Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a longstanding member of the U.S. Congress representing New Jersey’s 12th district since 2015, has shared several statements on social media addressing both commendations and criticisms in recent days.
On June 2, Rep. Coleman extended her congratulations to Tonya Smith-Jackson on her new role as Chancellor of Rutgers-Newark. She highlighted Smith-Jackson’s accomplishments at North Carolina A&T State University, the largest historically black college and university (HBCU) in the country, where she “spearheaded the creation of 3 new doctoral programs and the first bachelor’s program in AI.” “Congratulations to Tonya Smith-Jackson on her appointment to become Chancellor of Rutgers-Newark.”
In a tweet posted on June 3, Rep. Coleman expressed strong disapproval regarding a financial plan that reportedly affects millions of Americans’ health insurance coverage and significantly increases the national deficit. She noted that this plan “kicks 14 million Americans off their health insurance,” adds “$2.5 trillion to the deficit,” and allocates “$1.1 trillion JUST on tax breaks for people who make $500k+ per year.” Her reaction was blunt: “I gotta say, ‘disgusting abomination’ pretty much sums it up.”
On June 4, Rep. Coleman criticized a proposed Republican budget for its potential impact on wealth distribution in America. She argued that it represents “the largest transfer of wealth from the working class to the well off in the history of this country.” According to her statement, this budget would reduce food assistance programs for children while providing substantial tax benefits predominantly benefiting wealthy individuals.“It cuts food assistance for hungry children, explicitly to offset the cost of tax breaks that overwhelmingly benefit the richest Americans.”
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1945 and currently resides in Ewing Township. She earned her BA from Thomas Edison State University in 1985.
