U.S. Representative Tom Kean Jr., (R-7th District) under fire recently for his limited interactions with the media, discussed a variety of issues – including his efforts to benefit New Jersey and actions the nation is taking across the globe – in a recent 20-minute interview with ROI-NJ.
Kean on Israel, Ukraine
Representative Tom Kean Jr. offers his thoughts on U.S. policy in Israel and Ukraine.
Read it here.
No questions were off limits, including those that asked about a recent video that showed him ignoring questions from a reporter covering the N.J. Congressional delegation.
“It’s extraordinarily important that I have a strong relationship with the press,” Kean told ROI-NJ. “But I do have a long-standing policy that when we’re on government property and when I’m on my constituents’ time, I don’t do hallway interviews.”
Kean is quite familiar with the press. He is finishing his first term in Congress, but he previously served in the N.J. State Senate for 20 years – after serving one two-year term in the General Assembly.
Kean said his top concern throughout his political life has been to communicate with his constituents directly – something he said he does in town halls and through email and video distributions.
“I take the responsibility to engage with my constituents very seriously,” he said. “Every single poll that we have conducted has shown that my constituents dramatically prefer us coming to them, whether it’s through the ease of a town hall, by telephone or me coming to their events.”
Kean said his staff sends out a weekly newsletter on Saturday and video messages on ‘Tuesdays with Tom.’
“It is extraordinarily important that I’m talking directly with my constituents and learning from my constituents in every venue possible,” he said. “We’ve answered thousands of emails in the last year and a half.”
Kean is a member of House committee on Foreign Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, and the committee on Science, Space and Technology. He also is on numerous caucuses, including the Problem Solvers Caucus, and the SALT Caucus (where he serves as vice chair).
ROI-NJ asked numerous questions about those roles. We present them in a question-and-answer format, with Kean’s responses edited slightly for readability.
ROI-NJ: Let’s start with the SALT deduction, specifically, efforts to get rid of the $10,000 deduction limit that has hampered N.J. taxpayers since 2017. Everyone in the N.J. delegation is working toward repealing this, tell us about your efforts?
Tom Kean: I’m a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and I’m also the vice chair of the SALT Caucus in the House. I’m working to build support on a regional basis, as well as a bipartisan basis, for full SALT restoration.
It was an unfair tax increase on New Jersey when it was first implemented a couple of years ago. I opposed the removal of that deduction then and I oppose it now. That’s why, earlier this year, I voted against the tax package because it did not include the SALT restoration in the bill.
We need to continue to fight for affordability in New Jersey, and I am leading the fight to make sure we get a full SALT restoration.
ROI: Let’s turn to your work on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee. In New Jersey, that starts with the Gateway Tunnel and N.J. Transit but includes so much more. What are your thoughts here?
TK: This is an infrastructure and innovation district and state – and we need to make sure that the Gateway Tunnel project, which I’ve long supported in the state legislature and now on a federal level, gets all the funding it needs.
We also need to make sure that we hold Amtrak and New Jersey Transit accountable. We need to make sure they’re far more transparent and more responsive to the people and ridership. The inefficiency that is occurring now is impacting people’s time, whether it’s at work or with their families.
Kean on Republican politics
Representative Tom Kean Jr. somewhat sidestepped questions on other Republican candidates. He said he “supports” former president Donald Trump’s bid to return to the Oval Office this fall, but he declined to say if he would endorse a specific Republican attempting to earn the gubernatorial nomination for the 2025 election. Instead, he made a blanket statement.
“The state of the Republican Party in New Jersey is strong,” he said. “We have great candidates up and down the ballot.
“My focus right now is on the constituents within the 7th Congressional district, those 95 towns and six counties, and answering their needs and their concerns. I will continue to focus on the policies that are important to the people of New Jersey, which is affordability, energy independence, having the backs of the police officers and making sure that we have public safety in our communities.”
I have led the way to make sure that we have held New Jersey Transit and Amtrak accountable when there was not only a communications failure, but also a technology failure. And I am focused on making sure we have resources being dedicated to the Northeast corridor.
ROI: Water infrastructure is another area of great impact – but one that perhaps does not get as much attention as it should, since its pipes are underground. Give us your thoughts here?
TK: This is an important part of the infrastructure solution for New Jersey. That’s why, in the last appropriation year, I got a million and a half dollars for lead pipe restoration in Rahway, as well as money to ensure we improve sewers in other areas of the district, including Berkeley Heights.
We have to make sure that when we remove the lead pipes and put in new pipelines that we have proper waste flow. And we have to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure that the flood controls built into projects are authorized and completed.
ROI: You have been a strong supporter of public safety. Talk about that commitment?
TK: We need to support the police. I have a long record in the state, and now at the federal level, in supporting police. Every single police union has endorsed me in this race (he’s facing Sue Altman in November). They all supported me because they know that I have their backs and I will give them the tools, whether it’s from policies and laws or aid from the federal government, to help them get the radios, vehicles and new buildings they need to better protect our communities.
ROI: You’ve also been outspoken about border security.
TK: I voted for the strongest border security policy in the history of the House of Representatives. That bill would make sure that we secure our southern border and don’t have the 10 million illegal and unvetted migrants that have crossed the border in last couple of years.
ROI: And, finally, you’ve long been a supporter of firefighters, having worked as volunteer earlier in your life. You co-sponsored the Fire Grants and Safety Act, which will make hundreds of millions in grants available to firehouses in the next five years. How important was that?
TK: Very important. We authorized the resources necessary to help make sure they can get the equipment they need to protect our communities. It’s important to note that it passed the House on a bipartisan basis and (overwhelmingly) passed on the Senate side. I was proud to be in the Oval Office when President Biden signed it into law.
