Zach Beecher

What public transit options are available to you from your New Jersey residence, and do you regularly use any of these services?

I live in Morristown with my wife and son, so the NJ Transit Morris & Essex Line is our primary link to New York and the broader region. My parents raised me in Randolph, and it’s the same line I grew up riding. Like many neighbors, I see the train station not just as a stop, but as a lifeline for our local economy and property values. While my campaign schedule keeps me on the road across the district constantly, my family and I rely on the train for trips into the city, and I am acutely aware of the delays and service interruptions that frustrate daily commuters.

What is your impression of how well public transit serves NJ-11?

It is a vital but fragile system. NJ-11 is a commuter-heavy district that powers the regional economy, yet our riders are essentially operating on infrastructure that dates back to the early 20th century. While our NJ Transit bus and rail operators work incredibly hard, they are let down by decades of deferred maintenance and funding battles. For too many residents in Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, transit is currently defined by unreliability—cancelled trains, late buses, and outdated stations. We need a system that moves at the speed of our lives, not one that holds us back.

What role do you believe the federal government could and should play to fund transit needs in NJ-11?

The federal government must be a strategic partner, not an obstacle. Transit in the Northeast Corridor is a matter of national economic security. The federal government should provide robust capital investment grants (CIG) for major infrastructure projects like Gateway, while also supporting operational reliability. We cannot expect New Jersey taxpayers to shoulder the entire burden of maintaining a corridor that generates 20% of the nation's GDP. As your Representative, I will fight to ensure that federal dollars flow back to New Jersey to modernize our signals, rolling stock, and stations.

How would you partner with other organizations, elected officials, and stakeholders to drive regional improvements and inter-agency cooperation?

In the Army, I learned that you cannot complete a mission in a silo. Success requires coordination, clear communication, and shared objectives. I will bring that same "mission-first" approach to Congress. I will convene a regional transit task force that brings together local mayors, county commissioners, NJ Transit leadership, and rider advocacy groups like ROUTE and the Sierra Club. We need a unified front to lobby for federal funds and to hold agencies accountable. I believe in cutting through bureaucracy to deliver results—what I call "innovation at the speed of battle."

Train riders in NJ-11 rely on Amtrak-owned infrastructure. What Amtrak funding would you prioritize to improve the experience for New Jersey train riders?

I would prioritize funding specifically designated for the state-of-good-repair backlog on the Northeast Corridor. This includes urgent upgrades to the overhead catenary power wires and signal systems that frequently fail and cause cascading delays for NJ Transit commuters.

Crucially, we must confront the elephant in the room: the Trump Administration’s disastrous stoppage of funding for the Gateway Program. It is reckless to hold New Jersey commuters hostage for political leverage. I will fight to override these executive roadblocks and secure ring-fenced appropriations for the Hudson Tunnel and Portal North Bridge, ensuring that Amtrak has the guaranteed resources to proceed despite the White House's active attempts to starve this essential project.

New York City’s congestion pricing program has achieved an 11% reduction in auto traffic into New York City, but is still under attack by the Trump administration. a) Do you oppose the Administration’s attempts to punish NYC for imposing the congestion pricing fee? b) Do you support requiring NYC to share some of the funds raised by the program with NJ to help improve bus and train service between NY and NJ, so that more NJ commuters can avoid the congestion pricing fees?

I cannot support the current Congestion Pricing plan because it treats New Jersey commuters as a piggy bank to fix New York’s mismanagement of the MTA. It is effectively a double-tax on my constituents who already pay high tolls. If New York really wants to get serious about reducing traffic, the solution must provide funding not just to New York subways, but to NJ Transit and PATH to provide the reliable alternatives that actually allow people to leave their cars at home.

President Trump has vowed to cancel federal funding for the Gateway Rail Tunnel project, which is needed to preserve commuter rail traffic between NJ and NYC. What is your view of the project? What approaches should be considered to ensure the continuation of the project?

The Gateway Tunnel is the single most critical infrastructure project in the United States. Canceling it is an act of economic sabotage against New Jersey and the national economy. My view is simple: Build it.

