Gottheimer Holds Roundtable With North Jersey Korean American Group and Enterprise Leaders

Discussing Methods to Work Collectively to Assist Small Companies, Fight Hate, Struggle Crimes

PARAMUS, NJ — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) held a roundtable with group and enterprise leaders from the Korean American group in North Jersey to debate work to help small enterprise, decrease taxes, hold communities protected, assist make life extra reasonably priced, and fight hate in opposition to the ​​Asian American and Pacific Islander group.

Gottheimer was joined by leaders from the Korean American Grassroots Convention (KAGC), the Cleaners Affiliation of New Jersey, the Korean American Realtors Affiliation, the Korean American Regulation Enforcement Committee of New Jersey, the Abroad Korean Merchants Affiliation – New Jersey Chapter (OKTA NJ), the Asian Ladies’s Christian Affiliation, the Worldwide Tradition and Schooling Basis, and the Thomas Jefferson Heart of Palisades Park.

“A essential a part of North Jersey’s power is our proud Korean American group — which works daily to make the Fifth District a fair higher place to reside, increase our households, and do enterprise. It’s a key precedence of mine to work with Korean American residents and small enterprise homeowners to make sure that they by no means really feel like their voices aren’t heard or that they’ve nowhere to show. That is particularly necessary now,” stated Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We’re all becoming a member of collectively to assist guarantee our group’s small companies are recovering from the pandemic-driven economic system, that we’re making life extra reasonably priced for households in North Jersey, and that we’re standing as much as struggle crime and hate, to help regulation enforcement, and to maintain all our communities protected.”

“We thank Congressman Gottheimer for his compassion and take care of the small companies throughout our group. The Korean American retail companies have suffered severely from the pandemic, and we sit up for working along with the Congressman to deliver extra focused help,” stated Yongho Lee, president of the Cleaners Affiliation of New Jersey, a statewide group of over 1,000 Korean American dry-cleaning companies. 

“Consultant Gottheimer understands the grave risks of bigoted violence threatening our group, and particularly the senior residents,” stated Mi Kyung Je, President and Govt Director of the Asian Ladies’s Christian Affiliation, a nonprofit in Teaneck that gives social engagement and homecare companies. “We’re optimistic that along with the Congressman we are able to shut the gaps in senior companies supplied on the federal, state, and native degree, and particularly in offering transportation help to the aged.”

“We recognize Congressman Gottheimer’s help for our group, small companies, and US-Korea commerce,” stated Matthew H. Son, Chief Advisor and President Emeritus of the Abroad Korean Merchants Affiliation’s New Jersey Chapter. “He understands that commerce and immigration insurance policies are intently tied to the native economic system right here in New Jersey, and we mentioned how we are able to bolster the commerce relations to revitalize the companies throughout the state.”

Through the roundtable dialogue, Gottheimer and native leaders mentioned points affecting the group, together with provide chain and different pandemic-related financial impacts on Korean American owned small companies, the wave of racist, violent hate crimes in opposition to the Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and group security.

Gottheimer’s work to help North Jersey consists of:

Boosting North Jersey’s return on funding: Gottheimer is dedicated to reducing taxes and getting Fifth District residents a greater return on the tax {dollars} they already ship to Washington. Late final yr, Gottheimer introduced that, by working with Fifth District mayors, councils, first responders, and cities, the Fifth District clawed again $415 from Washington for each Fifth District family the yr prior — a 112% enhance from what the District has traditionally obtained. These {dollars} assist first responders shield our communities whereas offsetting the pressure on native budgets and property tax payments.

Preventing crime and supporting regulation enforcement: Gottheimer not too long ago launched bipartisan, bicameral laws, the Make investments to Shield Act, to make essential, focused investments in native police departments and be certain that cops in smaller communities in North Jersey and throughout the nation have the assets and coaching they should hold themselves and their communities protected. The bipartisan laws is endorsed by the Nationwide Fraternal Order of Police, Nationwide Affiliation of Police Organizations, Nationwide Sheriffs’ Affiliation, Nationwide Troopers Coalition, New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Affiliation, and New Jersey State Police Benevolent Affiliation. Gottheimer, in his most up-to-date reporting, additionally introduced that the Fifth District clawed again greater than $3.5 million of surplus federal tools and assets for native regulation enforcement in 2020, in addition to greater than $2.7 million in federal funding to assist rent regulation enforcement and assist our cops higher shield our communities and themselves.

