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

Washington D.C., October 2025: the federal government shutdown is in its second week, and there are no signs of it ending soon.

The Senate has continued taking doomed votes on a competing pair of funding proposals to reopen the government, while the House wasn’t even in town (and House GOP leaders have cancelled votes for next week, too). Here’s some of what New Jersey’s members of Congress did in Washington this week; the real answer is, not much.

If a government shuts down in a forest and no House members are around to hear it, did it really make a sound?

Each party’s arguments have remained essentially unchanged since the beginning of the shutdown on October 1. Republicans say Democrats have no reason other than political gamesmanship to oppose a stopgap funding bill that would reopen the government through November; Democrats say Republicans have shut them out of the negotiation process and aren’t seriously engaging with them on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, a key demand for the party.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has upped the pressure by targeting federal workers and projects in Democratic-controlled states. Last week, the Trump administration froze funding for the Gateway Tunnel project; this week, it began the process of laying off more than 4,000 federal workers.

The Senate, where the GOP’s stopgap bill has gotten jammed by Democrats thanks to the filibuster, has remained in session throughout the shutdown, continually and unsuccessfully voting on both Republican and Democratic funding proposals. Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker, along with nearly all of their Democratic colleagues, have remained resolutely opposed to the GOP’s plan, which has already passed the House.

“This administration and its puppets like Speaker [Mike] Johnson have shut down this government so they can focus on the things they want: to use government to further corruption so they can funnel money to their billionaire donors; to use government as a tool to extort the American people to bend to their will,” Kim said on the Senate floor.

The House, meanwhile, has been out of session since September 19, with Johnson saying that it’s up to the Senate to end the shutdown (and Democrats accusing him of slow-walking a vote on the Epstein files). Prevented from airing their grievances in person, many members have instead taken to social media to battle over who bears the blame for the impasse.

“If you cared or understood the impact of the Republican shutdown, you would have voted differently on the Republican bill,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) told Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) in one X exchange late last week.

“I supported the bipartisan bill to keep our government open, you opposed it,” Kean shot back. “I hope you will, very soon, work up the courage to drop your senseless political games and support these kind of bills that are in your constituents’ best interests.”

Troopsie daisie

One particular pressure point for members of Congress worried about long-term consequences from the shutdown: active-duty military members are set to start missing paychecks next Wednesday, which would be a first in U.S. history. According to Politico, while many on Capitol Hill want to find a way to avert a missed paycheck, some Republicans think “they need to let troop pay lapse in order to demonstrate the real consequences” of the shutdown to Democrats.

On Thursday, 78 House Democrats – among them Reps. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon), Herb Conaway (D-Delran), and Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) – sent a letter to Johnson insisting that he call the House back into session and pass legislation to ensure troops get paid.

“This is a moment not only to support our troops, but also to show the American people and the world that our service members and our national security are above politics and the bedrock of our nation,” the letter states. “We urge you to support America’s military members and bring legislation to ensure that there is no disruption in troop pay during this shutdown to the House Floor for a vote immediately.”

An effort by a Democratic congresswoman to pass a standalone troop pay bill by unanimous consent, however, was blocked by Republicans.

Nuh-uh-DAA

When it comes to the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Senate has generally been far better than the House in recent years at working in a bipartisan manner, and this year was no exception; the House passed its version of the 2026 NDAA 231-196, but the Senate approved its own version on Thursday on a wide 77-20 vote.

Two of those 20 “no” votes, however, came from Senators Booker and Kim. Kim – whose own professional background is in national security – said that the actions of the Trump administration drove his vote.

“I can’t in good faith vote to pass a defense authorization when this President is using our brave men and women in uniform as his personal intimidation tool and executing actions abroad without any legal basis,” Kim said in a statement. (The senator was likely referring to the Trump administration’s recent strikes on Venezuelan boats; a separate vote this week on a resolution to rein in the president’s authority failed 48-51, with Kim and Booker both voting yes.)

Booker, meanwhile, has voted against every NDAA bill signed into law since 2018, and said that his opposition to this year’s bill remains consistent with his prior votes: the bill includes too much defense spending without enough oversight.

“Once again, the Senate has advanced a National Defense Authorization Act that significantly increases the Pentagon’s spending without ensuring proper oversight, transparency, or accountability into how that money is spent, especially at a moment when the Department of Defense is being politicized under Pete Hegseth’s reign,” Booker said.

Two years

This week marked the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel – and, by extension, two years of deadly conflict in Gaza.

Rep. Gottheimer, among the most pro-Israel Democrats in Congress, introduced a series of bills this week to commemorate that anniversary. One would direct the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to develop an October 7th curriculum in schools; another would give the Congressional Gold Medal to the attack’s American hostages and victims; and a third condemns the attack itself.

“To combat the surging tide of hate and antisemitism in New Jersey and across our country, we must ensure future American generations understand the truth about October 7 and its aftermath,” Gottheimer said of the curriculum bill. “Only by equipping our students and educators with the knowledge of what happened can we hope to stop hate in all forms.”

Shortly after the anniversary, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a deal involving the return of hostages and prisoners on both sides and a potential longer-term end to the conflict. The agreement drew praise from members of both parties, among them Gottheimer, Senator Booker, and Reps. Kean, Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), and Chris Smith (R-Manchester), though only the Republicans thanked Trump by name.

“I join the hostages’ families and friends in rejoicing for the impending release of their loved ones – and all Americans, Israelis, and other victims of Hamas’ atrocities in thanking God for the fulfillment of our prayers,” Smith said. “Through President Trump’s tenacious work, innovative vision, and deal-making talent, we are at phase one of a ceasefire deal. Thank you, Mr. President.”