To ensure its continuation despite Trump Executive Branch hostility, Congress must exercise its "power of the purse." I will work to write specific, ring-fenced appropriations for Gateway into federal law that the President cannot impound or redirect. We must also strengthen the partnership with the private sector and the states of NY and NJ to "Trump-proof" the funding mechanisms, ensuring the project moves forward regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

New Jersey is seeking federal funding to extend the Bergen/Hudson Light Rail system to Englewood and the south Jersey River Line Light Rail System to Glassboro. What factors should be considered for funding projects like this? How would you approach advancing transit expansions like this and others within NJ-11?

Funding should be prioritized based on three factors: Economic Mobility, Environmental Impact, and Equity. We must connect affordable housing with job centers and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

To advance these projects, I will leverage my background in logistics and tech to help agencies present data-driven cases for federal grants. For NJ-11 specifically, I am interested in exploring "micro-transit" and last-mile solutions to connect our suburban areas to rail hubs. We need to be aggressive in applying for every available DOT grant and not leave any federal money on the table.

New Jersey Transit’s bus electrification goals require substantial federal funding to upgrade the electrical infrastructure in the agency’s bus garages needed to charge new electric transit buses. How do you view federal funding investments in such projects?

These are essential investments. Electrifying our bus fleet is a "two-for-one" victory: it combats climate change and directly improves public health by reducing diesel particulate matter in our communities. However, buying the buses isn't enough; we need the grid and garage infrastructure to support them. I view federal funding for this as a critical infrastructure investment, similar to building bridges or roads. I will support grant programs that specifically target utility upgrades for transit agencies to accelerate this transition.

The Trump Administration is seeking to end California’s ability under the Federal Clean Air Act to set stricter automobile pollution standards than the federal standards. New Jersey along with many other states has traditionally adopted California’s stricter standards, helping keep our air cleaner and encouraging the sales of electric passenger and commercial vehicles under such programs as Advanced Clean Cars and Advanced Clean Trucks, which were implemented under the Murphy administration. What is your view on maintaining California and other states' ability to set stricter air quality standards?

I strongly support the waiver system. If the federal government refuses to lead on climate and public health, states like New Jersey must have the right to protect their own citizens. Revoking this authority is a step backward that threatens the air our children breathe. Innovation often starts at the state level; allowing states to set higher standards drives the automotive industry toward cleaner technology and ensures New Jersey can continue to lead the green economy.

Last year, the Republican budget ended federal EV tax incentives. In response, US automakers scaled back their investments in new EV and electric battery production. This puts our domestic auto industry at a competitive disadvantage to the Chinese, whose EV models are increasingly gaining a larger share of the world wide auto marketplace. What policy approaches should Congress consider to maintain US global competitiveness in the auto industry?

We are in a global race for the future of transportation, and right now, we are unilaterally disarming while China sprints ahead. This is a national security issue as much as an economic one. Congress must reinstate targeted tax credits for domestic EV manufacturing and purchase to spur demand. I have seen firsthand how critical this is through my work as Head of Strategic Partnerships at America’s Frontier Fund, where I helped lead the Recharge Nevada initiative. We worked directly with the state of Nevada and the National Science Foundation to build a regional "innovation engine" strategy focused on the entire lifecycle of lithium batteries—from mining to recycling. We cannot build a secure future if we rely on foreign adversaries for the critical minerals that power our economy. We need an industrial policy that increases R&D funding for domestic battery technology and processing, backs American workers, and ensures we win the 21st-century auto market.

Similarly, the EPA has delayed funding for the fourth and fifth year of the Clean School Bus Program grants and rebates, which were authorized by Congress in the previous administration ($1 billion/year). What is your perspective on the federal government's role in funding electric school buses?

It is unacceptable to play politics with our children’s health. As the Father of a young son, this is personal for me. Diesel exhaust is a known carcinogen and a trigger for asthma, which affects thousands of children in New Jersey. The federal government has a moral obligation to help