New Jersey has one of the highest costs of living in America. In every single county in our District, a family would need a household income of over $90k just to live comfortably — not including necessities and does not account for paying off student loans nor saving for retirement.

New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District also houses the three New Jersey counties with the largest wealth gaps.

Essex County is one of the most economically segregated counties in the entire country.

Unemployment here reaches as high as nine and a half percent in some areas, while New Jersey as a whole has a Black unemployment rate that surpasses nearly 7 percent.

Women in our District make on average just 88 cents to the dollar. Worse even, Black women here only earn 57 cents, and Latina women are paid just 42 cents to the dollar.

The exploitation of the 10th District’s women results in 87 lost weeks of food for families, five missing months of mortgage and utility payments, nine fewer months of rent payments, and 13 fewer months of childcare per year.

As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, New Jersey ranks third in the nation for student loan debt. It would be an understatement to say that these statistics are alarming; They are a tragedy.

As a lifelong resident of the 10th Congressional District, I understand the gross economic burden unfairly placed on all of us. As a single mother raising two kids on a modest preschool teacher’s salary, my mother took on personal debt just so that I could have life-changing educational opportunities.

As a child — and even a grossly underemployed adult — I have had times when I could not afford life-saving medication or had to choose between my wellbeing or paying bills.

I had to take on $500k in student loan debt just to become an attorney and public servant.

However, even these hardships are nothing compared to what some of our friends, family, and neighbors suffer through.

The wealthy remain favored over everyone else, and access to a good life stays locked behind paywalls. As your Congresswoman, I will: