Issues

A Message from Bob Healey

As a business owner who employs 1,600 men and women; a philanthropist who has helped build hospitals and schools for the less fortunate, and as a husband and new father, I am running for Congress because we need new, common sense conservative leaders in Congress who will serve as a check and balance against President Joe Biden and the increasingly radical and even socialist policies of the Democrat majority in Congress.  Should I be elected to Congress this November, this page will help you learn more about what I will fight for and stand for in Congress.  At the same time, I don’t pretend to have all the answers or always know the best solutions to the problems we face.  I encourage you to read on and give me your feedback.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob

Improving Affordability & Creating Jobs

President Biden’s economic plans are a disaster for the country today and in the future.  His policies are sparking record inflation making everything cost more, driving up taxes by trillions, ballooning the national debt, and making America less competitive globally.  In Congress, Bob Healey will support a constitutional amendment that requires a balanced budget and a new law requiring a supermajority vote in Congress to ever raise taxes.  Bob also supports a complete restoration of the SALT deduction for New Jersey taxpayers.  Sadly, Democrats like Andy Kim ran in 2018 promising they would return this deduction, yet despite complete Democratic control of Congress and the Presidency, Rep. Kim has done nothing to make it happen.  Moreover, Bob will champion policies that give a hand-up to the less fortunate, helping them improve their lives through education, trade skills, and job-training, not a handout that creates more dependence on government and strips people of their human dignity.

Standing with Law Enforcement & Keeping Us Safe

President Biden and radical Democrats have handcuffed – and even defunded our police – and in the process have made our police officers and our communities targets for violent criminals who know that ‘woke’ Democrats will continue pushing extreme, far-left policies like cashless bail and activist judges who are choosing to let dangerous criminals walk free in the name of political correctness, while threatening to punish police officers for simply doing their jobs.  In Congress, Bob will stand with our police and give them the tools they need to do their jobs effectively, and fairly.  No longer should the 99% of good cops be painted with a broad brush due to the actions of a few bad actors.

Securing the Border & Fixing the Immigration Mess 

Our southern border is a mess and the weak response by President Biden and radical Democrats has resulted in growing numbers of illegal immigrants crossing into our country unchecked; flooding our streets with illegal drugs and guns and giving rise to human trafficking.  Bob believes we must have compassion toward those in need, including people fleeing persecution and poverty in their home countries.  He also believes in a rigorous, but fair, path to legal status for those already here who are working hard, playing by the rules, and contributing to our society.  At the same time, he believes that a country without secure borders ceases to be a country, and therefore, in Congress, he would support finishing the border wall where it made sense; ending catch and release; clearing the judicial backlog; deporting all criminal illegals, and expanding the number of border patrol officers.

Declaring Energy Independence from Our Enemies

Under President Biden and Congressman Andy Kim, working families and seniors saw their energy costs soar last year.  In 2021, the price of home heating oil soared 43%, while natural gas prices skyrocketed by 61%.  The result: American taxpayers forked over $1,000 more to pay for energy last year than they did the year before – and that’s before gasoline prices continued to spike into 2022.  On top of that, the U.S. currently imports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil from our enemies, while the Biden Administration wages war on the oil and gas industry at home.  

 As longtime chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, Bob opposes drilling for oil off the Jersey Shore and Atlantic Coast and supports smart investments in renewable energies, such as solar and wind.  But they must be part of a diverse, all-of-the-above energy strategy that declares our energy independence and lowers costs for consumers.  That means supporting new oil and gas development on federal lands; restarting the Keystone XL pipeline; pushing for regulatory reforms to streamline permitting, and supporting nuclear power.  Bob also opposes the radical policies of Governor Murphy here in New Jersey, whose plans to mandate electrification of homes, cars, and businesses will only add to the state’s affordability crisis and drive more people and jobs out of state.  

As it relates to offshore wind, Bob opposes government subsidies, as these companies have more than enough capital to finance their own projects.  Bob is concerned about the impacts on fish habitat, fishermen and boaters, who stand to be the most impacted groups as these projects move forward.  It is imperative that meaningful engagement with the fishing community occurs prior to the approval of the project design and construction to ensure impacts to fish and fishermen are minimized.  When impacts can’t be eliminated, fair compensatory mitigation or other measures that fully offset the impact of offshore wind must be secured. 

