RELEASE: On Anniversary of January 6 Capitol Attack, Gottheimer Announces $1 Million Federal Investment Clawed Back for Local Law Enforcement

Above: Gottheimer joins local leaders and law enforcement to announce $1 million clawed back from the federal government for the Wyckoff Police Department.

WYCKOFF, NJ - Today, January 6, 2026, on the fifth anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced a new $1,015,000 federal investment clawed back for the Wyckoff Police Department to renovate and expand the department's facility, strengthening public safety while delivering real property tax relief for local families. Five officers lost their lives in the wake of the attack.

The federal investment Gottheimer secured for the Wyckoff Police Department will support a full renovation of the existing police department space, including a second-floor addition, modernizing this facility to equip Wyckoff with state-of-the-art capabilities and infrastructure for better public safety, training, and response. It means updated and improved working conditions for the officers, for the latest training and cutting-edge technology, and room to grow and adapt as challenges evolve.

By clawing back more federal dollars to North Jersey communities and first responders, Gottheimer is helping lift significant costs off of local town budgets and helping provide critical tax relief to North Jersey residents on their property taxes.

Video of Gottheimer's announcement can be found here.

"Five years ago today, I was in the House Chamber when violent extremists attacked our Capitol and brutally assaulted law enforcement officers defending our democracy," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Co-Chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus. "On this solemn anniversary, this investment sends a clear message: we must always get the backs of those who get ours. By clawing back more than $1 million of federal tax dollars to Wyckoff, we're giving our officers the modern facility they need to keep families safe, honoring the sacrifices of law enforcement, and delivering real tax relief to Jersey families."

The investment will also support long-term operational efficiency by allowing the department to better adapt to future challenges, integrate new technologies, and enhance coordination during emergencies - helping ensure faster response times and improved service for Wyckoff residents.

These new federal investments build on Gottheimer's years-long work to claw more federal dollars back to North Jersey from Washington. Gottheimer worked with Fifth District mayors, councils, first responders, and towns to help claw back $750 per household from Washington in 2021 alone - a 357% increase from what the District historically received.

Since 2016, Gottheimer has helped claw back more than $460,000 in Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) equipment for the Wyckoff Police Department and $89,000 for the Wyckoff Fire Department for protective equipment from the American Rescue Plan Firefighter Grant.

Gottheimer was joined today by Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton, Wyckoff Mayor Roger Lane, Committee Member Rudy Boonstra, Committee Member Mae Bogdansky, Committee Member Peter Melchionne, Committee Member Jim Schappert, Police Chief Dave Murphy, Wyckoff PBA Local 261 President Mike Scalise, Wyckoff PBA Delegate Bill Christopher, and local law enforcement.

Below: Gottheimer joins local leaders and law enforcement to announce $1 million clawed back from the federal government for the Wyckoff Police Department.

Gottheimer's full remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

It is great to be here in Wyckoff, my old hometown, where my kids went to school, and where I have so many positive memories. It's a community that defines what Jersey Values are all about.

I want to start by thanking Mayor Roger Lane for his leadership, his partnership, and his relentless advocacy for the people of this town. I also want to thank our Township Committee. I think then-Mayor Rudy Boonstra and I first sat down with Township Administrator Matt Cavallo three or four years ago to discuss how we could claw more dollars back from Washington.

I knew that if we worked together, we could do it - and today, working with Mayor Lane and the Township Committee, is proof of that. I also want to thank my friend, Chief Murphy, who does an outstanding job, and Wyckoff PBA Local 261 President Scalise and the PBA delegates, and all the men and women of the Wyckoff Police Department and all of our first responders who are here today. They are great public servants and do a phenomenal job of protecting the families here and across our state. They were key to making today happen.

Let me be very clear: we are here because of you. We must always get your backs.

I also want to start by recognizing a solemn day today for our country: the five-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. I was there, in the House of Representative Chambers, and I saw with my own eyes lawless thugs attack our beacon of freedom. Just feet from me, these thugs attacked brave law enforcement officers - they beat them with American flag poles. Several police officers tragically died in the aftermath. We must never let that happen again in our great country.

You all know the meaning of sacrifice better than most. Every single day, when the rest of us are heading to work, dropping off our kids at school, or sitting down to dinner with our families, you are putting on the uniform, answering the call, and standing between our families and danger. You run toward danger when others run away. You keep our streets safe from criminals and terrorists, our neighborhoods secure, and our community strong by building good relationships - and I have your back, because you always have ours.

Today, I am proud to announce $1,015,000 in federal resources that, by working together, we've clawed back from Washington for the families of Wyckoff to upgrade and expand the Wyckoff Police Department facility here in the municipal building. That's more than one million of your federal tax dollars clawed back from Washington to the Fifth District - real dollars coming home to Jersey, where they belong.

