Congressional Candidate Josh Gottheimer Says Women Deserve The Same Economic Opportunities As Men

PARAMUS, N.J. — Women in the 5th Congressional District earn 73 cents on the dollar compared to men. Fifth Congressional Democratic candidate Josh Gottheimer outlined his economic blueprint to expand economic opportunities for women business leaders and entrepreneurs in the district.

According to Gottheimer, a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, if women were paid equally in New Jersey, the state gross domestic product would increase 3 percent and create an additional $16.6 billion in additional income.

Gottheimer wants to promote paid family leave and stop having mothers take a 20 percent pay cut because they've started a family. Middle class families who make more than $43,000 cannot claim the full Child Care Tax Credit. Child care in New Jersey costs the average family up to $21,000 annually.

"Middle class families should be able to claim the full tax credit for their child care expenses," Gottheimer said.

Gottheimer said that women only receive $1 out of every $23 in state small business loans.

"Supporting women-owned businesses by providing them access to capital and familial support services is a smart investment in the New Jersey economy — one that we should continue to promote," Gottheimer said. "We must embrace policies that make it easier for women to start and grow a business, specifically when it comes to access to credit."

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Gottheimer claims that his opponent, seven-term Republican Scott Garrett, has "consistently opposed efforts" to help women executives and entrepreneurs and strengthen economic opportunities for businesswomen.

Sara Neibart, Garrett's campaign manager, said that Gottheimer's tax plan will "hurt the very women he's claiming to help."

"Mr. Gottheimer can unveil all the economic plans he wants, but it doesn’t change the fact that his party’s nominee for president, and someone who introduces him as a 'family member' at events, is a hypocrite on this issue," Neibart said in a statement. "The Clinton Foundation pays men an average of 38 percent more than women. This is yet another example of how Josh Gottheimer's associations with people like Hillary Clinton accurately paint the picture of who he really is."

The 5th District race is one of the House’s most intriguing this election season. Garrett has come under fire for months since Politico reported Garrett told fellow Republicans that he would not pay his dues to the National Republican Congressional Committee because it supports gay candidates.

Garrett has stopped receiving financial support from corporations, including First Energy, which owns Jersey Central Power and Light.

Gottheimer has received endorsements from the National Association of Realtors, the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association and the union representing more than 5,000 firefighters, emergency medical technicians and dispatchers in New Jersey.

The 5th District is composed of municipalities in Bergen, Sussex, Passaic, and Warren counties. In Bergen, the municipalities include: Fair Lawn, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Hillsdale, Mahwah, New Milford, Oakland, Oradell, Paramus, Ramsey, Ridgewood, River Edge, Teaneck, Township of Washington, Westwood, and Wyckoff.

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