Bill Pascrell, longtime N.J. congressman and fierce Trump critic, dies at 87

WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Invoice Pascrell, whose profession in rough-and-tumble New Jersey politics spanned 4 a long time and who in his later years grew to become identified for his sharp barbs towards Donald Trump, died Wednesday, his household stated in an announcement on his official X account.

He was 87.

“It’s with deep unhappiness that we announce that Invoice Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, handed away this morning,” the assertion stated. “As our United States Consultant, Invoice fought to his final breath to return to the job he cherished and to the individuals he liked. Invoice lived his total life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the town he grew up in and served. He’s now at peace after a lifetime dedicated to our nice nation America.”

Pascrell died as Democrats are gathered for his or her conference in Chicago, the place Vice President Kamala Harris will settle for her social gathering’s presidential nomination. Those that might pay tribute to Pascrell from the conference stage Wednesday embody Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the previous Home speaker

“Within the Congress, Congressman Pascrell has been a relentless champion of America’s working households — combating for employees’ rights and investments within the schooling of our kids,” Pelosi, a fellow Italian American who served for many years with Pascrell, wrote in a put up on X.

“He was a proud co-chair of the Congressional Italian-American Delegation and took nice satisfaction in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution — and he by no means allow us to neglect any of it!”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, stated Pascrell “might be remembered most fondly for main the battle for our households in Congress over the previous 27 years.”

And Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stated on X that Pascrell’s “was a lifetime of service. Previous to Congress, Invoice served his nation honorably in the US Military, after which his group of Paterson, NJ in native and state authorities. He might be missed.”

Pascrell, who was in his 14th time period, was hospitalized for almost a month this summer season after he skilled a fever associated to a respiratory sickness. He was discharged to a rehabilitation heart on Aug. 7 however was re-admitted to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Heart in Livingston, New Jersey, simply 4 days later.

Pascrell, a feisty octogenarian, was the second-oldest Home member, behind solely retiring Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif. The oldest member of Congress is Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who turns 91 on Sept. 17.

Pascrell was the second New Jersey congressman to die this yr. Fellow Democrat Donald Payne Jr. died April 24 at age 65 after he suffered a coronary heart assault associated to diabetes issues.

Pascrell had been operating for re-election to his ninth District seat in November.

As a result of the emptiness has occurred earlier than an Aug. 27 deadline — 70 days earlier than the final election — Democratic county committee members will be capable to handpick a brand new nominee by Aug. 29, in line with state election legislation.

Pascrell was the favourite towards Republican Billy Prempeh, his opponent in his final two elections. In 2022, Pascrell defeated Prempeh by greater than double digits, 55% to 43%, within the deep-blue ninth Congressional District; Joe Biden trounced Trump there in 2020 by 19 proportion factors.

The grandson of Italian immigrants, William James Pascrell Jr. was born on Jan. 25, 1937, in Paterson, New Jersey’s third-largest metropolis, the place he would later be elected mayor. He served within the Military and the Military Reserve and was honorably discharged in 1967.

After having attended Fordham College, the place he acquired a B.A. in journalism and an M.A. in philosophy, Pascrell taught highschool historical past and was an adjunct professor.

He obtained his begin in politics within the late Nineteen Seventies by way of native faculty boards: first with the Paterson Board of Training, of which he was president, then as a member of Passaic County Group Faculty’s Board of Trustees.

Pascrell gained election to the New Jersey Normal Meeting in 1987. Only a few years later, he gained the mayor’s race in Paterson and held each workplaces concurrently — a typical observe within the state on the time — till he was elected to Congress in 1996.

In Washington, Pascrell served on the Home Transportation and Infrastructure, Homeland Safety, Funds and Small Enterprise committees. Since 2007, he had been a member of the highly effective tax-writing Methods and Means Committee, the place he led the battle for entry to Trump’s private tax returns.

All through his time in Congress, Pascrell fought to revive the complete state-and-local tax deduction, helpful to his New Jersey constituents; develop offshore wind vitality and different clear vitality tasks; and lift consciousness of traumatic mind damage, particularly amongst service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However a youthful era got here to know Pascrell by way of his acerbic, unabashedly partisan assaults on Trump — delivered by way of the then-president’s favourite methodology of communication: Twitter, now referred to as X.

After Trump’s now-infamous “s-–-hole international locations” comment, Pascrell tweeted that Trump had “made a idiot of himself” on the world stage and was “displaying his bigoted tendencies in ways in which would make Archie Bunker blush.”

Later, he bashed Trump and “his soulless goons” for “numerous useless Individuals” over their dealing with of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Extra lately, Pascrell had been posting every day on X: “Good morning. Republican donald trump is a convicted legal,” with a photograph of Trump and the phrase: “FELON.”

On Could 12, Pascrell tweeted a dire warning about the potential for a second Trump presidency.

“Quite a few information studies and donald trump’s personal phrases have revealed trump is planning to impose a dictatorship and use the navy towards his critics if he seizes energy once more,” he tweeted alongside a tank with a Trump sticker trampling over the American flag. “I’m going to put up this repeatedly so nobody can say they haven’t been advised.”

Pascrell is survived by his spouse of greater than 60 years, Elsie Marie Botto; three kids; and 5 grandchildren.