Decreasing taxes and making life extra reasonably priced: Gottheimer not too long ago unveiled a brand new Affordability Agenda for Jersey, which incorporates working to get gas and power costs down, reducing day-to-day prices like prescription drug and childcare prices, serving to lower by purple tape and forms, and reducing taxes for hard-working households, together with by reinstating State and Native Tax (SALT) deduction. Gottheimer has led efforts within the Home to revive the SALT deduction, to offer an instantaneous tax lower to hard-working, center class households in Jersey.

Fixing North Jersey’s crumbling infrastructure: Gottheimer helped lead the cost to form and cross the Bipartisan Infrastructure Invoice final yr, working with Democrats and Republicans to enact the best infrastructure funding in a century. This bipartisan invoice will assist construct the brand new Gateway Prepare Tunnel, repair our crumbling roads, bridges, rail, and NJ Transit, assist struggle local weather change, spend money on our ports, increase broadband entry to the unconnected, and get lead out of our kids’s consuming water.

Supporting native small companies: Gottheimer not too long ago helped cross the bipartisan Aid for Eating places and different Arduous Hit Small Companies Act, to claw again assets for small companies that make use of fewer than 200 individuals, suffered a 40 p.c pandemic-related income loss, and didn’t beforehand obtain sure grants. Through the top of the pandemic, Gottheimer helped lead the Drawback Solvers Caucus and a bipartisan group of Senators in writing and passing the $908 billion in COVID-19 aid to households, small companies, and frontline staff, together with a brand new spherical of PPP assets.

Combating hate: Since taking workplace, Gottheimer has helped Fifth District homes of worship, colleges, and local people organizations claw again greater than $6.3 million in federal Nonprofit Safety Grants from FEMA, to spend money on safety for organizations which might be liable to a terrorist assault from homegrown and lone-wolf ISIS-inspired terrorists and white supremacists. Gottheimer helped cross Rep. Grace Meng’s decision final Congress to sentence all types of anti-Asian sentiment as associated to COVID-19, and can help the decision once more this Congress. Gottheimer has additionally helped lead bipartisan efforts to work to cross the NO HATE Act, which has been endorsed by the Drawback Solvers Caucus that Gottheimer co-chairs, to strengthen federal regulation to fight hate speech, threats, and assaults.

Working throughout the aisle: Gottheimer serves because the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Drawback Solvers Caucus, the place he works to deliver the group of 29 Democrats and 29 Republicans collectively throughout occasion strains to seek out areas of settlement on key points together with reducing taxes, reducing medical insurance premiums, and enhancing infrastructure to assist the American individuals.

Gottheimer’s opening remarks as ready for supply are under:

It’s a pleasure to talk with some unimaginable group and enterprise leaders from the Korean American group right here in North Jersey.

Whereas in the present day is about discussing what we are able to do collectively to help this group, I’d be remiss to not point out that simply this week, the particular delegation on behalf of Korea’s president-elect visited Capitol Hill. Korea is one in all America’s closest, most necessary allies — sharing key values corresponding to democracy, human rights, and free market values. Korean Individuals are the bridge between the 2 nations.

Now again to Fifth District: as we sort out so many points collectively, a key a part of North Jersey’s power is our proud Korean American group — which works day in and time out to make this District a fair higher place to reside, increase our households, and do enterprise.

Right here in Bergen, we’re proud to have greater than 60,000 individuals of Korean descent name this County residence, and Korean Individuals make up greater than 20 p.c of the populations in our nice Fifth District cities, Closter and Norwood. And the power of the group expands all through the state with greater than 100,000 New Jersey residents with Korean ancestry — the third largest inhabitants in America.

From our native elected officers to enterprise and group leaders, and to our many enterprise homeowners all through the Fifth District, it’s clear that the Korean American group is constant to make an extremely spectacular mark on North Jersey.

