RELEASE: Gottheimer Honors Veterans at Fort Lee’s Veterans Day Ceremony

Above: Gottheimer honoring Veterans Day in Fort Lee.

FORT LEE, NJ - Today, November 11, 2025, U.S. Congressman Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined Fort Lee's Veterans Day ceremony at VFW Cairola-Barber Post 2342, honored all those who have served and sacrificed for our nation, and advocated for better care for North Jersey's veterans.

Video of Gottheimer's remarks can be found here.

"For me, there is nothing more important in this job than my responsibility to always have the backs of those who have had ours," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). "To all our service members and veterans, thank you for putting your lives on the line to defend our freedom, our families, and the greatest democracy the world has ever known. And we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and bless their families. Our country wouldn't be here today without those who have served, allowing us to salute and honor our flag."

Gottheimer was joined today by Bergen County Commissioner Joan Voss, Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, Fort Lee Councilman Harvey Sohmer, Fort Lee Councilman Joseph Cervieri, Councilman Peter Suh, Councilman Paul Yoon, Councilman Bryan Drumgoole, VFW Cairola-Barber Post 2342 Commander Toni Lione, 99-year-old Battle of the Bulge veteran Augie Caccavone, local veterans, and members of the community.

Gottheimer's Recent Work to Get the Backs of North Jersey's Veterans:

• Renaming the Sussex VA Clinic in Honor of Tony Gallopo: This week, Gottheimer introduced new bipartisan legislation to rename the Sussex County VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Newton as the "Anthony J. 'Tony' Gallopo Veterans Affairs Clinic." The bill is co-led by Air Force veteran Rep. Herb Conaway (NJ-3), cosponsored by the entire New Jersey House delegation, and endorsed by the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

• Improving Childcare Access for Veterans and their Families: This week, Gottheimer announced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-2) to require the U.S. Dept. of Education and the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs to study the childcare services available to veterans and their families, identify gaps, and recommend solutions to address workforce shortages at child development centers and high childcare costs.
  • Each service branch currently has thousands of vacancies at their child development centers - the Dept. of the Army has 7,000 open childcare jobs and the Dept. of the Navy has nearly 4,000 vacancies. Fewer childcare providers drives up the costs of childcare.

• Protecting Veterans' Benefits from Rising Costs: This week, Gottheimer also announced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Don Bacon (NE-2) to permanently tie veterans' benefits to cost-of-living increases, ensuring that veterans and their families never see their hard-earned benefits impacted by rising costs.

• A "Support Our Veterans Strategy" to Improve Services for Veterans: Earlier this year, Gottheimer unveiled a "Support Our Veterans Strategy," which includes legislation to streamline the VA benefits appeals process, to connect service members and their families with nutrition assistance programs including SNAP and WIC during the transition to civilian life, to require a resident advocate at every veterans home, and to give veterans greater eligibility for housing through the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.

Below: Gottheimer and North Jersey veterans honor Veterans Day at VFW Cairola-Barber Post 2342 in Fort Lee.

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