Frelinghuysen's Voting Record Puts Party Over Country: Letter

Editor's note: The following is an open letter to Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) from a resident of New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.

Dear Representative Frelinghuysen:

Congratulations on 23 years of service in the United States House of Representatives.

I wish my continued letters to you could be more positive, particularly when you’re celebrating your service anniversary. However, your continued silence that implies support for this very dangerous administration, and your voting record that puts party over country, baffles me.

A tough month lies ahead for you. The “Debt Ceiling," DACA, CHIP…all “no brainer” pieces of legislation that could have, and should have, been addressed last year but were not. Worse yet, the most vulnerable of your constituents must continue to wait to find out their fate while you continue to remain silent.

I did a very informal Facebook survey Tuesday to find out if you always avoided your constituents. We know it’s been almost five years since you held a town hall, but I was surprised to find out that you were not always this “standoffish.”

Granted, many stories were from years ago, but they told of meetings in your office, casual conversations in public and at town events, and discussions during visits to schools and organizations. As you would expect, the impressions you left with your constituents were both positive and negative, but the important point is that you talked to them.

It seems that all changed as the Freedom Caucus came into town, bringing along with it a more divisive brand of politics. The election of Donald Trump has only made things worse, making me wonder as I went to sleep the other day if I would be awakening to a nuclear war. Simply put, President Trump has been a disgrace to this country, and you and your party not speaking out against this administration has only exacerbated the situation.

As House Appropriations Committee Chairman, your 23 years of public service certainly comes with well-deserved congratulations from your peers. However, we are left to wonder how much respect you have lost from members of Congress as result of your voting record these past years, and your continued silence in the wake of a possible constitutional crisis. Certainly it doesn’t seem to bode well for you as the funding for the Gateway project — a New York-New Jersey tunnel so important for your constituents — has been put in jeopardy by President Trump while you still remain silent.

“Where’s Rodney?” has been an ongoing mantra that you earned this past year. During the holiday, perhaps you reflected on that mantra and how important it is to listen and talk to your constituents — now more than ever. I hope that you did, because I and many of your constituents continue to wait for you to answer that question.

Respectfully yours,
Salvatore M. Schifano
Wayne, NJ

Photo: Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen/Official Congressional photograph