That’s why I’m working so arduous in Washington, right here at residence, and throughout the aisle, to help you, your households, the companies in your communities, and all the pieces you do. It’s a key precedence of mine to work with Korean American residents and small enterprise homeowners to make sure that you by no means really feel like your voices aren’t heard or that you’ve nowhere to show. That is particularly necessary now.

We have to make it possible for the wants of the Korean American group are heard at each degree of presidency.

I do know that the pandemic put an immense burden on small companies, many are nonetheless feeling the consequences, and in the present day’s rising prices have launched extra issues of instability.

Small companies are the lifeblood of New Jersey’s economic system, constituting 99.6% of New Jersey companies and using 1.8 million New Jersey residents. And a minimum of 1 / 4 of New Jersey’s small companies are minority-owned.

I’ve heard from many in the neighborhood that their companies are struggling financially, which is why I’ve launched a brand new Affordability Agenda for Jersey, to assist make life extra reasonably priced for North Jersey households. This agenda is about motion we are able to take proper now to assist our households and small companies with the COVID-driven affect on our economic system — to get extra money again into Jersey households’ pockets.

It consists of aggressively addressing our COVID-driven provide chain disaster, together with with new provide chain laws I’ve launched, and combating our dependence on overseas manufacturing.

My Affordability Agenda additionally consists of working to get gas and power costs down, reducing day-to-day prices like prescription drug and childcare prices, serving to lower by purple tape and forms, and reducing taxes for hard-working households, together with by reinstating State and Native Tax deduction.

Restoring the SALT deduction is essential as a result of it’ll give an instantaneous tax lower to hard-working, center class households in Jersey.

And simply yesterday, the bipartisan Aid for Eating places and different Arduous Hit Small Companies Act handed the Home, which I voted for and cosponsored. It is going to claw again assets for small companies that make use of fewer than 200 individuals, suffered a 40 p.c pandemic-related income loss, and didn’t beforehand obtain sure grants, corresponding to these from the Financial Trade Catastrophe program.

Many small companies, together with Korean American-owned companies, eating places, dry cleaners, salons, and actual property teams may very well be eligible for this aid.

Now, at the same time as we get well from the pandemic, COVID had a really painful affect on many. I do know that the rise of racially-charged assaults in opposition to the AAPI group — together with proper right here in North Jersey and close by in New York, the place a lot of our residents journey for work and recreation, has many Korean Individuals now not feeling protected. I hear tales of residents having to hold pepper spray once they go away the home and concern letting their youngsters exit alone.

I hear from AAPI residents that this concern has turn out to be their new regular. Continuously fascinated by if it’s protected to stroll outdoors alone and ensuring to not stand too near the sting of the subway, fearing that they would be the subsequent sufferer.

Throughout our nation, homicide charges spiked 27% in 2020. Violent crime is up, and homicides are at their highest degree in practically three many years. I can’t stand idly by whereas our communities are beneath assault.

That’s why my door is at all times open and why my primary precedence is to do all the pieces I can to make life higher for Fifth District residents.

With group security as a aim for all of us, this is the reason I not too long ago launched new bipartisan and, now, bicameral laws — the Make investments to Shield Act — to make essential, focused investments in our native regulation enforcement. This invoice will assist guarantee police departments with 200 officers or fewer have the assets and coaching they should hold themselves and their communities protected.

And as we’ve seen horrific hate crimes enhance, I’ve been serving to struggle in Congress to ship a transparent message: hate has no residence right here. Final Congress, I used to be proud to help Congresswoman Grace Meng’s decision condemning all types of anti-Asian sentiment as associated to COVID-19, and I sit up for proudly supporting her decision once more this Congress, in addition to doing all the pieces I can to face as much as all types of hate and bigotry.

Earlier than I open up our dialogue, please cross this alongside to those that need assistance: I perceive that English just isn’t the primary language for a lot of in the neighborhood, which may make lots of the lengthy, authorities jargon-filled on-line processes troublesome. So, please name my workplace or cease in anytime and we’ll make sure that to stroll you thru something you’re having bother with. That’s why we’re right here and why you employed me.

Total, I’ve each religion — that, by working collectively, like we’re doing by coming collectively in the present day — our greatest days will at all times be forward of us.

Thanks for doing all the pieces you do to face up on your group and for making North Jersey a fair higher place to reside.

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