Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the 11th Congressional District of New Jersey in November 1994, Rodney Frelinghuysen is now serving his fifth term in Congress. The 11th Congressional District includes all of Morris County and portions of Essex, Passaic, Somerset, and Sussex Counties. Rep. Frelinghuysen serves on the powerful Appropriations Committee including three of its most important subcommittees: Defense; Energy and Water; and the District of Columbia, of which he is the Chairman. In this role, Rep. Frelinghuysen has authority and oversight of virtually all defense and domestic activities of the federal government, most notably the Departments of Defense, Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, NASA, NSF, NIH, as well as many others.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rodney Frelinghuysen served in the New Jersey State Assembly for 11 years, where he served as Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee from 1988-1989, and was a 3-term member of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1974 to 1983, serving as Director in 1980. After graduating from Hobart College in 1969, Rep. Frelinghuysen served in the U.S. Army in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam in the 93rd Engineering Battalion (Const.). He was honorably discharged in 1971. He is a Member of the American Legion Post 59, Morristown, NJ, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3401, Morris Plains, NJ, and a patron Member of the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S., Post 213.

Rodney Frelinghuysen and his wife, Virginia, reside in Harding, New Jersey, with their two children. He was born on April 29, 1946. He is active in a wide variety of private charities and organizations.

A Stronger Homeland Defense
The tragedy of September 11 affected our communities in so many ways, from those who lost loved ones to the remarkable bravery of our local first responders who spent months at Ground Zero assisting in every way they could. To ensure that New Jersey’s safety and security needs continue to be addressed, Congressman Frelinghuysen secured $34 million to enhance the overall security and preparedness level against acts of terrorism in our high density, high threat areas including much of the 11th Congressional District.

To protect New Jersey’s hundreds of thousands of mass transit riders from the dangers and threats of terrorism, Rep. Frelinghuysen successfully pressed for and secured nearly $2.8 million for NJ Transit to establish stronger security measures.

To ensure our local communities are safe, Rep. Frelinghuysen secured $55 million dollars in Homeland Security Grants - much of which went directly to local municipalities for first responder equipment, personnel and training. Two years before the events of September 11, Congressman Frelinghuysen led the initiative to establish New Jersey’s Center for Biodefense at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. Since then, he has secured $12.6 million to expand the mission of the Center and enhance biodefense research.

Sustained Economic Growth and Job Creation
Congressman Frelinghuysen understands that sustained economic growth begins with providing every tax-paying New Jerseyan with more money in their paycheck. Recognizing that tax relief is synonymous with job creation, Congressman Frelinghuysen continues to support and advance policies, including making tax relief permanent, eliminating the marriage penalty tax, increasing the child tax credit and eliminating the death tax to ensure that every person looking for a job can find one. In fact, these economic growth policies have helped put New Jersey at the forefront of job growth - creating 60,000 jobs in New Jersey over the past year.

Victory in the War on Terrorism
As a veteran of the Vietnam War and New Jersey’s only member of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, Congressman Frelinghuysen remains a leader in strengthening our military and helping the young men and women in our Armed Forces win the war on terrorism. From keeping our troops well-equipped and well-trained to ensuring that New Jersey’s military bases, especially Picatinny Arsenal, continue to support our national defense, Congressman Frelinghuysen is taking decisive action to keep America safe and advance freedom across the globe. A trip to Iraq and Afghanistan last year provided the Congressman with an opportunity to thank our troops for their service and review our progress in War on Terrorism firsthand.

A Better Quality of Life for Our Families
A strong family starts with providing a quality education to every child. Through increased resources for our classrooms and a greater emphasis on local control, Congressman Frelinghuysen continues to ensure that our schools and teachers remain among the best in the nation and every child is given the ability to learn and succeed. For the safety of our children, Congressman Frelinghuysen strongly supported a National Amber Alert system and stiffer penalties for sex offenders and child abductors. And by keeping a promise to our senior citizens, Congressman Frelinghuysen is helping to provide greater access to more affordable healthcare and cheaper prescription drugs. During consideration of the new Medicare modernization law, Congressman Frelinghuysen secured nearly $4 billion in savings to strengthen and expand New Jersey’s Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled Program (PAAD), one of the most comprehensive drug savings programs for our seniors.

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