NW Bergen News

Josh Gottheimer, a U.S. Congressman representing New Jersey's 5th district since 2017, recently took to social media to announce several legislative initiatives aimed at supporting veterans. The announcements were made in the context of recent developments concerning employment at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

On February 14, 2025, Gottheimer shared his new "Support Our Veterans" Strategy on social media, coinciding with news from the Administration about firing thousands of workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He emphasized that "we can’t cut off support for our veterans," highlighting that his legislation aims to improve services for veterans. "Today, I announced my new 'Support Our Veterans' Strategy — just as the Administration announced they were firing thousands of workers at @DeptVetAffairs."

In another post on the same day, Gottheimer expressed pride in introducing the bipartisan Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, which passed unanimously in the House earlier that week. He pointed out an issue where many veterans do not qualify for housing assistance due to their disability payments making them ineligible. "Finally, I was proud to help introduce the bipartisan Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, which just passed the House unanimously earlier this week."

Additionally, Gottheimer addressed past failures during the COVID-19 pandemic concerning veteran homes in New Jersey. He described these failures as significant tragedies and introduced the VETS Act to mandate a resident advocate at every veteran’s home in New Jersey. "Third, the failure to contain the COVID-19 outbreak at Paramus and Menlo Park Veterans Homes during the pandemic was one of the greatest tragedies New Jersey has ever witnessed."