This significant investment will support a full renovation of the existing police department space, including a second-floor addition, modernizing this facility to equip Wyckoff with state-of-the-art capabilities and infrastructure for better public safety, training, and response. It means updated and improved working conditions for the officers, for the latest training and cutting-edge technology, and room to grow and adapt as challenges evolve. Most importantly, it means a safer Wyckoff. The current facility fails to meet modern safety, efficiency, and accessibility guidelines. Renovating and expanding this space is not a luxury - it is a necessity.

These resources will not only make our families safer, but they will also save our taxpayers a small fortune. The federal government spends money every single year - your federal taxpayer dollars - on investments in law enforcement. They go somewhere - why shouldn't they go to Jersey? Why shouldn't we get the return on investment? If we don't apply for these grants and directed funding dollars, then they go to other states to help their families - states that I affectionately call Moocher States.

In Jersey, we've historically gotten back far less than we send to Washington. Moocher States like Mississippi and Alabama - they got millions in grants to help pay for police cars, fire trucks, and equipment for first responders. This helped them offset town budgets, and to - in turn - lower their state and local taxes. In fact, for every dollar Mississippi and West Virginia sent to Washington, they have historically gotten $4.38 and $4.23 back. While Jersey historically has received only about 67 cents for every dollar we send to Washington.

As my dad always said to me, if you don't ask, you don't get. Since 2016, since I've been in office, we are up 357 percent in the federal tax dollars that we've clawed back to North Jersey from Washington, helping to keep the Fifth District safe - that's an average of $750 per family. That means lower taxes for everyone across in the Fifth Congressional District. When we get our taxes down, we make life more affordable for Jersey families - and, whether that's lower taxes, more affordable health care and childcare, or lower energy bills, that's critical and something I've always fought for.

Well, working together, in Wyckoff, we asked. We fought and pushed for these dollars back from Washington. And they're coming here - not to the Moochers in Mississippi or West Virginia. And now the taxpayers here in Jersey will save on your property taxes, because the town won't have to pay for this project all from your local taxes. They have more than a million dollars from the federal government. That's a real tax cut for all Wyckoff families - and I'm thrilled to have brought that home working with your mayor, township committee and administrator, and police department.

As Co-Chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus, I know that safe communities do not happen by accident. They happen because we make smart investments, because we respect the men and women who serve, and because we refuse to let bureaucratic nonsense stand in the way of protecting our towns.

Too often in Washington, common sense gets lost. But here in Jersey, we know better. We know that strong public safety and strong communities go hand in hand. We know you cannot ask officers to do more with less and expect good results. And we know that investing in local police departments is one of the smartest, most responsible things we can do.

That's why, in Washington, I'm leading the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act, which will provide vital funds to small and midsize police departments for recruitment, retention, training, and officer support. I'm continuing to fight to get it fully passed in Congress and signed into law. Since I came to Congress, I have clawed back $16 million in funding for COPS grants, which enhance officer safety and promote effective policing. And this year, I worked with my colleagues to secure a nearly $400 million increase for COPS grants, which will support more police officers and more departments. I helped lead the Protect and Serve Act, which goes after those who target law enforcement, I supported the Thin Blue Line Act, which gives the death penalty to cop killers, the Never Forget Our Heroes Act which helps 9/11 victims and their families, and the bulletproof vest bill.

I have been crystal clear since my first day in Congress: getting the backs of those who get ours is not negotiable.

If you want to make something better, you don't get there by cutting or defunding. You need to make smart, targeted investments. You must invest, not defund.

Today's announcement builds on federal dollars we've already clawed back to Wyckoff, including more than $460,000 in Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) dollars while I've been in office: for safety equipment, an unmanned vehicle ground drone, an air bag lift system, two ATVs, a generator, and medical supplies. And for our firefighters, we've clawed back $89,000 for the Wyckoff Fire Department while I've been in office, for supplies to keep them protected.

This new project will ensure that the Wyckoff Police Department has a facility that matches the professionalism, dedication, and excellence of the officers who serve here. I know that when you have the right tools and the right environment, you can continue to do what they do best: protect and serve.

Finally, keeping our communities safe is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue - it's a good for Jersey issue. There's nothing partisan about it. It's about protecting kids walking to school, seniors feeling safe in their homes, small businesses being able to open their doors without concern, and making sure that when someone dials 911, help is on the way - fast. When we work together - local leaders, law enforcement, and in Congress - we can deliver real results and solve problems for the people we serve.

That is why I will continue fighting to claw back federal resources for police departments, fire departments, and emergency responders across Northern New Jersey.

And I will always stand with our first responders.

Wyckoff is a special place. It is a town built on community, responsibility, and looking out for one another.

To the officers standing with me today: thank you again for what you do, thank you for your professionalism, thank you for your courage, and thank you for choosing to serve our state and community.

Today is about more than bricks and mortar. It's about protecting you, our families, and our Jersey Values.

If we keep working together, keep investing smartly, working to lower taxes, and keep getting the backs of our law enforcement and first responders, I know this: here in Wyckoff, in the Fifth District, and in the greatest country in the world - our best days will always be ahead of us.

God bless you, God bless our first responders, and God bless the United States of America.

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