligible for combat roles in the Navy, the American Dream starts with opening a door. With an understanding that, no matter who your parents are, where you are from, what religion you practice, or ethnicity you claim, the doors to opportunities in this country should be open to everyone.
That is the story of New Jersey. And yes, we are far from perfect. But generations of families have found their American Dream here. Immigrants sailing here from overseas, Black families leaving the South to find work in New Jersey, people from all over the country and all over the world again and again, finding opportunity here in this state.
And that’s because New Jersey is an incredibly special place. The course of American history has been determined here. It was just across the street in Military Park, where the cannons were just fired, that Thomas Paine began to pen his pamphlet, the American Crisis, and galvanized a nation. Or during the Industrial Revolution, when Trenton built this great nation. Picatinny Arsenal, constantly defending our hard-won freedoms at the Arsenal of Democracy. Here in New Jersey, we have invented everything from the lightbulb to the moving picture to the laser; produced and inspired artists from Sinatra to Springsteen to SZA.
CAIR Action New Jersey strongly condemned outgoing Governor Phil Murphy for pocket vetoing two critical bills in the Immigrant Protections Package while welcoming the opportunity for newly inaugurated Governor Mikie Sherrill to restore and advance the full set of protections immigrant communities fought to pass.
While Governor Murphy signed the Safe Communities Act (A6308/S5036), he simultaneously pocket vetoed the Immigrant Trust Directive (A6310/S5038) and the Privacy Protection Act (A6309/S5037)—undermining the very trust framework the Legislature overwhelmingly approved.
“Trust cannot be selective,” said Ali Aljarrah, Senior Advisor at CAIR Action New Jersey. “Governor Murphy’s decision to pocket veto the Immigrant Trust Directive and Privacy Protection Act strips immigrant communities of the most meaningful safeguards in this package. Signing one bill while blocking the others is not leadership – it is a deliberate choice to leave families exposed.”
Staying true to one of my commitments for the new year, I am proud to say we have officially opened the new, expanded VA clinic in Northfield. This clinic will serve veterans across South Jersey and the greater region, and it is something I have been fighting for, for a long time.
This effort goes all the way back to 2019, during my first term in Congress. When we learned the lease for the old clinic was set to expire, I knew we could not risk any interruption in care for our veterans. Instead of just replacing what we had, I pushed to turn this into an opportunity to do more. Too many veterans were being forced to travel to Pennsylvania or Delaware for basic care, which is not right.
