For generations, America has been a beacon of light for those fleeing the worst regions of darkness. In less than two years, Lady Liberty’s torch has grown dimmer as Donald Trump’s administration shuts our doors to those seeking to become a contributing part of the American experience. What began with a travel ban has morphed into a bureaucratic war of attrition. At every turn, Trump has erected b... Read more »

Text of the article appears below: Pardons are all the talk these days. America hasn’t seen this frequency of pardon discussion since the year President Richard Nixon resigned. President Donald Trump has issued multiple surprise pardons and commutations since taking office. Those who have received clemency have very little in common other than their proximity to celebrity, support of Trump or some... Read more »

Text of the article appears below: Watching the daily deluge of reports of malfeasance oozing from this administration, I become more and more unsettled that Donald Trump wields the power of the pardon. His abusive use of pardons so far, and his allusions of implementing it to protect his allies constitute an unprecedented threat to our democracy. While the Founding Fathers were wary of an execut... Read more »

The Republican tax bill passed into law last year is one of the most reckless pieces of legislation I’ve seen come across my desk in over 20 years in office. It further enriched the wealthy and large corporations even as income inequality continues to threaten the social fabric. It provided minimal tax relief for the middle class. It will explode our nation’s debt for years to come, displacing nee... Read more »

(Column in the LA Times) When President Obama was deciding in 2009 whether to approve a merger between the world's largest concert promoter, Live Nation, and the biggest ticket provider, Ticketmaster, a group of bipartisan lawmakers pleaded with his administration to block the deal. This coalition, which included me, understood that the joint company would strangle competition in live entertainmen... Read more »

Originally published in the Star Ledger. -- The opioid epidemic has cast a pall over our entire nation. Each day, 115 Americans lose their lives from an opioid overdose. The scale of this catastrophe makes it so there are few of us who haven't been touched in some way by addiction and its effects. Since 2002, more Americans have perished each year from overdoses than the year before. The Centers f... Read more »

Link to article: https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/contributors/2018/04/30/opinion-use-tariffs-potential-tool-not-weapon/565805002/ Bill Pascrell, Jr. | Guest Columnist I support taking strong action to halt China’s flouting the rules of the international economy. For too long, our workers and businesses have suffered because of a flood of subsidized, cheap imports from China. The tariffs ... Read more »

The brilliant New Jersey entrepreneur Charles Lazarus died March 22 at age 94. His passing came one week after the company he founded, Toys R Us, announced its liquidation after 70 years in business. Obituaries for both have implied that Toys R Us was a retail relic. Yet the closing of one of the world’s most recognizable brands did not come solely from e-commerce, but also from pillaging by pirat... Read more »

To the Editor: Re “Roster of Stars Lets Live Nation Flex Ticket Muscles, Rivals Say” (front page, April 2): The Obama administration was warned repeatedly that allowing the nation’s largest concert promoter to merge with its largest ticket provider would midwife an octopus that would strangle competition and squeeze consumers. Bipartisan coalitions of which I was a part practically begged regulato... Read more »

Since the passage of their monstrous tax overhaul in Congress, Republicans nationally and in New Jersey have gone into overdrive claiming that the Trump tax law will be a boon for middle-class Americans. It is vital to set the record straight. The Trump tax law will devastate our communities by depriving millions of New Jerseyans of the state and local deductions that they have long enjoyed. In my... Read more »