Lower Childcare Costs, Utility Bills, and Food Prices for Families
Make Housing and Healthcare More Affordable
West Orange, NJ— Today, at First Mountain Preschool in Essex County, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Democratic candidate for New Jersey Governor, unveiled his “Lower Costs Plan for Jersey” to tackle the rising cost of living for New Jersey families. During his speech, Josh highlighted how expensive New Jersey has become and introduced his plan to lower childcare and utility bills, make housing more affordable, reduce soaring food prices, and cut healthcare expenses—giving hardworking Jersey families the break they need.
Gottheimer is running to be Jersey’s ‘Lower Taxes, Lower Costs’ Governor who will solve our state’s affordability crisis. Earlier this year, he released his ‘Tax Cut Plan for Jersey’ which will cut property taxes by nearly 15 percent, give renters an annual rent rebate, lower income taxes for families and seniors, and incentivize families and businesses to move to Jersey.
“Today, I am releasing my ‘Lower Costs Plan for Jersey.’ As Governor, I will directly take on five of the biggest ticket items our families are facing: childcare, housing, utility bills, food, and healthcare. You can read the plan at Josh4Jersey.com, but let me lay out the major pillars.
“A recent survey indicated that 86 percent of New Jersey residents are either just barely making enough to stay afloat, or for most, they’re falling behind our state’s skyrocketing cost of living. It’s turning the Garden State into the Price Gouged State. The next Governor needs to turn this around, and I’m the only candidate in the race with detailed plans to do that and a proven record of taking on tough fights and getting things done.
“We need someone in Jersey willing to take on high taxes and costs. One of the things that shocked me about President Trump’s address to Congress earlier this week was his total failure to lay out a plan to make your life more affordable. There were no details of how he was going to get your taxes, childcare, or food, including egg prices, down – and folks are struggling more than ever. Nothing about SALT. Even worse, he doubled down on his misguided tariffs which will increase the costs of everything from a car to a laptop to fruit. The bottom line: Trump is failing to deliver on his promise to lower costs for Americans – Jersey: we need to act, and as Governor I will.
“We can do this. We can fight to lower taxes and costs for Jersey families. I’ll get it done. Together, we can make life more affordable for everyone in our great state.”
Josh’s 23-page “Lower Costs Plan” is available HERE and the main points are summarized below. Watch his entire speech HERE.
Lower Childcare Costs
- New Jersey has the second highest childcare costs in the country—that’s not sustainable. Josh will double the state Child Tax Credit from $500 to $1,000, expand eligibility, support child care centers and workers, deliver Universal Pre-K and all-day kindergarten for every kid in Jersey, and make free school meals available for all students.
Lower Utility Bills
- Jersey families already pay 32% more than the national average for household energy, and utility bills are set to get even more expensive this summer. Josh will expand Jersey’s energy supply with an “All-of-the-Above” approach, invest in our grid and energy infrastructure, and provide utility assistance, rebates, and tax credits to lower bills.
Lower the Cost of Housing
- Jersey is short more than 200,000 housing units, which drives up costs. Josh already announced his plan to lower property taxes by 15 percent and provide rental rebates, but there is still more to be done. Josh will make it easier to build more housing that’s affordable by taking a one-stop-shop approach and setting a shot clock on approvals and reviews. He’ll focus on building near mass transit hubs and repurpose abandoned office parks and government-owned land to expand supply.
Lower the Cost of Healthcare
- Jersey families deserve quality, affordable healthcare. Josh’s plan will lower drug prices and reduce insurance costs, helping families afford the care they need. He will defend reproductive rights, fight extremists’ attempts to take away healthcare in Washington, and ensure New Jersey meets the growing care needs of seniors.
Lower the Price of Food
- Egg prices are up nearly 40%, and Donald Trump isn’t living up to his promise to lower costs. Josh’s plan will crack down on price fixing, tackle meat processor monopolies, and expand in-state food production—so Jersey eats the food we grow here and prices go down.
CONGRESSMAN JOSH GOTTHEIMER
REMARKS ON LOWER COSTS PLAN, AS DRAFTED
WEST ORANGE, NJ
March 7, 2025
Thank you all for joining me today. We’re here at a childcare center because nothing is more important than who we entrust to care for our kids – and, for most young families, childcare is a far too expensive basic need. Jersey has the second most expensive childcare in the country – $1,082 dollars a month for an infant — and, as a result, parents often have to choose between going to work or paying for childcare. In Bergen County, on average, childcare costs families more than $17,460 a year — $442 each week. When I’m Governor, we are going to help parents pay those bills.
Unfortunately, childcare bills are just the tip of the iceberg of the crushing costs our families are grappling with – from property and income taxes to utility bills, housing, groceries, and healthcare costs. A recent survey indicated that 86 percent of New Jersey residents are either just barely making enough to stay afloat, or for most, they’re falling behind our state’s skyrocketing cost of living. It’s turning the Garden State into the Price Gouged State. The next Governor needs to turn this around, and I’m the only candidate in the race with detailed plans to do that and a proven record of taking on tough fights and getting things done.
