May 23, 2024 • 32 mins
Join us for an enthralling conversation with Congressman Robert Menendez, where we dissect the symbiotic relationship between personal well-being, the twists and turns of political life, and the cultural comfort of Cuban cuisine. Unveiling his journey from the Port Authority to the halls of Congress, Menendez doesn't shy away from the heavy weights of responsibility, from addressing national concerns like infrastructure to the affordability crisis. As we swap stories about cultural heritage, he also shares his passion for engaging with the community and underscores the importance of political involvement, especially in light of recent events that rocked the nation.
Navigating the sensitive landscape of Middle East relations, Congressman Menendez dissects the pressing need for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. Menendez believes in a three-part plan that could pave the way to stability, though he's candid about the obstacles this fraught process entails. The conversation extends beyond international politics, touching on the rise of anti-Semitism at universities, and the challenge of fostering inclusive spaces for dialogue. We also celebrate the diversity of Hudson County, New Jersey, where the rich mosaic of immigrant stories has shaped a community that Menendez is proud to represent.
As we wind down, the Congressman opens the door to his family life, illustrating the trials and triumphs of parenting during the infamous "terrible twos." Juggling a demanding political role with cherishing moments at home, he emphasizes the irreplaceable support of partners and the community. We share a laugh about the little joys and challenges of fatherhood before departing with a heartfelt exchange of gratitude. Menendez leaves us with a reminder of the importance of staying connected to the work and issues that shape our everyday lives, and a nod to the beloved Liberty State Park, a symbol of community and connection for us both.
Your hosts: @lynnhazan_ and @tonydoesknow
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, welcome to the Lynn and Tony Know podcast.
I'm your host, Lynn.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
And I'm Tony.
We are both wellness coachesand married with kids.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Join us as we talk about all things health,
wellness, relationships, lifehacks, parenting and everything
in between, unfiltered.
Thanks for listening and let'sget into it.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome back again.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Again.
This is our fourth time tryingthis out because of technical
difficulties, but it is what itis we're.
We're gonna keep it moving.
Uh, welcome back.
It's been a while we've been.
Why are you laughing?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
like it was the fourth time you said it.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Go on uh, we've been busy yeah, very busy toddler
life work yeah, war all the Allthe things.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
All the things.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So much drama, yeah, but we're here, we're alive and
we have a very special guest wedo and I'm very excited to
introduce him.
So today we're joined byCongressman Robert Menendez, who
represents New Jersey's 8thCongressional District, an area
covering much of Hudson County,parts of Newark and Elizabeth.
Sworn into office in January2023, congressman Menendez has a
(01:11):
rich heritage as the grandsonof Cuban immigrants and a deep
commitment to public servicesinstilled by his parents.
Prior to Congress, he served asa commissioner of the Port
Authority of New York and NewJersey, overseeing major
infrastructure projects, and wasa practicing attorney focusing
on finance and technologysectors.
In Congress, he championsissues like affordability,
climate action, saferneighborhoods and robust
transportation infrastructure.
(01:32):
A dedicated member of severalimportant caucuses, he is also a
leader in efforts againstanti-Semitism and gun violence.
Congressman Menendez resides inJersey City with his wife and
two kids.
Welcome to the show, rob.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Welcome.
Great to be with you both.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Thank you so much for your patience today.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
No problem.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Now, but seriously, I want to address the elephant in
the room, a question that manypeople have.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
What is it?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Do you prefer Ropa Vieja or Pernil?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
it.
Do you prefer Ropa Vieja orPernil Uh?
Pernil Uh, I'm team team.
Pernil Uh, my mom's team.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Ropa Vieja, but I'm, I'm team Pernil, but both great
options.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Can't go wrong with either.
What's your choice?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I like Pernil, I like both.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I don't know what they are so like.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Cuban food.
I need to take you to eat Cuban.
What's a good Cuban spot aroundhere?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
So there's it's right in Hamilton Park.
The name's escaping me.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Oh, rumba Cubana, Rumba Cubana.
Yeah, you've had.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Cuban food.
They have a bunch of locations.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Their mojitos are very strong.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah.
Your tolerance is very low.
We generally order from there,so it is a good go-to for us.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So you have quite the impressive resume.
Why run for Congress?
Why do?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
that to yourself.
There are some challenges, youknow.
Listen, two years ago, um, whenmy predecessor, albio series,
retired, um, you know, I was atthe poor authority, as you
mentioned, and I was reallyenjoying, um, the idea of doing
something, um to benefit thecommunity.
Giving back, I found my daysdoing poor authority work, um, I
(03:19):
just got this sense offulfillment that I never had
professionally.
And, you know, we announced ourcandidacy on the one-year
anniversary of January 6th,feeling like the momentum was
going in the wrong direction andhaving a sense of obligation
that we wanted to do more, givemore, and especially since, at
(03:40):
the time, we had one child.
And you know, as you know, as aparent, you start really
thinking about what the futurelooks like and what type of
world your children are going togrow up in.
And for me, I felt like, withall the challenges we had then,
there's only been an increasingnumber of challenges since, you
know, I had to raise my hand.
I wanted to raise my hand andbe of service to the district
(04:03):
that I love.
You know, this is where I grewup, in union city.
It's obviously where I livewith my wife and now two small
kids.
Um, I really believe in thisplace and what it means to so
many families and individuals,and wanted to to represent
everyone in washington and tryto deliver for everyone that
lives here.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Beautiful, everyone that lives here.
Beautiful, that's a good answer.
Um, how long has it been sincejanuary 6th?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
now that you've said that, are we, yeah, so over two
years removed from that.
Now, yeah, yeah, I'm coming upon you know what will be, uh,
three years, uh, come, you know,january of next year.
So, um, yeah, and you know, andstill people are still, you
know, down here of next year.
So, um, yeah, I mean, I'm still, people are still, you know,
down here still litigating itright, what would happen that
day?
And you know it's lawenforcement, we can.
One of the two committees wesit on is Homeland Security, and
Republicans still havedifficulty acknowledging that,
(04:58):
uh, it was a violent, uh assaulton the Capitol, that police
officers were assaulted that day, and the fact that we aren't in
agreement on what happened thatday is, to me, mind-boggling.
But you know it's a challengeevery day.
We have to continue to investin the health of our democracy.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And now you're up for re-election.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
And that's happening in June.
So everybody primariesprimaries June 4th.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
You run every two years, which is you know, uh, I
like it.
Um, you know two years,especially, um, in your first
term.
Uh, you know, you have to hitthe ground, running Like there's
no, there's no time to sort of,you know, figure things out,
you have to.
You have to hit the groundrunning Like there's no, there's
no time to sort of, you know,figure things out, you have to.
You have to be ready to produceday one.
(05:48):
And so, you know, in thisreelection, a lot of what we
talk about is our track record.
