Pallone Blasts House Republicans for Caving to Elon Musk, Putting Critical New Jersey Relief at Risk

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today issued the following statement as New Jersey faces the looming threat of a government shutdown due to House Republicans’ decision to abandon a bipartisan agreement:

“At the start of this week, we had a bipartisan agreement in place to keep the government running and deliver critical relief to communities across the country—including right here in New Jersey. Now, thanks to a tweet from Elon Musk and the House Republicans’ willingness to bow to an unelected billionaire, we’re on the brink of a government shutdown.

This is not a political game. For New Jersey, a shutdown means real pain. It puts $439 million in disaster relief funding at risk—funds New Jersey families need to recover from extreme weather events. It jeopardizes $8 million in community development funding, essential loans and grants to keep our small businesses afloat, and emergency funding to fix damaged roads and bridges. For Republicans to abandon bipartisanship and order a holiday shutdown is unconscionable and will only hurt everyday Americans who need disaster assistance now. 

As the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, I worked to secure significant health care and consumer protections for New Jersey families in this agreement. These include expanded funding for Community Health Centers, strengthened Medicaid home care services, and the reauthorization of programs supporting traumatic brain injury research—renamed to honor my late friend and colleague Bill Pascrell.

The bipartisan agreement also bans junk fees, enforces lithium-ion battery safety standards to prevent fires, and provides tools to protect families from dangerous chemicals and online exploitation. These are vital, life-saving measures that improve the everyday lives of New Jerseyans.

Let me be clear: All of this is at risk because some in Washington decided to take their marching orders from the richest man on the planet instead of standing up for the people they were elected to serve.

New Jerseyans deserve better than this reckless brinkmanship. I will continue to fight to prevent a shutdown and protect the resources we’ve worked so hard to secure.”