We need someone in Jersey willing to take on high taxes and costs. One of the things that shocked me about President Trump’s address to Congress earlier this week was his total failure to lay out a plan to make your life more affordable. There were no details of how he was going to get your taxes, childcare, or food, including egg prices, down – and folks are struggling more than ever. Nothing about SALT. Even worse, he doubled down on his misguided tariffs which will increase the costs of everything from a car to a laptop to fruit. The bottom line: Trump is failing to deliver on his promise to lower costs for Americans – Jersey: we need to act, and as Governor I will.
Jersey deserves to have a Governor who will get the job done, someone who is a fighter, who will stand up to Trump’s outrageous policies and look out for our families by making our state more affordable.
Last month, I released my “Tax Cut Plan for Jersey,” which included a nearly 15 percent property tax cut for property owners and an annual rental rebate for renters. Income tax cuts for middle class families and seniors, making it easier for folks to raise a family and retire in Jersey. And it will incentivize businesses and jobs to move to our great state, by giving a tax credit for every new job brought to Jersey. My Tax Cut Plan is fully paid for.
Today, I am releasing my “Lower Costs Plan for Jersey.” As Governor, I will directly take on five of the biggest ticket items our families are facing: childcare, housing, utility bills, food, and healthcare. You can read the plan at josh4jersey.com, but let me lay out the major pillars.
Let’s start with what I’ll do to help with childcare costs.
In Congress, I proudly helped negotiate the expansion of the Child Tax Credit to help hardworking families afford childcare, food, and other necessities. I also helped secure a $2.7 billion increase in Head Start funding since taking office, which goes directly to childcare services for low-income families.
As Governor, I’ll help families pay for high-quality childcare for their children. I’ll double the state Child Tax Credit from $500 to $1,000 per child. My “Family Tax Credit” will also cut income taxes for middle class families, putting more dollars in their pockets, including cutting in half income taxes for the hardest-pressed families. I’ll make it easier for childcare centers to open and hire caregivers – right now, they often get stuck in an endless loop of bureaucratic rules and delays. During the pandemic, Jersey lost more than 250 childcare centers and providers, making an ongoing shortage worse. That means we have fewer high-quality childcare centers like this one for our children – and that leads to higher costs for parents.
We need more childcare centers, whether they’re in private buildings, homes, offices, schools, or public areas. I’ll push for zoning reforms to make it easier to find space for daycare centers and give tax credits to employers that provide childcare services. And, I’ll make it easier to find and hire competent and caring workers, while ensuring our children are in safe hands. I’ll also help create public-private partnerships that make it easier for private childcare centers to coordinate with school districts.
As Governor, I’ll make sure Universal Pre-K is truly universal and that all children have access to free school meals. Governor Murphy has done a great job investing in our kids’ success, but we can do even more. Right now, almost half of the state’s school districts offer free, full-day preschool programs. I’m committed to getting Universal Pre-K to every Jersey family that wants it. Every school will have all-day kindergarten. If we invest in our children, it will pay dividends for them and for our economy.
The research is clear: if we aren’t making investments in our children’s education, it’s hard to ever catch up – these steps are good for kids and good for our economy, in the short and long term.
That’s why we are also expanding coverage of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Second, we need to get housing costs down. Housing is usually the largest part of a family’s budget, so lowering the cost to rent or own a home is one of the most important things I’ll do as Governor — and where families will see some of the biggest savings.
As I mentioned, as Governor, I’ll cut property taxes by nearly 15 percent, and will give renters an annual tax credit — a rental rebate — to help lower their cost of housing.
Here’s the other big thing we need to do: Build more housing. We need more supply, especially of workforce and senior housing. New Jersey is short more than 200,000 affordable housing units. It’s basic economics — prices are higher when there is a shortage in supply, so by building more housing, we can lower costs —especially near mass transit and in areas where we have room to build, like abandoned or underutilized office parks. And, we can use surplus land that is owned by states and municipalities to build, too. The Fair Share Housing Center found hundreds of empty parcels owned by the state. Working closely with local communities, which is how we should do all of this, we could use these sites to build senior and workforce housing to help folks afford to move to and retire in Jersey.
But, New Jersey also has obstacles to building that we need to knock down to incentivize building and increase housing supply. Our state is infamous for its red tape and bureaucracy. In Jersey, I’ve heard from builders that it can take five to six years to finish a new housing construction project, from applying for the permits to cutting the grand opening ribbon. I’ll aim to cut development time in half and bring Jersey in line with our competitors.
We’ll do that by creating a One-Stop-Shop for every project, where all the stakeholders come together around a table to share their feedback, discuss the plans, and make adjustments where needed. And, we’ll put a shot clock on the approval process. We need to set a 60-day clock for zoning boards and local governments to put up their objections or approve all requests for constructing new homes. No more delays or games.
Cutting construction and permitting time keeps costs for delays and financing from being passed on to renters and buyers.