You know there's there's twofronts that you operate on right
here in the district deliveringconstituent services for for
all of your residents, and thendown in Washington, making sure
that you have a legislativepriority that benefits the
district and you're bringingfederal dollars back to the
(06:10):
district for important projectsin every municipality.
So I'm really proud of theresults we've been able to
deliver for our district in ashort amount of time, and the
two years sort of keeps you atleast keeps me laser focused,
which I like.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
And the two years sort of keeps you, at least
keeps me, laser focused, which Ilike.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Now the situation with your dad, do you want?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
to address it.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, what's going on and how do you feel about it
and all that?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, I mean, we're out there every single day,
right, we've done debates, We'vedone forums, we've done
interviews with local press,with national press.
We know it's going to be aquestion asked and the way we
handle it is it's a challenge.
Right, it's a challenge thathe's going through.
(06:56):
It's a challenge when you havea family member that's going
through something, through ahardship.
But, at the end of the day,what I always tell people is
that every individual, everyfamily, has a challenge that
they have to deal with.
This is unique in the sensethat very public, obviously, um,
it cuts across both, obviouslypersonal first, and professional
second.
But um, it's a challenge.
(07:18):
And um, and just facing achallenge like every other
individual, every other familywould, is how I've handled it,
and just staying a challengelike every other individual,
every other family would, is howI've handled it, and just
staying focused on what's withinmy control and making sure that
, every single day, we'redelivering for our residents.
And that's where my focus hasbeen.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That's a great answer .
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Going back to your two fronts that you're talking
about, and one being theservices to your local
constituents, if you could breakdown like maybe three of the
digestible things that I don'tknow, because I don't know what
you're working on in relation Iconsider myself relatively aware
(08:01):
of what happens politically,but I wouldn't be able to tell
somebody what my congressman hasdone necessarily.
So if you were able to give uslike three of your top
achievements or things thatimpact us as residents the most,
what would those be?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Well, let me just first say, because I think it is
important, we do a lot ofoutreach to let people know what
services our office can provide.
So I think that's just ahelpful thing for people to know
Obviously, everyone that livesin the district where their
liaison almost to the federalgovernment and where their
advocate with anything thatrelates to the federal
(08:39):
government.
So, because one of my favoritestatistics about the district is
that over 40% of the peoplethat live here were born, were
born outside the country.
So are of the 15, almost 1600cases that we've solved, that
our offices solve Um, I thinkalmost 90% of them are
immigration related, um, whichcan range from a visa issue.
(08:59):
90% of them are immigrationrelated, which can range from a
visa issue.
Reuniting families, mixedstatus households.
You know, last year we dealtwith a lot of passport issues.
You know people hadn't traveledduring COVID, didn't realize
their passport was expired.
That's something that we canhelp with Social Security,
medicare, anything that relatesto the federal government.
We deal with veterans, veteranbenefits.
But what I always tell peopleis, you know, navigating the
(09:25):
different levels of government,you may not know where to go
with a particular issue.
And the thing that I've triedto really instill in our team is
if someone calls you with anissue and there's no federal
nexus, you have to still find away to be helpful, right, like
get them to the appropriateplace, to the appropriate
department or agency, whateverit is.
But you know, if someone hasonly time for one call and they
(09:50):
call us, we want to make surethat we're helping them and I
don't want them to hear no fromtheir representative, because I
think it's, you know, people areused to when they deal with
government, just getting badresults.
So we want to make sure thatwe're as helpful as we can be.
So, to answer your question, interms of what we've done, as I
mentioned, we're almost at 1,600cases solved for individuals
and for families, and I'm proudof that work.
We have an incredible team thatdoes the work every single day.
(10:12):
They are incredible publicservants.
I know that a lot of timespeople know who their elected
officials are, that a lot oftimes people know who their
elected officials are, and youknow.
But it's really an entire teamthat serves the district and we
have an incredible group that ishard at work for all of our
residents every single day.
So I'm proud of that team.
(10:34):
I'm proud of the work thatwe've been able to accomplish
together.
You know and some of thosecases are, you know, reuniting a
family that was sort ofseparated during the US
withdrawal from Afghanistan andso we've been trying to.
There's a brother and a momhere.
We got one of the sisters backand working on getting another
sister back from Afghanistan.
It's obviously complicatedgiven the dynamics on the ground
(10:55):
, but you know, that type ofwork and keeping families
together is something I'mincredibly proud of.
And just even the little wins.
You know, when we help, youknow, a senior, there's a hole
on Kennedy Boulevard that no onefixed.
Like we work with our city, ourfriends at the city, to get it
done.
So you know, I'm proud of thesmall wins, I'm proud of the big
(11:17):
wins.
We brought a lot of money backto the district in our critical
infrastructure, the GatewayProgram, the most important
infrastructure project in thecountry.
It goes through the district.
We had a groundbreaking inNorth Bergen a couple of months
ago money for the NortheastCorridor, money going back to
municipalities, forenvironmental justice grants,
(11:37):
for lead pipe replacements inElizabeth.
So there's a lot of great workand again, it's great to be able
to deliver for the district,but it's really because we have
just a great team that I'mreally proud of and people
should know that they're beingserved by an incredible team of
public servants.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I love that Follow-up question on that.
Would the Cave and Pointparking lot fall under the
infrastructure?
Uh, subcommittee that you serveon?
Speaker 3 (12:06):
so um.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So the cave in point um, I'm joking, but also not
well, I mean listen, we.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
I mean in terms of cave in point.
We've we've been there withfriends of livery state park
making sure that that remains anatural preserve.
It's one of our favorite placeswhen it's open.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
The parking lot at the soccer and football stadium.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Oh, sorry, I thought you were talking about the Cave
and Point.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
No, no, no.
The parking lot is a mess.
It's going to break downeventually.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Alright, well, well, listen, call us and we'll look
into it.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, just send us an email this is not not for the
podcast seriously, seriously.
We'll follow up after this Iwant to switch gears, because
this is obviously something thatwe're very, you know,
passionate about is going on inour lives.
Like I'm israeli and you knowit's, it's very top of mind,
right.
Um, given the ongoing tensionsand conflict that's happening in
(13:05):
Israel and Gaza, can you shareyour perspective on what role
the U?
S should play in this situationand how do you balance the
complex international relationsinvolved?
How do you feel about it?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
This has been one of the most challenging things.
Um, do you feel about it?
This has been one of the mostchallenging things to deal with
this Congress.
You know it's just a difficultdynamic and it has been for
months now.
You know the way I start theconversation about what's
happening is I think we allagree that no one wants what's
happening today to go on for oneday longer.
There's no family that is notyearning to have the hostages
(13:41):
returned to them.
You know the destruction thatyou're seeing in Gaza.
No one wants that to go on anylonger.
But it's a challenging dynamic.
I mean, dealing with Hamas issomething that I think people
don't address head on.
You know the fact that we're inthe situation is Moss attacked
(14:02):
Israel on October 7th and it'sbeen a terrible series of days
for so many people forPalestinians, for Israelis, for
Americans but we need to stayfocused on a pathway forward
that looks much different thanwhat's gone on and what
continues to go on, than what'sgone on and what continues to go
on, and we need to work towardsthat.
(14:23):
There's ongoing conversationsabout how we get there.
It's been a challenge in termsof getting both sides to agree
on what a three-part processwould look like to return the
hostages, to have a ceasefireand then to start working and
creating the space to have along-term solution, but we need
to do that work.
The US has a role to play in it.
To answer your question, weneed to continue to be a partner
(14:46):
as we move towards those muchbetter tomorrows.
That, in my opinion, includes atwo-state solution, and we need
to find a way to build trustagain where we can live and
where Israelis and Palestinianscan live in peace side by side,
because what's happening nowjust doesn't work for anyone.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Agreed.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Yeah, I mean it's.
One of the more interestingparts that has unfolded over the
past seven months for me issimply the agreement that Hamas
started the war, and that evenincludes people in Congress that
(15:26):
we can't even agree on thebasics of how this began and
it's difficult to imagine thosesame people agreeing on an
outcome as well, just as aspectator, somebody that follows
it and somebody that listens topeople talk about it.
It's so hard to imagine thatbecause I was watching the House
(15:51):
Subcommittee hearing on primaryand secondary education last
week, which was, I think I don'teven remember what day it was,
but I watched the whole thingand just hearing different
committee members use it, notnecessarily as a way to help
strengthen the primary andsecondary education system on
(16:15):
fighting anti-Semitism, but itwas used as a way to promote
whatever opinion they had on thesubject.
And, more specifically,listening to Jamal Bowman speak,
at that, he did not evenaddress the topic but then
conflated it with havingConfederate statues around the
campuses of Washington DC, asthat's just as hateful as the
(16:40):
anti-Semitism that's happeningin the school system.
And it seems so bizarre toimagine, you know, when we can't
even agree on what happened,how we're supposed to expect a
path forward that is supportedby the United States.
It becomes very hard to look atthat and feel that.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Listen, I would you know sort of on any particular
issue right, there's alwaysgoing to be I think you have to
there's an overwhelming majorityof folks who understand what
happened, in agreement on whathappened and on any issue.
There's always going to beagreement on what happened and
on any issue, there's alwaysgoing to be dissenting views and
(17:22):
I think it's also important toremember that to have a durable
peace right, a resilient peaceand what that looks like,
israelis and Palestinians aregoing to drive that conversation
and what the role the US has toplay is creating a framework in
the space to ensure that theycan do so and that that future
they can build together.
I mean, I know it's beenelusive for generations, but
(17:43):
there's no other option and aslong as we remain committed to
that and try to create aframework where we can work
towards that, that's the rolefor the US to play.
I believe there's, you know, byparts and near unanimous
agreement that that's adirection that we have to move
in.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Now speaking of?
With rising concerns aboutanti-Semitism on college
campuses, what steps do youbelieve need to be taken to
address this issue?
How can legislation or policychange help ensure a safer and
more inclusive environment forall students?
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Yeah.
So I mean, the key is allstudents right, because we've
seen rises in anti-Semitism,we've seen rises in Islamophobia
.
You know we need to foster safeenvironments, especially on
college campuses.
You know the last several weekshave been challenging on that
front, but you, you know that is.
That is the goal, that is thetarget, um, where all students
(18:40):
from all walks of life, from allfaiths, uh feel like they are
part of a, a, a community andenvironment where they're
they're safe to express theirviews, they're safe to um engage
in these, these difficultconversations.
It's safe to engage in thesedifficult conversations.
I think it's been a challengingcouple of months and weeks for
colleges to figure out the bestframework to do so, but it's a
(19:07):
critically importantconversation.
I think we should look at theplaces and do sort of a survey
of where there's been successes,because obviously, seeing
what's happened here at Columbiahas been a challenge.
Talking to parents of students,talking to alumni, the things
that you saw happening there areconcerning, but nonetheless,
(19:32):
you know we need to continue topush all of these universities,
all of these colleges, to makesure that they're creating safe
environments, because that's thething that's most critically
important and they need to besafe environments for all
students.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
But what about some of these universities getting
funding from Qatar and outside?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
countries.
When you see numbers like $6billion or whatever the number
is I believe that was one that Isaw reported like $6 billion
donated across however manyyears to our universities and
what it brings up for me iscampaign contributions have a
limit right.
They're very public.
(20:11):
There's a limit to what you cancontribute and for many good
reasons, that sort of campaignfinancing is in place, and I'm
wondering if there's anythingthat has come up within Congress
or the government that istaking a look at how college
universities are acceptingdonations and what kind of
(20:32):
reform might be in place there,because money wins in a lot of
cases and I think we've seenwhat some of the money has
bought us over the past couplemonths and I'm wondering what
your take is on that.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, well, I mean it goes back to no matter what the
dynamic is or what thesituation is, every university
and college has an obligation toits students and they have an
obligation to their variouscodes, various missions and that
and sort of making sure thatthey remain focused on that is
critically important.
You know, without getting intosort of where they may have
(21:07):
different support from orreceive funds from, I think just
sort of staying focused on thatthey have an obligation to
create these safe learningenvironments for all their
students is where Congress hasbeen focused.
And again, there's been somethings some situations have been
more challenging than others,some situations where the
outcomes have been much betterbut continuing to push to make
(21:30):
sure that we're creating thesesafe environments on all
campuses, on all colleges,regardless of sort of where they
might have financial supportfrom.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So let's get back to the local stuff, because you are
in New Jersey, so how has itbeen growing up in this area?
Tell us a little bit more aboutit, yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
I love.
You know, I grew up in unioncity, uh, went to high school in
hoboken, live in jersey city.
Now, uh, you know, I love, Ilove hudson county.
Um, I love the, the rich fabric, uh, of different cultures, uh,
different, different faiths,different backgrounds, um, and
it's a truly special place.
You know the the thing I alwayslike to share with people is
(22:15):
when my paternal grandparentscame here from Cuba, they lived
in Union City, they moved toUnion City and that's where they
started all over again, and fora while, union City had the
second highest population ofCubans outside of Miami.
And now you go to Union City,it's Guatemalans, el Salvadorans
, peruvians, it's a whole nextgeneration of folks who are
starting their American storyand they're doing in the same
(22:37):
place that other generations ofimmigrants started their story.
I think that's something that'sso incredibly beautiful about
this area, you know, and for menow raising kids, you know I
love the idea that we're here inJersey City.
I love what it represents.
My wife grew up in Indiana soit's a little bit different for
her, but, um, he's taken to itand um, it's a special place and
(22:59):
we just love it.
And the fact that I get torepresent in Washington is um
the most incredible thing thatthat I could do.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
How old are your kids now?
Speaker 3 (23:08):
My daughter just turned four in April.
Uh, my son turns two inSeptember.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
So small kids how's the?
Terrible twos going.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Uh, so it's funny that you said terrible twos.
