Joshua Gottheimer

Josh Gottheimer represents New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District in the northernmost part of the state, which includes parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties. He was first sworn in on January 3, 2017, and is now in his third term in office.

In Congress, Gottheimer serves on two Committees, including the House Financial Services Committee, where he is a member of the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee and the Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets Subcommittee. Gottheimer also serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, where he is a member of the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee and the Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee.

In January 2017, Gottheimer was elected Co-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, where he works to bring the group of 29 Democrats and 29 Republicans together across party lines to find areas of agreement on key issues including lowering taxes, cutting health insurance premiums, and improving infrastructure to help the American people. He was re-elected Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus in January 2021.

Just two months into his first term, Gottheimer passed his first amendment in the House, which was later signed into law, to accelerate the hiring of post-9/11 veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Last Congress, Gottheimer was among the top ten Members with the most amendments considered on the House floor.

As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Gottheimer realizes that the safety and security of the nation is at a critical juncture, with rapidly evolving threats from foreign and domestic terrorists, and homegrown violent extremism. He advocated for, and was successful in, the removal of Twitter accounts affiliated with Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Gottheimer is committed to lowering taxes and getting Fifth District residents a better return on the tax dollars they already send to Washington. Last year alone, by working with Fifth District mayors, councils, first responders, and towns, Gottheimer has helped the Fifth District claw back $448 from Washington for every household in the Fifth District — a 108% increase from what the District has historically received. These dollars help first responders protect our communities while offsetting the strain on local budgets and property tax bills.

For his support for pro-growth policies and bipartisan governing, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded Gottheimer its Spirit of Enterprise Award every year he has served, as well as its first ever Jefferson–Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship. For his consistent work on both sides of the aisle and as Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Gottheimer was recognized as the most bipartisan Democrat in the House by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Gottheimer has also received the Jefferson-Lincoln Award from the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Gottheimer has been laser focused on fighting for families, hospitals, small business, frontline workers, and communities to help get the Fifth District the resources it needs.

During the height of the pandemic, Gottheimer was instrumental in leading the Problem Solvers Caucus and a bipartisan group of Senators in writing and passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which provided $908 billion in COVID-19 relief to families, small businesses, and frontline workers.

When COVID-19 hit nursing and veteran homes, Gottheimer was on the frontlines every day meeting with hospitals, doctors, nurses, and officials. Gottheimer was able to secure National Guard members, medical strike teams, emergency funding, and other resources for long-term care facilities in the Fifth District.

Beyond the pandemic, Gottheimer is continuing to work hard to ensure North Jersey families are safe and healthy. Since 2017, Gottheimer has worked with stakeholders and leaders on every level to ensure that Fifth District students and communities have access to lead-free clean drinking water, especially in schools. In 2019, Gottheimer was critical in implementing the State of New Jersey’s new online database that provides parents and communities with easy-to-access and up-to-date information on dangerous lead water in their children’s schools.

Gottheimer is continuing to protect the environment by fighting the illicit dumping of waste and toxic materials, including working closely with local leaders to combat the Vernon Dirt Pile and illegal dumpers.

Gottheimer has also been dedicated to combating antisemitism, strengthening the historic U.S.-Israel relationship, and securing passage of bipartisan language reaffirming the Obama-Biden Administration’s ten year U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Gottheimer was raised in North Caldwell, the son of a preschool teacher and a small business owner. Growing up, Gottheimer worked in his father's store and, like your average New Jersey kid, treasured summer vacations at the Jersey Shore. His first concert was at the Meadowlands to see the one and only Bruce Springsteen!

Gottheimer graduated from West Essex High School before attending the University of Pennsylvania, later becoming a Thouron Fellow at Oxford, and then paid his way through Harvard Law School.

After finishing college, Gottheimer went on to work in the Clinton White House as one of the youngest presidential speechwriters in history. Gottheimer wrote speeches on topics ranging from the global economy to technology and innovation to combating crime; he also helped draft two State of the Union Addresses.

After leaving the White House, Gottheimer worked at the Ford Motor Company, where he helped rebuild the iconic auto company’s image and worked on the first American hybrid. Gottheimer was also a Senior Advisor to the Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and published the book “Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches.”

Gottheimer later served as Senior Counselor to the Chairman at the Federal Communications Commission. During his tenure, he was the first Director of Office of Public-Private Initiatives, partnering with private companies to break through roadblocks and solve national problems. These partnerships saved taxpayers money while helping law enforcement, boosting digital education, and creating jobs. Gottheimer worked on cybersecurity, broadband adoption, combating cell phone theft, creating a new public safety emergency alert system, and expanding wireless spectrum. Gottheimer used that experience to help create a nonprofit, JerseyOn, that has expanded access to high-speed internet for low-income New Jersey students to help them compete in the 21st Century economy.

Before running for Congress, Gottheimer worked at Microsoft as General Manager for Corporate Strategy, where he focused on the company’s expansion into the cloud, e-commerce, and privacy. He was also a member of both the Ridgewood and New Jersey Chambers of Commerce, the Rutgers Business School Advisory Board, and was a visiting fellow at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology. He also taught history at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gottheimer’s approach to public service is rooted in his experience in both the public and private sectors. During his time working with President Clinton, Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Senator Frank Lautenberg, and Speaker Thomas Foley, he saw that, by seeking common ground, it’s possible to find a bipartisan path forward without compromising your core values. Gottheimer firmly believes that it doesn’t matter if an idea comes from the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle, only whether it will help the communities and people of the Fifth District.

Gottheimer now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben.