'Cup of Joe' with Josh' Gottheimer at the Hampton Diner

By Mandy Coriston
U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D- NJ 5th) received a warm welcome from more than three dozen assembled locals, who’d come to the Hampton Diner on Friday afternoon, Feb. 22, to meet with their congressperson and have the opportunity to discuss various issues in an informal setting.
Gottheimer’s press secretary, Zack DiGregorio, said Gottheimer enjoys these types of meetings, and prefers to hold them in diners. The Sussex County stop was his 34th such event, dubbed “Cup of Joe with Josh," since taking office in January of 2017.
“This is New Jersey,” DiGregorio said, “What better way to meet with people than at a diner? People can talk with us about things our office can do to help them, address legislative concerns, and ask questions of the congressman.”
Gottheimer's remarks on few pressing regional and national concerns, included an update on the illegal dump site in Vernon. He noted the state will conduct more thorough testing and evaluating for lead and other contaminants, Gottheimer spoke briefly about current events in Washington, D.C.
“The good news is we’re out of the shutdown soup, and the government is on the right path to stay open," he said.
He'll be turning his attention to trade and infrastructure in the coming weeks.
In reference to a question about the national emergency declared by President Trump to secure funding for a border wall, Gottheimer said that he and many of his colleagues “universally agree" that it’s Congress who has the right to decide these expenditures.
“We have a duty to maintain our responsibilities to our constituents,” he said, “and all the American people.”