A quick story uh, sam Pessin,from a friend's Olivia state
park, uh, always, yeah, alwaysasked about the kids and when my
daughter was turning two, uh,he said, uh, you know.
I said he asked about Oliviaand I said, oh, you know, she's
good, she's about to turn to youknow the terrible twos.
And because Sam's the best, hewas like no, I don't believe in
(23:42):
the terrible twos, I call themthe terrific twos.
I said, all right, like I'mgoing to take, I'm going to take
that mindset.
Sam and uh talked about with mywife.
Uh, a couple weeks later I sawsam and he asked about the kids
again and I said, sam, I loveyou, but, uh, I'm sticking with
the terrible twos.
Uh, the terrific two.
(24:02):
Spin is a great thing, uh, but,but it's a unique set of
challenges.
But they're great, you know.
I mean um, you know, my son isjust.
He has this different energythan his sister had when she was
two.
He loves testing the limits ofwhat is dangerous and how much
he can engage in a dangerouspursuit, whether it's climbing
(24:27):
or knocking things over orthrowing things down the stairs.
But they're both great andthey're a lot of fun, uh, but uh
, they're both great and they'rea lot of fun and um, face time
every morning when I'm inwashington and uh love when I'm
home, because I spending timewith them is the best how do you
balance, because you're inwashington four days a week yeah
so how do you bet?
Speaker 1 (24:48):
and you I'm assuming, your wife and kids are
obviously in jersey city.
How do you balance family lifeand working in Washington?
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Yeah, Um, it's a challenge, um, you know, having
a wife who's beyond incredible,um, having a partner who's
beyond incredible, uh, makes itpossible.
You know we have a greatsupport network.
Uh, you know, my wife is anincredible professional, um, you
know, committed to her, to hercareer growth, um, and that I
want to make sure I'm supportiveof Um.
(25:17):
So, you know, the way it worksis listen, I'm fortunate in the
fact that I can get toWashington pretty quickly.
Um, you know, you havecolleagues flying in from
California, from Alaska, fromHawaii, so, um, the proximity
makes it more manageable.
So, for instance, uh, let's sayit's a Monday through Thursday
week, monday I'll get up, youknow I'll be in Jersey, spend
(25:39):
the morning with the kids, takemy daughter to school, come back
, spend some time with my sonand then, you know, head down to
Washington, gone Monday night,tuesday night, wednesday night,
thursday, have votes here andthen get back, uh, as soon as I
can to, to see my daughter.
She comes back from school tospend time with my son, do bath
(26:01):
time routine and then do bedtimeroutine.
Um, but it's a challenge, youknow, um, you know I miss them
all the time when I'm here.
But the way I've sort of um, Imade a decision that you know,
if I was gonna, you know, ask myfamily, especially my wife, to
do this, then when I'm inWashington, I have to be as
productive as I can be.
(26:22):
Um, you know, like we start Istart the day early, I get up
early, um, I do.
I get prepped for the whole day.
Memos, I take as many meetingswith constituents as I can.
We're on two committees, soI'll prep for committee when we
have committee hearings, youknow, after there's events, you
know different organizationswill have events go to those
(26:43):
events and try to, you know, beas engaged as possible, because
you know my wife's at homegetting two kids bathed and put
down for bed, and so I'm notgoing to sit here and like watch
Netflix right, like it's.
I'm going to be as productiveas I can be and that's how I've
(27:08):
gone about it to sort of justifythe sacrifice that that my wife
and our kids are making for forme to have this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Okay, if you were going to watch Netflix, though,
what would it be?
Speaker 3 (27:19):
That's a great question.
Honestly, if I was going towatch Netflix, whatever my wife
wanted to watch on Netflixbecause, like you know, when I
get home and we have, you know,so many nights to hang out
together, uh, if she wants towatch something, uh, I've, I've
surrendered.
I say, okay, she really lovesbelow deck, which.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I was not.
I was not a fan of.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
But you know, again, once I surrendered and was like
I'm not watching Nick's playoffbasketball, I'm not watching.
You know rewatching, you knowan HBO series watch whatever she
wants.
That's, that's my answer.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Amazing.
Well, she's saving you fromfrom Nick's basketball heartache
anyway, so you should probablyjust thank her.
It's, yeah, that's fair.
I think they're going tothey're going to.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
I think they're going to pull this series out, but
we'll see.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
So if people want to learn more about you, everybody
needs to go out to vote,obviously, and do your research.
Where can people find you?
And just time to plug all yourstuff.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
So, no, I appreciate it.
So we have two sort ofpresences, right Like we have
the official side.
So obviously, anything thatanyone needs from our office, um
, like there's a two.
It's a weird thing.
There's like two separateworlds that, um, that exists,
and we always try to keep themvery clean.
So, for anyone that needsanything from our office, you
(28:49):
can go to Menendezhousegov.
Um, we're our offices in Jerseycity, but you can reach us by
phone or email.
Anything that we can be helpfulwith.
Never hesitate to reach out.
If you're not sure whether it'ssomething we can be helpful
with.
Just reach out, um, and you'llsee our social media accounts
there.
We're at Menendez?
Uh, across all differentplatforms.
Um, on the political side, uh,we have our um campaign website,
(29:14):
robmenendezcom uh, all socialmedias robmenendezcom.
All social media isrobmenendez4nj.
So check us out there and learnmore about what we're doing.
I think you'll see that, nomatter which account you follow,
that we're hustling every day.
We're engaged.
We try to be as many places aswe can be.
(29:35):
The best compliment that peoplecan give us based on our social
media is working hard, andevery day we're out there doing
something to improve ourcommunity, and that's what we
want to be doing.
This is an incredibleopportunity, and so every day
we're just trying to make themost of it in terms of what we
deliver for our constituents,for our residents, and that's
every day.
(29:55):
That's the goal, and then westart over next day and just try
to figure out a way to continueproducing for the folks that
live here.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I love that.
Well, we really appreciate yourtime and thanks for everything
that you're doing.
Especially, you know youradvocacy when it comes to the
things that concern us.
Um, and, yeah, we reallyappreciate it and wish you the
best of luck.
Yeah, Do you have anything youwant to say?
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I did have one question and I know we kind of
wrapped up.
But we've got seven minutes andI want to make the most of it
Okay.
I have one question because Ithink it's relevant and it's not
often we're talking to apolitician on our show.
My question would be what wouldyou say to traditionally
liberal Jewish voters who feel alittle bit disenfranchised by
(30:46):
the Democratic Party when itcomes to, most specifically,
biden's handling of the responseto the war?
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Yeah, I mean it goes back to that.
This is an incredibly difficultsituation for for so many
people.
You know it's it is.
I can't imagine a morechallenging situation, given the
dynamics for anyone to navigate.
But you know, theadministration has made it clear
(31:14):
that we support our ally,israel, that we're going to
continue to work towards gettingout of this conflict Again,
because it inures to the benefitof everyone and people, I do
believe, very much want thisconflict to end.
So we have to continue to worktowards reaching a conclusion
(31:35):
and I think I would just saythey should continue to engage,
continue to reach out.
You know we've met with so manydifferent stakeholders on this
issue, people who have verydifferent views about the
conflict, but you know, for me,as a representative, it's
important to listen to everyone,which I have.
(31:56):
We will continue to listen topeople and make sure that we
take all views intoconsideration as we do our part
working towards a resolution ofthis conflict.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Okay, on that note.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Thank you, rob, you're the best.
Thank you so much, thank youguys, see you at the next kid
party.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Yeah, anytime anytime you want.
You'll find us at Liberty StatePark all the time.
Cool, all right.
I appreciate you guys having me.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Thank you, Rob.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
All right, take care.
Hey, welcome to the Lynn and Tony Know podcast.
I'm your host, Lynn.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
And I'm Tony.
We are both wellness coachesand married with kids.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Join us as we talk about all things health,
wellness, relationships, lifehacks, parenting and everything
in between, unfiltered.
Thanks for listening and let'sget into it.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome back again.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Again.
This is our fourth time tryingthis out because of technical
difficulties, but it is what itis we're.
We're gonna keep it moving.
Uh, welcome back.
It's been a while we've been.
Why are you laughing?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
like it was the fourth time you said it.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Go on uh, we've been busy yeah, very busy toddler
life work yeah, war all the Allthe things.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
All the things.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So much drama, yeah, but we're here, we're alive and
we have a very special guest wedo and I'm very excited to
introduce him.
So today we're joined byCongressman Robert Menendez, who
represents New Jersey's 8thCongressional District, an area
covering much of Hudson County,parts of Newark and Elizabeth.
Sworn into office in January2023, congressman Menendez has a
(01:11):
rich heritage as the grandsonof Cuban immigrants and a deep
commitment to public servicesinstilled by his parents.
Prior to Congress, he served asa commissioner of the Port
Authority of New York and NewJersey, overseeing major
infrastructure projects, and wasa practicing attorney focusing
on finance and technologysectors.
In Congress, he championsissues like affordability,
climate action, saferneighborhoods and robust
transportation infrastructure.
(01:32):
A dedicated member of severalimportant caucuses, he is also a
leader in efforts againstanti-Semitism and gun violence.
Congressman Menendez resides inJersey City with his wife and
two kids.
Welcome to the show, rob.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Welcome.
Great to be with you both.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Thank you so much for your patience today.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
No problem.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Now, but seriously, I want to address the elephant in
the room, a question that manypeople have.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
What is it?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Do you prefer Ropa Vieja or Pernil?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
it.
Do you prefer Ropa Vieja orPernil Uh?
Pernil Uh, I'm team team.
Pernil Uh, my mom's team.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Ropa Vieja, but I'm, I'm team Pernil, but both great
options.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Can't go wrong with either.
What's your choice?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I like Pernil, I like both.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I don't know what they are so like.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Cuban food.
I need to take you to eat Cuban.
What's a good Cuban spot aroundhere?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
So there's it's right in Hamilton Park.
The name's escaping me.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Oh, rumba Cubana, Rumba Cubana.
Yeah, you've had.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Cuban food.
They have a bunch of locations.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Their mojitos are very strong.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah.
Your tolerance is very low.
We generally order from there,so it is a good go-to for us.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So you have quite the impressive resume.
Why run for Congress?
Why do?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
that to yourself.
There are some challenges, youknow.
Listen, two years ago, um, whenmy predecessor, albio series,
retired, um, you know, I was atthe poor authority, as you
mentioned, and I was reallyenjoying, um, the idea of doing
something, um to benefit thecommunity.
Giving back, I found my daysdoing poor authority work, um, I
(03:19):
just got this sense offulfillment that I never had
professionally.
And, you know, we announced ourcandidacy on the one-year
anniversary of January 6th,feeling like the momentum was
going in the wrong direction andhaving a sense of obligation
that we wanted to do more, givemore, and especially since, at
(03:40):
the time, we had one child.
And you know, as you know, as aparent, you start really
thinking about what the futurelooks like and what type of
world your children are going togrow up in.
And for me, I felt like, withall the challenges we had then,
there's only been an increasingnumber of challenges since, you
know, I had to raise my hand.
I wanted to raise my hand andbe of service to the district
(04:03):
that I love.
You know, this is where I grewup, in union city.
It's obviously where I livewith my wife and now two small
kids.
Um, I really believe in thisplace and what it means to so
many families and individuals,and wanted to to represent
everyone in washington and tryto deliver for everyone that
lives here.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Beautiful, everyone that lives here.
Beautiful, that's a good answer.
Um, how long has it been sincejanuary 6th?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
now that you've said that, are we, yeah, so over two
years removed from that.
Now, yeah, yeah, I'm coming upon you know what will be, uh,
three years, uh, come, you know,january of next year.
So, um, yeah, and you know, andstill people are still, you
know, down here of next year.
So, um, yeah, I mean, I'm still, people are still, you know,
down here still litigating itright, what would happen that
day?
And you know it's lawenforcement, we can.
One of the two committees wesit on is Homeland Security, and
Republicans still havedifficulty acknowledging that,
(04:58):
uh, it was a violent, uh assaulton the Capitol, that police
officers were assaulted that day, and the fact that we aren't in
agreement on what happened thatday is, to me, mind-boggling.
But you know it's a challengeevery day.
We have to continue to investin the health of our democracy.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And now you're up for re-election.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
And that's happening in June.
So everybody primariesprimaries June 4th.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
You run every two years, which is you know, uh, I
like it.
Um, you know two years,especially, um, in your first
term.
Uh, you know, you have to hitthe ground, running Like there's
no, there's no time to sort of,you know, figure things out,
you have to.
You have to hit the groundrunning Like there's no, there's
no time to sort of, you know,figure things out, you have to.
You have to be ready to produceday one.
(05:48):
And so, you know, in thisreelection, a lot of what we
talk about is our track record.
You know there's there's twofronts that you operate on right
here in the district deliveringconstituent services for for
all of your residents, and thendown in Washington, making sure
that you have a legislativepriority that benefits the
district and you're bringingfederal dollars back to the
(06:10):
district for important projectsin every municipality.
So I'm really proud of theresults we've been able to
deliver for our district in ashort amount of time, and the
two years sort of keeps you atleast keeps me laser focused,
which I like.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
And the two years sort of keeps you, at least
keeps me, laser focused, which Ilike.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Now the situation with your dad, do you want?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
to address it.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, what's going on and how do you feel about it
and all that?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, I mean, we're out there every single day,
right, we've done debates, We'vedone forums, we've done
interviews with local press,with national press.
We know it's going to be aquestion asked and the way we
handle it is it's a challenge.
Right, it's a challenge thathe's going through.
(06:56):
It's a challenge when you havea family member that's going
through something, through ahardship.
