Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Ayana Pressley (D-MA) urged President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to include the American Opportunity Accounts Act, or “Baby Bonds,” in the next economic recovery package. When passed into law, this groundbreaking legislation will create a federally-funded savings account for every American child that will make economic opportunity a birthright for every American and substantially close the racial... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement in response to the NCAA’s decision to delay a vote on new rules governing college athletes’ ability to market their name, image, and likeness. In December, Booker and Blumenthal introduced the College Athletes Bill of Rights to guarantee fair and equitable compensation, enforceable health and safety standards, and improved educational opportunities for all college athletes. The... Read More

NEWARK, N.J.-- – U.S. Senator Cory Booker released an updated guide for New Jerseyans detailing some of the benefits available to them through the COVID-19 relief package that was passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and is awaiting signature by the President. Click here to access the Coronavirus Pandemic Federal Relief Update for New Jerseyans (December 23, 2020), which details benefits that will be available to New Jerseyans as they relate to direct cash payments,... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez today detailed how New Jersey will benefit from the COVID-19 relief package that was passed by Congress and signed into law earlier this week. The senators, who both voted in favor of the bipartisan package, secured at least $7.2 billion for New Jersey. Both senators are committed to passing additional funding bills to address the ongoing health and economic crisis.Click the links to view Sen. Booker’s and Sen. Menendez’s statements on... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) called on the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide COVID-related compensation, including retention pay, to eligible VA New Jersey Health Care System employees that are serving on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, the lawmakers explained that the VA New Jersey Healthcare System, unlike VA Health Care Systems across the country, is not... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) voted tonight to approve a COVID-19 relief package as a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. He released the following statement: “After over seven months of delay and inaction from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, tonight we are bringing long-overdue, much-needed relief to millions of people across New Jersey and our country who are hurting. “This bill extends critically needed pandemic unemployment assistance, offers... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Todd Young (R-IN), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement regarding the recent conflict in Ethiopia: “The conflict in Ethiopia remains far from over, despite Prime Minister Abiy’s claim that military operations are complete. We are deeply concerned by reports of Eritrean refugees in Tigray being killed, abducted and forcibly returned to Eritrea by Eritrean forces, as well as... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced groundbreaking legislation that will change the landscape of college sports and protect and expand the rights of college athletes. The College Athletes Bill of Rights will guarantee fair and equitable compensation, enforceable health and safety standards, and improved educational opportunities for all college athletes. A companion bill was... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Ending Administrative Wage Garnishment Act of 2020, legislation that will suspend wage garnishments for those who have defaulted on their student loans and revise income-driven repayment plans. The COVID-19 crisis has placed millions of Americans at financial risk. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 25% of U.S. adults have either been laid off or someone in their household has,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met virtually with Secretary of State Nominee Antony Blinken. “Today I had the opportunity to meet virtually with Secretary of State Nominee Antony Blinken and discuss the foreign policy and national security challenges and opportunities facing the United States, and how Congress and the incoming Biden Administration can work together to meet them. We discussed the need to ensure... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Scott (R-SC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), introduced a resolution congratulating the National Urban League on 110 years of service. The National Urban League is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the U.S. and was founded in 1910 by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Hayes as a multiracial, diverse, and grassroots campaign. Based in New York City, it was created to empower and advance... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) reintroduced the Reducing Obesity in Youth Act, which would work to prevent childhood obesity by establishing a grant program to improve healthy eating and physical activity among young children. Data demonstrates the depth of the challenge of childhood obesity and the importance of addressing obesity at an early age: according to a 2014 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a third of... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) met virtually with Dr. Cecilia Rouse, nominee to be Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA).“Today, I had the honor of meeting virtually with Dr. Cecilia Rouse who has been nominated to serve as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. In our meeting, we discussed the economic crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic, the path forward for economic relief and the President-elect’s plan for “building back better” as we work to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mr. Bernard was sentenced to death in June 2000 as an accomplice to a crime committed when he was just 18 years old. Five of the jurors who condemned him to death twenty years ago now oppose the imposition of the death penalty in Mr. Bernard’s case, and the federal prosecutor who once defended his death sentence on appeal now opposes his execution as well. While the Supreme Court has ruled that the Constitution forbids the execution of individuals who were minors at the time... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield who has been nominated to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. They discussed critical national security issues facing the United States and the urgency of restoring U.S. leadership in international multilateral forums. Following their meeting, Senator Booker issued the following statement:“It is clear to me that Ambassador... Read More

WASHINTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation resolution, urging Congress to form the first commission acknowledging and examining the systemic racism that has disenfranchised Black Americans throughout U.S. history and the racial inequities that persist today. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the resolution in the House in June. “This year has brought to bear the harsh reality that... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.— This week, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), introduced legislation to address potentially hazardous mercury vapor emissions from synthetic flooring commonly found in schools and other locations. Recent reports reveal that mercury vapor may be released into the air from rubberized flooring made using phenyl mercuric acetate (PMA), which was widely installed in schools, retirement homes, community centers, and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced legislation that would require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to address disparities in health care access and outcomes when developing new payment and delivery models for care provided to patients, including Medicaid, Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries. Under the Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act, CMMI would be required to consult with experts on health... Read More

Starting this year, New Jerseyans will use a state-based exchange, Get Covered New Jersey, to enroll in Marketplace health insurance plans. The Open Enrollment Period in New Jersey will run from November 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021, which is double the amount of time of recent years’ enrollment periods run by the federal government. Plans, enrollment assistance, and financial help, including a new state subsidy to make Marketplace plans even more affordable, will only be available for New Jersey... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today led 16 of his Democratic Senate colleagues in urging Congressional leaders to provide robust funding to ensure the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as a part of any upcoming legislation to address the pandemic. With the recent news of at least one COVID-19 vaccine possibly being available to be distributed within the next month, many state and local governments lack the proper funding that is needed to distribute the vaccine.... Read More