NJ Herald: Gottheimer elected to co-chair bipartisan caucus, serve on 3 financial subcommittees

New Jersey’s freshman congressman has been elected as co-chair of a bipartisan House caucus and will also serve on several financial subcommittees, putting him in a good position to make good on campaign promises of working across the aisle and bringing money back to the district.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., will serve as co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a collective group of Democrats, Republicans and Independents that seek to find common ground on issues of national importance. Gottheimer was elected alongside New York’s U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-23rd Dist.

“I’m honored to have been elected co-chair of the Problem Solvers’ Caucus with Tom, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work bringing people together on important issues like lowering taxes and improving our infrastructure,” Gottheimer said via press release on Thursday. “There is real power in members coming together across the aisle to find opportunities to work together and move America forward.”

Gottheimer campaigned on working to bring members together across party lines and find areas of agreement on key issues like lowering taxes and improving infrastructure. Reed has been involved with the Problem Solvers Caucus since 2013.

“We are excited to lead with Josh,” Reed said in the release. “The Problem Solvers Caucus, nearly 40 members strong from both sides of the aisle, will be fighting for common sense principles that impact all Americans — Democrat, Republican, Independent — everyone. It’s a new day in Washington and now is the time for us to work together with new energy to get things done for the American people.”

Gottheimer also attended his first Financial Services Committee meeting on Thursday and announced that he will serve on the Capital Markets, Securities, and Investments Subcommittee, the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee and the Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee to help lower taxes, cut burdensome regulations for large and small businesses alike, and expand access to capital while protecting consumers and fighting terrorism,” Gottheimer said. “I will work across the aisle to help New Jersey’s families and businesses thrive.”

The Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Securities and Investment has jurisdiction over U.S. securities and housing finance laws and oversees the governmental entities authorized to implement and enforce these laws, including the Securities and Exchange Commission. It serves as the link between banks large and small, hedge funds, private equity, insurance, and the federal government.

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as the name suggests, conducts oversight and investigations on the agencies and departments under the committee’s jurisdiction. Specifically, the subcommittee is charged with the oversight of all federal financial regulators, and is authorized to conduct investigations into allegations of fraud, waste or abuse in the public sector, or misconduct in the private sector.

The Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance is responsible for disrupting and cracking down on the financing of terrorist organizations like ISIS and Hezbollah.

Gottheimer issued a statement on Thursday condemning Iran’s recent ballistic missile activity.

“I was deeply alarmed by Iran’s recent ballistic missile test and even more troubled by their subsequent vow to continue missile activity — reinforcing my concerns about the Iran agreement struck last year,” he said. “The United States must work with our allies to condemn such reckless ploys by Iran to destabilize the Middle East. I will work with Democrats and Republicans to ensure there is swift action going forward against those supporting Iran’s perilous actions.”