But, at the end of the day,what I always tell people is
that every individual, everyfamily, has a challenge that
they have to deal with.
This is unique in the sensethat very public, obviously, um,
it cuts across both, obviouslypersonal first, and professional
second.
But um, it's a challenge.
(07:18):
And um, and just facing achallenge like every other
individual, every other familywould, is how I've handled it,
and just staying a challengelike every other individual,
every other family would, is howI've handled it, and just
staying focused on what's withinmy control and making sure that
, every single day, we'redelivering for our residents.
And that's where my focus hasbeen.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That's a great answer .
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Going back to your two fronts that you're talking
about, and one being theservices to your local
constituents, if you could breakdown like maybe three of the
digestible things that I don'tknow, because I don't know what
you're working on in relation Iconsider myself relatively aware
(08:01):
of what happens politically,but I wouldn't be able to tell
somebody what my congressman hasdone necessarily.
So if you were able to give uslike three of your top
achievements or things thatimpact us as residents the most,
what would those be?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Well, let me just first say, because I think it is
important, we do a lot ofoutreach to let people know what
services our office can provide.
So I think that's just ahelpful thing for people to know
Obviously, everyone that livesin the district where their
liaison almost to the federalgovernment and where their
advocate with anything thatrelates to the federal
(08:39):
government.
So, because one of my favoritestatistics about the district is
that over 40% of the peoplethat live here were born, were
born outside the country.
So are of the 15, almost 1600cases that we've solved, that
our offices solve Um, I thinkalmost 90% of them are
immigration related, um, whichcan range from a visa issue.
(08:59):
90% of them are immigrationrelated, which can range from a
visa issue.
Reuniting families, mixedstatus households.
You know, last year we dealtwith a lot of passport issues.
You know people hadn't traveledduring COVID, didn't realize
their passport was expired.
That's something that we canhelp with Social Security,
medicare, anything that relatesto the federal government.
We deal with veterans, veteranbenefits.
But what I always tell peopleis, you know, navigating the
(09:25):
different levels of government,you may not know where to go
with a particular issue.
And the thing that I've triedto really instill in our team is
if someone calls you with anissue and there's no federal
nexus, you have to still find away to be helpful, right, like
get them to the appropriateplace, to the appropriate
department or agency, whateverit is.
But you know, if someone hasonly time for one call and they
(09:50):
call us, we want to make surethat we're helping them and I
don't want them to hear no fromtheir representative, because I
think it's, you know, people areused to when they deal with
government, just getting badresults.
So we want to make sure thatwe're as helpful as we can be.
So, to answer your question, interms of what we've done, as I
mentioned, we're almost at 1,600cases solved for individuals
and for families, and I'm proudof that work.
We have an incredible team thatdoes the work every single day.
(10:12):
They are incredible publicservants.
I know that a lot of timespeople know who their elected
officials are, that a lot oftimes people know who their
elected officials are, and youknow.
But it's really an entire teamthat serves the district and we
have an incredible group that ishard at work for all of our
residents every single day.
So I'm proud of that team.
(10:34):
I'm proud of the work thatwe've been able to accomplish
together.
You know and some of thosecases are, you know, reuniting a
family that was sort ofseparated during the US
withdrawal from Afghanistan andso we've been trying to.
There's a brother and a momhere.
We got one of the sisters backand working on getting another
sister back from Afghanistan.
It's obviously complicatedgiven the dynamics on the ground
(10:55):
, but you know, that type ofwork and keeping families
together is something I'mincredibly proud of.
And just even the little wins.
You know, when we help, youknow, a senior, there's a hole
on Kennedy Boulevard that no onefixed.
Like we work with our city, ourfriends at the city, to get it
done.
So you know, I'm proud of thesmall wins, I'm proud of the big
(11:17):
wins.
We brought a lot of money backto the district in our critical
infrastructure, the GatewayProgram, the most important
infrastructure project in thecountry.
It goes through the district.
We had a groundbreaking inNorth Bergen a couple of months
ago money for the NortheastCorridor, money going back to
municipalities, forenvironmental justice grants,
(11:37):
for lead pipe replacements inElizabeth.
So there's a lot of great workand again, it's great to be able
to deliver for the district,but it's really because we have
just a great team that I'mreally proud of and people
should know that they're beingserved by an incredible team of
public servants.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I love that Follow-up question on that.
Would the Cave and Pointparking lot fall under the
infrastructure?
Uh, subcommittee that you serveon?
Speaker 3 (12:06):
so um.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So the cave in point um, I'm joking, but also not
well, I mean listen, we.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
I mean in terms of cave in point.
We've we've been there withfriends of livery state park
making sure that that remains anatural preserve.
It's one of our favorite placeswhen it's open.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
The parking lot at the soccer and football stadium.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Oh, sorry, I thought you were talking about the Cave
and Point.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
No, no, no.
The parking lot is a mess.
It's going to break downeventually.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Alright, well, well, listen, call us and we'll look
into it.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, just send us an email this is not not for the
podcast seriously, seriously.
We'll follow up after this Iwant to switch gears, because
this is obviously something thatwe're very, you know,
passionate about is going on inour lives.
Like I'm israeli and you knowit's, it's very top of mind,
right.
Um, given the ongoing tensionsand conflict that's happening in
(13:05):
Israel and Gaza, can you shareyour perspective on what role
the U?
S should play in this situationand how do you balance the
complex international relationsinvolved?
How do you feel about it?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
This has been one of the most challenging things.
Um, do you feel about it?
This has been one of the mostchallenging things to deal with
this Congress.
You know it's just a difficultdynamic and it has been for
months now.
You know the way I start theconversation about what's
happening is I think we allagree that no one wants what's
happening today to go on for oneday longer.
There's no family that is notyearning to have the hostages
(13:41):
returned to them.
You know the destruction thatyou're seeing in Gaza.
No one wants that to go on anylonger.
But it's a challenging dynamic.
I mean, dealing with Hamas issomething that I think people
don't address head on.
You know the fact that we're inthe situation is Moss attacked
(14:02):
Israel on October 7th and it'sbeen a terrible series of days
for so many people forPalestinians, for Israelis, for
Americans but we need to stayfocused on a pathway forward
that looks much different thanwhat's gone on and what
continues to go on, than what'sgone on and what continues to go
on, and we need to work towardsthat.
(14:23):
There's ongoing conversationsabout how we get there.
It's been a challenge in termsof getting both sides to agree
on what a three-part processwould look like to return the
hostages, to have a ceasefireand then to start working and
creating the space to have along-term solution, but we need
to do that work.
The US has a role to play in it.
To answer your question, weneed to continue to be a partner
(14:46):
as we move towards those muchbetter tomorrows.
That, in my opinion, includes atwo-state solution, and we need
to find a way to build trustagain where we can live and
where Israelis and Palestinianscan live in peace side by side,
because what's happening nowjust doesn't work for anyone.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Agreed.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Yeah, I mean it's.
