Cammie Croft

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 Montclair and my family regularly uses NJ Transit, including the Montclair-Boonton Line and PATH connections into New York City. Like many families in NJ-11, we rely on transit to juggle work, our kids’ activities, and civic commitments, and I’ve experienced firsthand how service gaps—especially nights and weekends—make daily life harder for working families.

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

Transit in NJ-11 is essential but deeply uneven–both in terms of residents’ ability to get to the city for work or to travel inside our own communities. The promise–often unfulfilled–of public transit and convenient commuting to the city is why so many people live in and move to this area of northern New Jersey. But what my husband and I have learned living here and working in the city is this: if there is one thing you can rely on with Jersey public transit, it’s its unreliability. Our plans and schedules are often thwarted by last-minute transit cancellations, unexpected delays, breakdowns, or communication failures. Too often you find yourself stuck outside Penn Station for an hour or that your train line has been completely cancelled for the evening. As working parents, we often find ourselves scrambling to figure out how to get home -- and knowing that an all-too-frequent bad day for NJ Transit will rob us of the chance to be home for dinner to be with our kids. Weekday peak service exists, but off-peak and weekend service is inadequate, particularly after the collapse of the DeCamp bus network. Large parts of Essex County have effectively become weekend transit deserts, limiting access to jobs, healthcare, and community life—especially for people who don’t work a 9-to-5 schedule.

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

Transit is economic infrastructure, not a luxury. The federal government must be a full partner—funding capital upgrades, operating reliability, and climate-aligned modernization. Federal dollars should support: - State of good repair for rail infrastructure - Affordability for working people and residents on fixed-incomes - Expanded off-peak and weekend service in both Essex and Morris - Electrification and resilience upgrades - Improving accessibility for people with disabilities

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

I believe in collaborative, ground-truth policymaking. That means ride-alongs with riders and advocates like ROUTE, coordination with NJ Transit, municipalities, labor, and neighboring states, and sustained pressure in Congress to align funding streams with real rider needs—not just legacy commuter patterns.

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:
- Modernizing overhead catenary wires west of Secaucus to prevent heat-related failures

- Addressing the bottleneck at Penn Station created by increasing tunnel/platform capacity to more trains to run and making services more dependable for riders

- Investments that reduce delays to NJ Transit trains caused by Amtrak’s right-of-way control
NJ Transit riders deserve reliability, not chronic summer breakdowns

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?

A) Yes. Congestion pricing is working—reducing traffic, allowing for better on-time performance for some bus routes into the city, and improving air quality—and the federal government should not retaliate against states and cities for using proven tools.

B) Yes. NJ commuters are directly affected, and a portion of congestion pricing revenues should support NJ bus and rail improvements so commuters have real alternatives to driving.

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?

Gateway is essential—not optional. It is the single most important infrastructure project for NJ-NY connectivity. I oppose any effort to defund it and support using every available federal tool to keep it moving, including multiyear funding commitments and bipartisan pressure.

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?

Current unmet demand, ridership potential, climate impact, regional connectivity, and equitable access for riders. Projects should expand access for areas where residents lack reliable options, reduce car dependence, and integrate with existing systems—not operate in silos.

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? Strongly supportive! I know firsthand from years of advancing clean energy that electrification is the right path for modern, reliable, low-emission transit -- and what it takes to make it happen. Electrifying bus fleets requires major electrical upgrades at depots, and federal funding is essential. This is a climate, public health, and operating-cost investment that pays off over time.

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?

New Jersey must retain the right to adopt stronger clean-air standards. Rolling back California’s authority undermines states’ ability to protect public health and slows EV adoption at a time when we should be accelerating it.

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?

Ending EV tax credits hurts American manufacturers and ceded ground to China. Congress should restore incentives, invest in domestic battery supply chains, and pair consumer rebates with manufacturing support to keep the U.S. globally competitive.

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?

Delaying this funding is shortsighted. Electric school buses reduce emissions, save districts money through significantly lower fuel (electricity vs. diesel/propane) and maintenance costs annually, and protect children’s health. I support fully funding and accelerating the program Congress already authorized.