Picketing in front of a big-dollar fundraiser last night, progressive advocates called on U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wycoff) to stand with his constituents — and not his corporate donors — by supporting President Biden’s Build Back Better Act.

Representatives of five leading progressive advocacy organizations touted the benefits the Build Back Better Act would have for New Jersey residents — from fighting climate change to expanding the Child Tax Credit and increasing coverage for Medicare.

“Rep. Gottheimer has said that he wants to work with President Biden on passing legislation that meets the enormous needs of working families,” said New Jersey Working Families State Director Sue Altman. “Now, it’s time for the congressman to live up to his commitments. We have a historic opportunity to address the threat posed by climate change, fight poverty and expand health care access — all while building a more equitable economy that creates new opportunities for traditionally disadvantaged communities. Rep. Gottheimer must stand with his constituents over the delusions of wealthy donors seeking to shrink or tank this package to avoid paying their fair share.”

The $3.5 trillion proposal represents the centerpiece of the president’s domestic agenda. It would allocate billions of dollars and create millions of well-paying union jobs by investing in clean energy, tackling child poverty and expanding health care to cover more working families.

Gottheimer has emerged as a significant threat to the bill’s passage. In the midst of a narrow Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, he led a group of nine Democratic members of Congress who threatened to tank the entire bill.

Though they eventually backed down, Gottheimer is still reportedly concerned about any final package that would raise taxes on wealthy individuals or large corporations to fund an expansion of the social safety network and invest in addressing environmental hazards.

“Progressives have worked hard to win the two Senate seats last year, because we want Congress to finally pass a pro-worker agenda that centers the needs of communities instead of catering to the interests of the wealthy and well-connected,” said Anna-Marta Visky, Our Revolution Northeast Organizer. “Unfortunately, Representative Josh Gottheimer is hellbent on repeating the mistakes of 2009, the last time when Democrats had the House, Senate and Presidency but failed to deliver for the people. Instead of speaking to the privileged elite at fancy fundraisers about the values of bipartisanship – Josh Gottheimer needs to fight to pass the $3.5 trillion budget bill and ensure that the critical investments in our communities, like health care, child care, paid leave, climate protection are included, not scrapped from the final package.”

“We are asking Congressman Gottheimer to reassess his strategy and not be an obstructionist. Instead of blocking or undermining essential progress, Congressman Gottheimer should do everything he can to advance climate action, ensure environmental justice, and support working families by voting to move the budget reconciliation process forward,” said Buddy Jenssen, Co-Chair of the Sierra Club North Jersey Group. “We are about to pass major climate-centered legislation that is essential for tackling this historic crisis at the speed and scale necessary. Any effort to block or undermine this progress threatens the health and safety of workers and communities nationwide, and is completely at odds with the demands of millions of Americans for immediate and bold climate action.”

“I canvassed and donated and voted for Gottheimer in 2016 and 2018,” said Han Broekman, an organizer for Indivisible NJ-5. “For us to see him turn on the Democratic Party like this is frustrating and misguided. We are here because we want him to follow President Biden.”