D.C. Dispatch: What N.J.’s members of Congress did in Washington this week

The final days of the 118th Congress are upon us. With just a few weeks to go until January 3, when new members are sworn in and the progress made on any unpassed bill this session is nullified, the clock is ticking for members of the House and Senate to accomplish whatever it is they intend to accomplish.

Major government funding and national security-related bills will have to wait for future weeks; this week, Congress debated new leadership on House committees, passed an anti-deepfake bill through the Senate, and prepared for a new senator from New Jersey. Here’s some of what New Jersey’s members of Congress did in Washington this week.

Congress: Where a 62-year-old who’s been in political office for 18 years counts as new blood

As a rule, the Democratic leaders of House committees are an old bunch. Of the 20 Democratic ranking members atop House standing committees, only five are under the age of 65, which is in large part a product of the massive emphasis House Democrats put on seniority when it comes to power within the caucus.

But things might be changing ahead of next year’s 119th Congress. Two longtime committee heads, 77-year-old Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler and 76-year-old Natural Resources Committee ranking member Raúl Grijalva, have already stepped aside rather than face younger challengers, and more youthful leadership could be coming to the Agriculture and Oversight Committees as well. (There’s no indication that Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, the lone New Jerseyan atop a committee, will face a challenge.)

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) – one of the few sitting members of Congress to call on Joe Biden to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee in favor of a younger candidate this past summer –  said that she, for one, welcomes the wave of committee challengers and hopes it leads to a more dynamic, effective House Democratic caucus.

“If we’re going to continue to legislate on these tough, new, complicated issues of AI and the [Kids Online Safety Act] and quantum computing – the list goes on – if we’re going to get in there and make change, we need new leaders,” she said. “We need people who are familiar with these technologies. The reason I am so focused on KOSA is I have four kids, and I think the internet has become a very damaging place for children. I don’t think that’s a perspective that maybe some senior members have – not seeing how it’s impacting their children.”

Sherrill, who first got to Congress by flipping a longtime Republican district, said that for swing-district members in particular, the seniority system on committees presents a major obstacle to making change, since they’re at risk of losing their seat every cycle and don’t always have decades to spare in Congress.

“I have always said that we have such talented people in our Democratic caucus, but in order to keep having talented people – in order to keep talented people in the caucus, and not leaving – we need a new generation of leaders,” Sherrill said. “I remember, I got into Congress – this was my first year – and somebody said, ‘After 24 years, I’ve finally made it into this position, so patience is rewarded.’ And I remember thinking, ‘Man, I’m going to lose my seat in the next red wave! There’s no way that that’s going to be my path!’”

George on my mind

It’s the end of an era: interim Senator George Helmy will be stepping down this weekend, allowing Senator-elect Andy Kim to take his seat a few weeks ahead of his fellow newly elected senators.

Helmy’s time in the Senate has been a brief one; he was appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, his former boss, in August as a caretaker to replace disgraced former Senator Bob Menendez, and his total tenure will amount to just 90 days. But Helmy, who had never held office before this year, said he was still proud of the progress he made on issues like youth mental health and the war in Gaza.

“Looking back on my now 85 days and counting in this office, I am proud of the work my team and I have been able to accomplish,” Helmy said on Tuesday. “From the introduction and co-sponsorship of several bills to advance youth mental health in our country to speaking up for humanitarian aid to civilians in the Middle East to working with my fellow Senators on both sides of the aisle to do big things for our constituents, I will look back on this time with great affection.”

Helmy also said he was thrilled to pass the torch on to Kim, a three-term congressman from Burlington County who executed one of the cleverest primary campaigns in recent memory in order to win the seat.

“The voters of New Jersey made the right decision in November to elect Andy Kim to serve as their United States Senator,” Helmy said. “Having known him for nearly a decade now, I can attest to Senator Kim’s great dedication, character, and empathy towards the people of New Jersey… Andy and I have worked closely since his being elected to ensure a seamless transition and I have made myself readily available over the coming weeks to support this process.”

They took it up

This week, the Senate unanimously passed the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes On Websites and Networks (TAKE IT DOWN) Act, a bill with several different connections to New Jersey.