Empowering Parents, Not the Teacher’s Union

Whether it was unscientific mask mandates on children as young as two years-old; threats of forced COVID vaccinations over the objection of parents, or school curriculum that is increasingly bent on indoctrinating students rather than educating them, too many of our school board and school administrators – often infiltrated by a hyper-partisan and politically powerful teacher’s union – are trying to supplant the role of the parents and reshape our society.  As a congressman, but more importantly as a father, Bob will push for school choice that allows parents and children to escape failing schools and not have the quality of the education they receive dictated by the zip code they live in.  Bob will seek to raise education standards and challenge teachers, parents and children to meet them; he will promote the fact that America, while not perfect, has come a long way on the issue of race and equality, and he will ensure that all our children are taught to treat each other with respect and civility.

Opposing Cancel Culture & Political Correctness

Bob believes our constitutional right to free speech and expression is sacrosanct – including and especially speech that you may not agree with.  It must be protected at all costs.  The recent phenomenon of radicals in both parties demanding that certain books, television shows, or popular podcasts be banned, or that statues of people like George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt or Christopher Columbus be torn down, or that buildings named after President Lincoln be renamed, or that school calendars need to remove references to Christmas or Hanukkah is outrageous.  In Congress, Bob would be among the leading voices fighting to end the scourge of Cancel Culture and political correctness once and for all.  Unless and until our country can have honest conversations about race and other sensitive topics, we will continue to allow radical politicians to tear us apart with divisive identity politics.

Banning Financial Perks for Politicians

Bob believes that Members of Congress should be treated with respect due to the office they hold, but with that, they should also be forced to give up taxpayer-funded perks unnecessary for people who are already paid a considerable and generous salary by taxpayers.  For example, Bob believes Members of Congress should be barred from having outside income and be forced to give up the heavily subsidized healthcare, pension, and life insurance plans they enjoy by virtue of their service.  Bob also supports a ban on allowing Members of Congress to trade individual stocks and believes all Members should be required to put their holdings in a blind trust in which they surrender control of decisions regarding their financial portfolio while serving in Congress.

Protecting Our Environment

Economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive, and our federal policy needs to start better reflecting that.  Bob’s background as a boatbuilder, and his relationships with key stakeholders in the outdoor and recreational community, have made him a conservationist at heart.  Bob knows it is critical that we foster a healthy environment, support sustainable fisheries, and promote strong marine habitats, but not strictly via excessive environmental regulations that threaten our economy and destroy jobs. In Congress, Bob will use his experience to ensure the EPA is using the best science to make regulatory decisions, and bring government and business together to promote research and development incentives for reducing our carbon footprint   

Supporting the Joint Base & Strengthening Our Military

Defending and strengthening the mission of Joint Base MDL will be a top priority for Bob in Congress.  With over 44,000 military and civilian jobs directly reliant on the success of JBMDL – and with an economic impact of more than $7 billion on our region – the long-term success of the nation’s only tri-service base is critical to both New Jersey’s economy and America’s military readiness.  Bob will proudly take a leading role in ensuring that the base never falls victim to a future BRAC.

Bob is also a believer in President Reagan’s principle of “Peace through Strength” and rejects the failed policies of President Biden and Andy Kim that resulted in the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, and likely the reemegence of terrorists groups that will one-day soon threaten the United States and our allies again.

Defending the Second Amendment

Bob supports the constitutional right of all law-abiding citizens to legally possess firearms, whether it be for sport or collecting, or to defend themselves, their loved ones, and their property.  As a Member of Congress, Bob would stand strongly against efforts to infringe upon our rights and for radicals in Congress to scapegoat legal gun owners for the violent and lawless actions of others.

Promoting a Culture of Life

Bob was raised a Catholic and considers himself personally pro-life, and has lived up to these principles through his charitable efforts building hospitals and schools in the West African country of Sierra Leone, with a special focus on the healthcare of pregnant women and children.  Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the power to decide this issue returning to the states, Bob believes the right to an abortion should continue to exist in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. He also believes people of goodwill can find common ground on legal abortions in the first trimester. Read his op-ed on the issue here. Bob opposes extreme measures favored by the radical left, including late-term abortions, while strongly supporting the right of parents to be notified if their minor, teenage daughter were to seek an abortion.  At the same time, Bob also believes we must do more to invest in maternal-fetal health – both prenatal and postnatal – to ensure the health and well-being of mothers and children.  Much like access to a quality education should be a right for all Americans, so too should access to high-quality healthcare regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status.  

Keeping Our Commitments to Seniors

As a Member of Congress, Bob will ensure that the United States of America lives up to its solemn promise to safeguard Social Security benefits for our retirees who have paid into the system throughout their working years, and to work to ensure that every citizen can retire with dignity and economic security.  Bob will also work to reduce the cost of prescription drugs and ensure that our seniors don’t ever need to choose between paying their property taxes and their life-saving medications as they grow older.