Above (left to right): Representatives Gottheimer and Lance slam the Moocher States over the Gateway Program

Today, Members of New Jersey’s bipartisan delegation gathered in DC to slam the 27 Members from Moocher States, who called to cut funding for the Gateway Program.

While New Jersey historically has received only $0.74 for every federal tax dollar paid, North Carolina — where the letter originated — Mooches from the federal government. For every dollar they pay in federal taxes, they receive $1.41 in federal spending. They receive $105,100,000,000 in federal outlays, but send $62,478,000,000 in federal receipts.

“They’re not satisfied with the fact that every year, my District only gets back 33 cents for every dollar we send to Washington — New Jersey only 74 cents on the dollar.” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “In fact, these Moocher States, like North Carolina and Alabama are so greedy that they are now trying to upend the bipartisan appropriations omnibus that we just agreed to a month ago. I’m for tax cuts, but these Moochers States are now trying to rescind, or take back, the investment that’s being made for the Gateway Program — America’s most critical infrastructure need today that would add tunnels and capacity underneath the Hudson River. Tunnels that are literally crumbling. Don’t take more than you put in. Let’s take that money and put it in New Jersey; let’s build this tunnel between New York and New Jersey.”

VIDEO OF THE EVENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.

The Tax Hike Bill passed by Congress in December gutted the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT), causing about a seven percentage point tax increase on many of the taxpayers in the Fifth District, making families and businesses less likely to come to New Jersey, and more likely to leave.

Last October, Gottheimer and Lance announced the “Anti-Moocher Bill” they are cosponsoring, officially known as the “Return on Investment Accountability Act.” The bill would address the disparity in federal spending between states by giving refundable tax credits to eligible recipients whose states get less funding from the federal government than the taxes they pay in aggregate.