These Children Are Refugees

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter

As the nature of migration has changed in recent years, Congress has failed to update our immigration laws accordingly, leaving us unequipped to deal with the current humanitarian crisis on the Southern border. Make no mistake – this is indeed a humanitarian crisis. These unaccompanied minors – these children – are crossing our border by themselves, across thousands of miles, to escape conditions that we in this country can only imagine. We should be compassionate and treat these children as refugees, because these children are refugees.

Last week, the House again failed to introduce comprehensive immigration reform, instead debating two immigration-related bills that failed to address seriously the request President Obama made for additional funding to deal with these children. These bills sought to punitively attack a group of innocent children, and would repeal laws and protections that currently exist to prevent the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.

Our immigration laws ought to reflect both our interests and our values as Americans. Our nation has an obligation and moral responsibility to take in and protect those who have faced persecution and violence in their home countries, as we have since our founding. We should not continue to hold the fates of these children hostage to partisan bickering and election-year gimmicks. The right way to address this crisis, and the many other crises that exist because of our broken immigration laws, is to fix the laws in a comprehensive way.

New Jersey’s Commitment to Sustainable Energy

Today, in the 21st century, the United States faces new energy challenges. It should be clear to us all that 20th century forms of energy – especially coal and oil – are not compatible with the world we want in the 21st century.

At the state level, lawmakers have taken promising steps. New Jersey committed to an aggressive plan that requires 20 percent of our electricity come from renewables, such as wind and solar, by 2020. Already New Jersey is second to only California in installed solar photovoltaic capacity. Yet recently, New Jersey’s commitment to sustainable energy has faltered. The Christie Administration has delayed efforts to harvest offshore wind energy, and withdrawn from a regional approach to combating climate change.

I was pleased to tour this week NRG Energy’s Princeton headquarters. NRG, a power company which has a large business generating electricity using traditional fuels, is also making large waves into wind and solar, in recognition of the need to address climate change.

So-called alternative energy can become standard, according to many industry analysts and energy policy analysts. For example, a 2013 study in the journal Energy Policy presents an alternative scenario for the complete conversion by 2030 of New York State’s energy to wind, water, geothermal, and solar. I do not know of a similar study for New Jersey, although a similar scenario could apply. I am pleased, therefore, that such an innovative and forward-thinking company has found a home in New Jersey’s 12thDistrict.

Livable Communities

As we enjoy the last month of summer, I encourage you to take advantage of some of central New Jersey’s beautiful biking and walking trails. I have done so. A few weeks ago, I attended the official opening of the Pennington Connection to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, a project for which I was able to secure $267,000 in federal funds. Trails like this can improve the overall quality of life for both residents and employees of a region by providing transportation alternatives.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Holt Video - I'm With Rush

Just before the holiday weekend I received and email from the Rush Holt for Senate campaign that contained a link to the video below.

 In the video Holt's background as a scientist/teacher and his progressive stands and voting record in Congress are highlighted by a number of people both young and old that rattle off a list of issues that are near and dear to them.

The video also takes a passive aggressive, subtle swipe at one of Holt's U.S. Senate challengers, front runner Cory Booker. The swipe happens when a young African-American supporter states, " I like Cory Booker but for Senate, I'm with Rush".

Overall I like the video, it's effective, concise and charmingly quirky, playing off the "Big Bang Theory" geekiness of Holt's background and supporters.  



Rush is a teacher, scientist and a true progressive. No one will fight harder for progressive policies in the US Senate.

Rush has taken on the Republicans in Congress - voting against the war in Iraq, to repeal the PATRIOT Act, against warrantless surveillance of Americans, and against Republican cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

In the Senate, Rush will be a leader on progressive issues, like increasing education funding, expanding background checks to ALL gun sales and building a smart national energy grid.

President Obama's Weekly Address 3/16/13: Time to Create the Energy Security Trust

Washington — In this week’s address, President Obama spoke to the American people from the Argonne National Laboratory, which he toured earlier that day, about the facility’s focus on harnessing American energy in order to reduce our dependence on oil and make the United States a magnet for new jobs. The President highlighted his “all-of-the-above” approach to American energy, including his proposal to establish an Energy Security Trust, which invests revenue from offshore oil and gas development in research that will help shift our cars and trucks off of oil. These investments, which are focused on a range of technologies including electric vehicles and advanced batteries as well as investments in advanced biofuels and cars that run on natural gas, will continue to reduce our nation’s dependence on oil, support job creation, increase energy security, and save families money at the pump – all while cutting harmful carbon pollution. These efforts build on the historic steps taken in the President’s first term to protect consumers and reduce oil consumption, including the historic fuel economy standards established which will double the distance our cars can go on a gallon of gas. In line with those efforts, the Energy Security Trust will continue to create good jobs for the middle class as we take control of our energy future.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/25/12: An All-Of-The-Above Approach to American Energy

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama spoke to the American people about the importance of taking an all-of-the-above approach to addressing our nation’s energy challenges. With only 2% of the world’s oil reserves, we cannot simply drill our way to lower gas prices, as some in Washington have suggested. Americans understand that we must have a long-term strategy that uses every available source of energy—including oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels, and more. We also cannot fail to recognize the important role that increasing the efficiency of our cars and trucks can play in both reducing our dependence on oil and saving consumers money at the pump. Finally, at a time when oil companies are making record profits and American families are paying record prices, we must end, once and for all, the $4 billion a year in tax breaks oil companies receive. There are no quick fixes to this problem, but together we can make a serious effort to overcome our energy challenges and help create American jobs.