One of the more interestingparts that has unfolded over the
past seven months for me issimply the agreement that Hamas
started the war, and that evenincludes people in Congress that
(15:26):
we can't even agree on thebasics of how this began and
it's difficult to imagine thosesame people agreeing on an
outcome as well, just as aspectator, somebody that follows
it and somebody that listens topeople talk about it.
It's so hard to imagine thatbecause I was watching the House
(15:51):
Subcommittee hearing on primaryand secondary education last
week, which was, I think I don'teven remember what day it was,
but I watched the whole thingand just hearing different
committee members use it, notnecessarily as a way to help
strengthen the primary andsecondary education system on
(16:15):
fighting anti-Semitism, but itwas used as a way to promote
whatever opinion they had on thesubject.
And, more specifically,listening to Jamal Bowman speak,
at that, he did not evenaddress the topic but then
conflated it with havingConfederate statues around the
campuses of Washington DC, asthat's just as hateful as the
(16:40):
anti-Semitism that's happeningin the school system.
And it seems so bizarre toimagine, you know, when we can't
even agree on what happened,how we're supposed to expect a
path forward that is supportedby the United States.
It becomes very hard to look atthat and feel that.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Listen, I would you know sort of on any particular
issue right, there's alwaysgoing to be I think you have to
there's an overwhelming majorityof folks who understand what
happened, in agreement on whathappened and on any issue.
There's always going to beagreement on what happened and
on any issue, there's alwaysgoing to be dissenting views and
(17:22):
I think it's also important toremember that to have a durable
peace right, a resilient peaceand what that looks like,
israelis and Palestinians aregoing to drive that conversation
and what the role the US has toplay is creating a framework in
the space to ensure that theycan do so and that that future
they can build together.
I mean, I know it's beenelusive for generations, but
(17:43):
there's no other option and aslong as we remain committed to
that and try to create aframework where we can work
towards that, that's the rolefor the US to play.
I believe there's, you know, byparts and near unanimous
agreement that that's adirection that we have to move
in.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Now speaking of?
With rising concerns aboutanti-Semitism on college
campuses, what steps do youbelieve need to be taken to
address this issue?
How can legislation or policychange help ensure a safer and
more inclusive environment forall students?
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Yeah.
So I mean, the key is allstudents right, because we've
seen rises in anti-Semitism,we've seen rises in Islamophobia
.
You know we need to foster safeenvironments, especially on
college campuses.
You know the last several weekshave been challenging on that
front, but you, you know that is.
That is the goal, that is thetarget, um, where all students
(18:40):
from all walks of life, from allfaiths, uh feel like they are
part of a, a, a community andenvironment where they're
they're safe to express theirviews, they're safe to um engage
in these, these difficultconversations.
It's safe to engage in thesedifficult conversations.
I think it's been a challengingcouple of months and weeks for
colleges to figure out the bestframework to do so, but it's a
(19:07):
critically importantconversation.
I think we should look at theplaces and do sort of a survey
of where there's been successes,because obviously, seeing
what's happened here at Columbiahas been a challenge.
Talking to parents of students,talking to alumni, the things
that you saw happening there areconcerning, but nonetheless,
(19:32):
you know we need to continue topush all of these universities,
all of these colleges, to makesure that they're creating safe
environments, because that's thething that's most critically
important and they need to besafe environments for all
students.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
But what about some of these universities getting
funding from Qatar and outside?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
countries.
When you see numbers like $6billion or whatever the number
is I believe that was one that Isaw reported like $6 billion
donated across however manyyears to our universities and
what it brings up for me iscampaign contributions have a
limit right.
They're very public.
(20:11):
There's a limit to what you cancontribute and for many good
reasons, that sort of campaignfinancing is in place, and I'm
wondering if there's anythingthat has come up within Congress
or the government that istaking a look at how college
universities are acceptingdonations and what kind of
(20:32):
reform might be in place there,because money wins in a lot of
cases and I think we've seenwhat some of the money has
bought us over the past couplemonths and I'm wondering what
your take is on that.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, well, I mean it goes back to no matter what the
dynamic is or what thesituation is, every university
and college has an obligation toits students and they have an
obligation to their variouscodes, various missions and that
and sort of making sure thatthey remain focused on that is
critically important.
You know, without getting intosort of where they may have
(21:07):
different support from orreceive funds from, I think just
sort of staying focused on thatthey have an obligation to
create these safe learningenvironments for all their
students is where Congress hasbeen focused.
And again, there's been somethings some situations have been
more challenging than others,some situations where the
outcomes have been much betterbut continuing to push to make
(21:30):
sure that we're creating thesesafe environments on all
campuses, on all colleges,regardless of sort of where they
might have financial supportfrom.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So let's get back to the local stuff, because you are
in New Jersey, so how has itbeen growing up in this area?
Tell us a little bit more aboutit, yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
I love.
You know, I grew up in unioncity, uh, went to high school in
hoboken, live in jersey city.
Now, uh, you know, I love, Ilove hudson county.
Um, I love the, the rich fabric, uh, of different cultures, uh,
different, different faiths,different backgrounds, um, and
it's a truly special place.
You know the the thing I alwayslike to share with people is
(22:15):
when my paternal grandparentscame here from Cuba, they lived
in Union City, they moved toUnion City and that's where they
started all over again, and fora while, union City had the
second highest population ofCubans outside of Miami.
And now you go to Union City,it's Guatemalans, el Salvadorans
, peruvians, it's a whole nextgeneration of folks who are
starting their American storyand they're doing in the same
(22:37):
place that other generations ofimmigrants started their story.
I think that's something that'sso incredibly beautiful about
this area, you know, and for menow raising kids, you know I
love the idea that we're here inJersey City.
I love what it represents.
My wife grew up in Indiana soit's a little bit different for
her, but, um, he's taken to itand um, it's a special place and
(22:59):
we just love it.
And the fact that I get torepresent in Washington is um
the most incredible thing thatthat I could do.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
How old are your kids now?
Speaker 3 (23:08):
My daughter just turned four in April.
Uh, my son turns two inSeptember.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
So small kids how's the?
Terrible twos going.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Uh, so it's funny that you said terrible twos.
A quick story uh, sam Pessin,from a friend's Olivia state
park, uh, always, yeah, alwaysasked about the kids and when my
daughter was turning two, uh,he said, uh, you know.
I said he asked about Oliviaand I said, oh, you know, she's
good, she's about to turn to youknow the terrible twos.
And because Sam's the best, hewas like no, I don't believe in
(23:42):
the terrible twos, I call themthe terrific twos.
I said, all right, like I'mgoing to take, I'm going to take
that mindset.
Sam and uh talked about with mywife.
Uh, a couple weeks later I sawsam and he asked about the kids
again and I said, sam, I loveyou, but, uh, I'm sticking with
the terrible twos.
Uh, the terrific two.
(24:02):
Spin is a great thing, uh, but,but it's a unique set of
challenges.
