Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen's Remarks at the Kickoff of his Re-election Campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives
March 29, 2008

Thank you all for being here today, and especially for your support and friendship over the years!

Today, I am announcing that I am seeking re-election to serve as your Member of Congress. It is a job I love and each and every day, I work hard to be worthy of your trust and continued support. I am asking for your support again today and for your vote this November.

I do want to speak briefly about some of the very serious issues facing our country, but before I do, may I ask that we first recognize the men and women in our military who are this day serving in harm's way and especially to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And, as you have often heard me say, we all live in the greatest country on the face of the earth thanks to those who serve in uniform.

First, this upcoming election has everything to do with the future -- our future, our children's future, our country's future. And it is great to see -- all across the country -- so many Americans re-engaged and newly engaged in our political process.

We face serious challenges in our immediate future. Here at home, there are real anxieties about the soundness of our financial markets and housing markets, and higher gas and oil prices.

First and foremost, our citizens want Republicans and Democrats to work together to address these challenges.

Yet, during these uncertain times, I want to make sure parents are able to take care of their families by keeping more of their earnings and that businesses are able to reinvest and create new jobs. I believe that people are overtaxed now especially, New Jerseyans! I will continue my fight against any plans to raise your taxes!

And, we need to recognize that our economic and security challenges are not just domestic, they are global. To secure our economic future for the next generation, we need to prepare our children to compete in the global economy. As many of you know, I try to visit students in their classrooms each week and see the great work our teachers are doing, but most importantly to promote the teaching of more math and sciences!

In my role as the Ranking Member on the Commerce, Justice & Science Subcommittee, I am also working in the near-term to provide greater investments in basic science research to foster the next generation of U.S. innovation, as well as to advance trade agreements to open up more markets for U.S. goods and services.

Domestic security also impacts our economy. We need to stay vigilant in keeping our communities safe, and that includes reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) so that our intelligence community can detect threats before they reach our shores. And it's long overdue that we secured our borders, which is why I'm working on a bipartisan plan with Democrat Heath Shuler to force a Floor vote to finally make border security a reality, not just an overdue promise.

And let us make no mistake: we remain a nation at war. Every American wants our troop's service in Iraq and Afghanistan to be as safe and as short a duration as possible. I work towards this goal everyday but I remain equally focused on ensuring the success of our mission.

As part of my job serving on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I have the opportunity to hear from our military leaders each week on their assessments from the field. And I spend my time visiting and talking with our troops at our military bases here in the U.S. and abroad, so I can evaluate the needs of our service men and women firsthand. They are proud of their work, both military and humanitarian, whether they are regular, Guard or Reserve and they are all volunteers.

As a Vietnam Veteran myself, I know the seriousness of war and the very real sacrifice being made by our troops and their families. It is also how I best know our nominee for President, John McCain.

With John McCain as our nominee, we as Republicans will demonstrate again our commitment to fiscal discipline and to common sense, straight talk solutions. We need strong and experienced leadership to keep America strong and secure, and to maintain and advance pro-growth policies that will strengthen our economy at home and secure our leadership in the global economy.

In the coming months, I will be out there knocking on doors, talking to our friends and neighbors, and listening to the voters. That's how we will make sure that our entire ticket from President on down to our municipal officials will be victorious in November.

So, let me thank you all again. I am honored to serve you and all the people of this great district. I never take your support for granted and I work hard everyday to honor the trust you put in me. God bless you and God bless our great country.