Third, we must do everything we can to lower utility bills. We know that utility bills are up across the country as demand for electricity grows, but household bills are especially high in Jersey—already 32% higher than the national average. Apparently, we can expect another electric bill hike this summer. Just last month, the Board of Public Utilities announced that residents and businesses can expect electricity rates to rise by up to 20 percent starting in June—on top of a 16 percent hike on natural gas bills late last year, just in time for winter when folks needed to heat their homes.
The simplest way to bring down the average bill is to produce more energy. As Governor, I’ll take an all-of-the-above energy approach. That means more renewable energy like solar and wind, along with alternative energies like biomass and small nuclear. Producing more energy in our state is key to lowering costs and creating a cleaner future for our kids, and key to economic growth for our state. It means we don’t have to rely on other states to charge us top-dollar for their energy, especially from West Virginia’s coal plants—the dirtiest energy on the planet. I have a 97 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters. I am confident we can meet our energy needs and remain committed to renewables and lower costs. This can be done.
Making more energy will also improve reliability and cut down on outages across the state. That means no more brownouts during the summer when folks rely on A/C to escape a brutal summer day. We also have communities in our state with apartments and offices ready to use but can’t open because we don’t have enough power – that’s here in New Jersey. I’ll work to improve our out-of-date power grid with advanced technologies that modernize our infrastructure and help utilities restore service faster after extreme weather events.
So, what do the specifics of all-of-the-above energy and improving our grid look like? They mean that, as Governor, I’ll provide incentives to increase solar capacity and authorize expansion of modular nuclear facilities. I’ll invest in energy storage and upgrading transmission lines, substations, and other parts of our grid to improve efficiency, security, and reliability. I’ll also expand utility assistance and energy efficiency programs to help families afford and lower their monthly bills.
And, finally, we have to increase accountability and competition. Like our next door neighbors have, I’ll make sure that our regional grid operator, PJM, is working for Jersey families by bringing more supplies online, not screwing us out of our hard-earned tax dollars and delaying needed alternative energy sources. And, don’t forget, this can all be done and invest in climate resilience, including with resources I helped get for Jersey in Congress.
Fourth, we need to do what we can to make food more affordable. Food costs are up under President Trump. Egg prices are 53% higher than a year ago and other grocery costs are rising. What has the President done about it? Nothing. And Trump’s tariffs will add up to $2,000 a year to the average family’s costs – including to food prices. It’s unacceptable. Jersey families need relief—we need a more affordable future, not one where taxes and costs keep going up.
My recipe for taking on high food prices begins by protecting consumers from anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry industries. I’ll take on meat and chicken processor monopolies and encourage new producers to enter the market. And Jersey should produce more food, too! You may not always think of Jersey as a farm state, but we are a top producer of cranberries and blueberries and rank in the top ten nationally for ten other crops. I’ll work with our farmers to increase local food production and create more regional supply chains, so Jersey is eating cheaper and fresher food produced right here in our state.
Finally, we need to bring down costs for healthcare and make high-quality care more accessible for Jersey residents. Jersey is one of the best states when it comes to research and innovation in healthcare and life sciences. But it’s still too hard — and too expensive — for so many folks to get the care they need. More than half of Jersey residents are worried about how they’ll pay for their prescription drugs. And each year, individual healthcare spending is more than $10,500 per person.
As Governor, I’ll make sure pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who are supposed to negotiate lower drug prices, are independent and doing their job effectively. This will help bring down the cost of prescription drugs for patients across Jersey.
I’ll also help meet our seniors’ care needs. My “Tax Cut Plan” will already give seniors a helping hand financially. Today, I’m unveiling additional steps to lower the cost of senior housing and make homes and buildings that seniors live in safer and more suitable for their healthcare requirements.
Next, I’m going to promote health equity and fight the opioid epidemic. I’ve worked hard in Congress to cut down on health disparities, specifically when it comes to the maternal mortality rate—which is way too high, especially for Black women. We’ve made important progress on maternal health, thanks to our state’s First Lady, but we have more to do. I’ll take on this problem as Governor to help improve how everyone can access the care they need, and I’ll fight like hell to stop the far-right from slashing Medicaid and Medicare.
And finally, we need to make sure we are treating mental health care the same as physical health care. I’ll make it easier for people in crisis to get connected with mental health professionals who can help them recover.
My “Lower Costs Plan for Jersey” will make it easier for families to afford childcare, housing, utility bills, groceries, and healthcare. I encourage you to read my full plan, along with my Tax Cut Plan, at Josh4Jersey.com.
I’m sure there will be doubters who say we can’t lower costs for you and your family, either. Here’s my message to them: That’s bullshit. We can lower taxes AND lower costs. Some folks will say that it’s impossible, but I’ve always been one to take on a challenge, to tackle—and solve—a problem. I have a long record of doing that. That’s what I’ll do as Governor. We can do this. We can fight to lower taxes and costs for Jersey families. I’ll get it done. Together, we can make life more affordable for everyone in our great state.
Here in the greatest country in the world, I know if we work together, our best days will always be ahead of us. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless our great country.
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