But they're great, you know.
I mean um, you know, my son isjust.
He has this different energythan his sister had when she was
two.
He loves testing the limits ofwhat is dangerous and how much
he can engage in a dangerouspursuit, whether it's climbing
(24:27):
or knocking things over orthrowing things down the stairs.
But they're both great andthey're a lot of fun, uh, but uh
, they're both great and they'rea lot of fun and um, face time
every morning when I'm inwashington and uh love when I'm
home, because I spending timewith them is the best how do you
balance, because you're inwashington four days a week yeah
so how do you bet?
Speaker 1 (24:48):
and you I'm assuming, your wife and kids are
obviously in jersey city.
How do you balance family lifeand working in Washington?
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Yeah, Um, it's a challenge, um, you know, having
a wife who's beyond incredible,um, having a partner who's
beyond incredible, uh, makes itpossible.
You know we have a greatsupport network.
Uh, you know, my wife is anincredible professional, um, you
know, committed to her, to hercareer growth, um, and that I
want to make sure I'm supportiveof Um.
(25:17):
So, you know, the way it worksis listen, I'm fortunate in the
fact that I can get toWashington pretty quickly.
Um, you know, you havecolleagues flying in from
California, from Alaska, fromHawaii, so, um, the proximity
makes it more manageable.
So, for instance, uh, let's sayit's a Monday through Thursday
week, monday I'll get up, youknow I'll be in Jersey, spend
(25:39):
the morning with the kids, takemy daughter to school, come back
, spend some time with my sonand then, you know, head down to
Washington, gone Monday night,tuesday night, wednesday night,
thursday, have votes here andthen get back, uh, as soon as I
can to, to see my daughter.
She comes back from school tospend time with my son, do bath
(26:01):
time routine and then do bedtimeroutine.
Um, but it's a challenge, youknow, um, you know I miss them
all the time when I'm here.
But the way I've sort of um, Imade a decision that you know,
if I was gonna, you know, ask myfamily, especially my wife, to
do this, then when I'm inWashington, I have to be as
productive as I can be.
(26:22):
Um, you know, like we start Istart the day early, I get up
early, um, I do.
I get prepped for the whole day.
Memos, I take as many meetingswith constituents as I can.
We're on two committees, soI'll prep for committee when we
have committee hearings, youknow, after there's events, you
know different organizationswill have events go to those
(26:43):
events and try to, you know, beas engaged as possible, because
you know my wife's at homegetting two kids bathed and put
down for bed, and so I'm notgoing to sit here and like watch
Netflix right, like it's.
I'm going to be as productiveas I can be and that's how I've
(27:08):
gone about it to sort of justifythe sacrifice that that my wife
and our kids are making for forme to have this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Okay, if you were going to watch Netflix, though,
what would it be?
Speaker 3 (27:19):
That's a great question.
Honestly, if I was going towatch Netflix, whatever my wife
wanted to watch on Netflixbecause, like you know, when I
get home and we have, you know,so many nights to hang out
together, uh, if she wants towatch something, uh, I've, I've
surrendered.
I say, okay, she really lovesbelow deck, which.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I was not.
I was not a fan of.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
But you know, again, once I surrendered and was like
I'm not watching Nick's playoffbasketball, I'm not watching.
You know rewatching, you knowan HBO series watch whatever she
wants.
That's, that's my answer.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Amazing.
Well, she's saving you fromfrom Nick's basketball heartache
anyway, so you should probablyjust thank her.
It's, yeah, that's fair.
I think they're going tothey're going to.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
I think they're going to pull this series out, but
we'll see.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
So if people want to learn more about you, everybody
needs to go out to vote,obviously, and do your research.
Where can people find you?
And just time to plug all yourstuff.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
So, no, I appreciate it.
So we have two sort ofpresences, right Like we have
the official side.
So obviously, anything thatanyone needs from our office, um
, like there's a two.
It's a weird thing.
There's like two separateworlds that, um, that exists,
and we always try to keep themvery clean.
So, for anyone that needsanything from our office, you
(28:49):
can go to Menendezhousegov.
Um, we're our offices in Jerseycity, but you can reach us by
phone or email.
Anything that we can be helpfulwith.
Never hesitate to reach out.
If you're not sure whether it'ssomething we can be helpful
with.
Just reach out, um, and you'llsee our social media accounts
there.
We're at Menendez?
Uh, across all differentplatforms.
Um, on the political side, uh,we have our um campaign website,
(29:14):
robmenendezcom uh, all socialmedias robmenendezcom.
All social media isrobmenendez4nj.
So check us out there and learnmore about what we're doing.
I think you'll see that, nomatter which account you follow,
that we're hustling every day.
We're engaged.
We try to be as many places aswe can be.
(29:35):
The best compliment that peoplecan give us based on our social
media is working hard, andevery day we're out there doing
something to improve ourcommunity, and that's what we
want to be doing.
This is an incredibleopportunity, and so every day
we're just trying to make themost of it in terms of what we
deliver for our constituents,for our residents, and that's
every day.
(29:55):
That's the goal, and then westart over next day and just try
to figure out a way to continueproducing for the folks that
live here.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I love that.
Well, we really appreciate yourtime and thanks for everything
that you're doing.
Especially, you know youradvocacy when it comes to the
things that concern us.
Um, and, yeah, we reallyappreciate it and wish you the
best of luck.
Yeah, Do you have anything youwant to say?
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I did have one question and I know we kind of
wrapped up.
But we've got seven minutes andI want to make the most of it
Okay.
I have one question because Ithink it's relevant and it's not
often we're talking to apolitician on our show.
My question would be what wouldyou say to traditionally
liberal Jewish voters who feel alittle bit disenfranchised by
(30:46):
the Democratic Party when itcomes to, most specifically,
biden's handling of the responseto the war?
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Yeah, I mean it goes back to that.
This is an incredibly difficultsituation for for so many
people.
You know it's it is.
I can't imagine a morechallenging situation, given the
dynamics for anyone to navigate.
But you know, theadministration has made it clear
(31:14):
that we support our ally,israel, that we're going to
continue to work towards gettingout of this conflict Again,
because it inures to the benefitof everyone and people, I do
believe, very much want thisconflict to end.
So we have to continue to worktowards reaching a conclusion
(31:35):
and I think I would just saythey should continue to engage,
continue to reach out.
You know we've met with so manydifferent stakeholders on this
issue, people who have verydifferent views about the
conflict, but you know, for me,as a representative, it's
important to listen to everyone,which I have.
(31:56):
We will continue to listen topeople and make sure that we
take all views intoconsideration as we do our part
working towards a resolution ofthis conflict.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Okay, on that note.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Thank you, rob, you're the best.
Thank you so much, thank youguys, see you at the next kid
party.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Yeah, anytime anytime you want.
You'll find us at Liberty StatePark all the time.
Cool, all right.
I appreciate you guys having me.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Thank you, Rob.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
All right, take care.
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