The bill, sponsored by Texas Republican Ted Cruz, puts penalties on the non-consensual sharing of explicit images, including those made with artificial intelligence, and requires social media companies to assist in taking such images down from their sites. Those are non-controversial goals in theory, but some senators had issues with the particulars of the bill, and when Cruz tried to pass it via unanimous consent in September, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker blocked it.

Booker’s blockade resulted in a back-and-forth between him and Cruz, with both accusing the other of political grandstanding. But behind the scenes, the two began negotiating on how to fix some of the bill’s problems, eventually coming to an agreement; an amended version of the bill was released shortly before Thanksgiving, with Booker as a co-sponsor.

“I’m glad that the original sponsors agreed to the improvements I proposed to the bill and that it has passed the Senate through unanimous consent,” Booker said yesterday after the bill passed the Senate. “This new version will ensure that victims are better protected and all platforms that publish these sorts of images are held to account under the law. I hope the bill will swiftly pass in the House and be signed into law.”

One of the bill’s top surrogates outside of Congress was also a New Jerseyan: Francesca Mani, a native of Westfield who was targeted by deepfake pornography at her own high school and has since become an anti-deepfake activist.

“I feel like people are finally realizing that this shouldn’t be about politics – it should be about protecting women and children,” Mani said on a call with Cruz. “People are finally starting to realize that and starting to take action, so I’m really happy about that.”

Charlie’s golden ticket

Donald Trump’s initial nominations to his cabinet are nearly complete, and there’s nary a New Jerseyan among them. But the incoming president did make a notable Garden State nomination this past weekend: Charles Kushner to be ambassador to France.

Kushner – a real estate developer and the father of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law – has a colorful history in New Jersey. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, retaliating against a federal witness, and lying to the Federal Election Commission; the charges had been brought by Chris Christie, who was the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey at the time.

“[Kushner] is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests,” Trump, who pardoned Kushner in the waning days of his first presidency, said on social media. “His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords. Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!”

As members of the Senate, Kim and Booker will both have the opportunity to vote for (or against) Kushner’s nomination; neither is commenting yet on their thoughts on the potentially controversial nominee.

Other Garden State plots

• Senate Democrats announced their new leadership team this week, and it includes a New Jerseyan: Booker will be chair of the conference’s Strategic Communications Committee, a new position ranking fourth in the Senate Democratic leadership hierarchy.

“In this position, I’m excited to help lead our Caucus’ communication and messaging strategy, ensuring the accomplishments and priorities of Senate Democrats are heard loud and clear across the county,” Booker said in a statement. “I look forward to using creative strategies and new technology and platforms to speak directly to the American people.”

• President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter from the gun and tax charges he had been convicted on drew scorn from many Republicans (and a handful of Democrats), among them Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), who said the pardon “makes an absolute mockery of our justice system.”

“While other Americans are serving time for committing the very same felonies, Hunter Biden will never be held accountable for his crimes – simply because of his last name,” Smith said. “Time and time again President Biden said that he would not pardon his son. He also said he never discussed these crimes and activities with Hunter. President Biden has been caught in many lies throughout his political career – which begs the question, what else has he said as President and Vice President – and even as a U.S. Senator – that was not true? President Biden has degraded the rule of law.”

• Rep. Pallone is urging the Food and Drug Administration to ban Red Dye No. 3 from food products; the dye has been shown to cause cancer in animals and has been banned from cosmetics for more than 30 years.

“There is simply no reason for this chemical to be in our food except to entice and mislead consumers by changing the color of their food so it looks more appealing,” Pallone wrote in a letter to the FDA. “While food companies must ensure that the food they market is safe, they are also only required to ensure that their products meet FDA’s standards. This means that thousands of products that contain this chemical can remain on the market.”

• Rep. Kim, who will become a senator on Monday, released a report this week detailing the bills he passed, the constituents he helped, and the other accomplishments he notched during his six years in the House.

“There’s a lot of accomplishments to be proud of over the course of six years in the House and I hope you can look back fondly on some of the work we got done together in this report,” Kim tells the residents of his district in the introduction to the report. “I also hope you have seen in me someone who has represented you with dignity and integrity in Congress. While we may not have seen eye to eye on every issue, I tried to serve you and your family to the best of my ability.”