On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Gottheimer announces a new ‘Jobs Plan for America’s Veterans’

NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Thursday joined the Fort Lee VFW to announce his new “Jobs Plan for America’s Veterans,” which will help our nation’s heroes secure quality jobs after they transition to civilian life.

Each year, nearly 200,000 servicemembers transition out of the military. Surveys show that these new veterans struggle with underemployment, meaning they cannot find jobs that fully use the skills they’ve gained in the military. In fact, nearly one-third of veteran job seekers are underemployed, which is almost twice as high as the rate for civilians. Gottheimer’s “Jobs Plan for America’s Veterans” aims to tackle this underemployment challenge head-on.

“There is nothing more important in this job than my responsibility to always have the backs of those who have stepped up to protect us. After sacrificing so much, our veterans and active duty military should never struggle to get the care, recognition, and respect they have rightfully earned,” Gottheimer said. “That’s why today, I’m excited to announce our new ‘Jobs Plan for America’s Veterans.’ When Jersey veterans come home, after they’ve fought for our country and accumulated countless skills, there is no reason they should have to fight to get a job.”

Gottheimer’s “Jobs Plan for America’s Veterans” includes:

• A letter to Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Denis McDonough and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, urging them to develop a skills-based badging program for competencies that veterans learn while serving like IT, logistics, and electrical work.
  • Employers can look at these badges just like a transcript and know that veterans are equipped to succeed in a job starting on day one.
• New legislation as part of the FY2025 Veterans’ Affairs funding package, which expands support in the VA Transition Assistance Program.
  • This legislation provides critical information, resources, and tools to servicemembers and their families to prepare for the move from military to civilian life like how to start a small business, how to manage their finances, and how to enroll in higher education.
• Support for the Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act of 2024, which will invest $50 million across three states to create veterans’ manufacturing pilot programs.
  • These programs will work with our labor organizations to offer high-quality targeted training and apprenticeships. This bill ensures our veterans are ready to fill the two million projected vacancies in the manufacturing sector in the next decade.

Gottheimer has been focused on getting veterans quality jobs since he first entered office in 2017. In fact, the very first amendment he passed in the House worked to accelerate the hiring of post-9/11 veterans at the VA.

Gottheimer began Thursday’s event by highlighting Wednesday’s announcement regarding the Congestion Tax. After a five year fight, New York announced that it would indefinitely pause the Congestion Tax ahead of its June 30th implementation.

Congressman Gottheimer has led the charge against the Tax, which would have whacked hardworking Jersey families who commute into the city with a $4,000/year extra tax. By working together with local and state officials, labor groups, and small business owners, he helped put a stop to the tax, saving working families thousands of dollars.

Gottheimer was joined by Bergen County Commissioner Chairwoman Germaine Ortiz, Bergen County Commissioner Mary Amoroso, Bergen County Commissioner Dr. Joan Voss, Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, Fort Lee Council President Harvey Sohmer, Fort Lee Councilman Paul Yoon, Bergen County Director of Veteran Services Shaun Hutchinson, and VFW Cairola-Barber Post 2342 Commander Anthony Lione.