The nascent Veterans for Garrett group believes the Congressman voted for Zadroga reauthorization. He didn't. Watch video
Congressman Scott Garrett (R-5th) has developed a curious habit of taking bows for his failures in judgment, which is an opponent's dream come true.
His campaign has formed a nine-member veterans group that debuted by listing Garrett's achievements on a press release, the last one being, "On behalf of the first responders suffering from medical conditions related to the September 11th terrorist attacks, Scott Garrett is a proud co-sponsor of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act."
Not so much. Roughly 75,000 people - 5,000 from New Jersey - are getting the health care and family comfort they deserve, but Garrett didn't exactly approve of it.
The Act expired in 2015, and Garrett was one of the few to vote against extending it, calling it "bloated" legislation. He and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.) were the only members of the New Jersey delegation to side against the rescue workers and their families.
In the first fight for this bill in 2010, Garrett voted against it twice, before caving to political pressure and voting yes on the final version. But why did he vote twice against it even then? Why was he the only New Jersey member of Congress who failed to see the need for this, after we knew that tens of thousands of our neighbors inhaled asbestos, benzene, and mercury and more than a thousand other toxins?
So right on cue, Garrett opponent Josh Gottheimer rolled out an ad Thursday that featured the father of the late James Zadroga - the NYPD homicide detective from New Jersey - who accuses Garrett for "turning his back on 9/11 responders."
Fair game. Votes should have consequences, and Garrett has cast too many bad ones.
In fact, it's curious that this new veterans group overlooked Garrett's vote against a veterans' healthcare fund in 2008 that passed by a 370-58 landslide.
But it's worse to give Garrett credit for something he didn't do - an insult to surviving parents like Joe Zadroga, the former North Arlington police chief, and the 960 enrollees from the congressman's district.
And Garrett didn't correct the record - probably out of habit.
Garrett: a champion of fiction, not disaster relief | Editorial
During the 2014 campaign, when Hurricane Sandy was still an open wound, he sent around a mailer that included photos of him wearing a work shirt and boots, with the claim that he was "leading the effort in Washington to ensure the federal funds we needed were available quickly."
Again, he is lying.
After Sandy struck, Garrett was the only member of the delegation who refused to sign a letter imploring then-Speaker John Boehner to act promptly to provide federal funds, and he initially balked at supporting the aid package.
But that's Garrett: He even voted against Katrina relief.
Ultimately, he made the Sandy vote that mattered, but then he jumped back in line with the Tea Party to demand cost offsets.
Two tragedies, two examples of dereliction of duty.
As another 9/11 anniversary passes, it remains a developing story in the field of health and a test of our government's ability to demonstrate that it prioritizes humanity. And one of our elected leaders seems to fail that test far too often.
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