Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Cory Booker D- N.J. and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., to award the Congressional Gold Medal -- the nation’s highest civilian honor -- to those who participated in the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, has passed the US Senate. Because the US House passed identical legislation earlier this month, with President Obama’s signature of the bill the Congressional Gold Medal will be awarded to the “Foot... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sens. Cory A. Booker, D-N.J., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Angus King, I-Maine, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today praised the FCC for voting to grant petitions allowing local governments in North Carolina and Tennessee to pursue municipal broadband projects. Currently, laws in 19 states ban or significantly hinder local broadband investments. “I salute the FCC’s vote to preserve the rights of communities trying to make important broadband... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., released the following statement today after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to adopt regulations that would ensure Net Neutrality and protect and promote an open Internet: “It’s a landmark day in the history of the Internet. The FCC’s approval of Net Neutrality rules is a tremendous victory for freedom of ideas, of information, and of expression. I’ve long-believed that the principles of openness,... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) today introduced the Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, S. 574, which provides a tax credit to employers to help increase the number of registered apprenticeships in the United States. This will put more people to work and help fill the 4 million job vacancies across the United States. Many employers explain the reason for their unfilled jobs as a lack of available trained workers.... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., released the following statement after traveling to the White House this afternoon to participate in a bipartisan meeting on criminal justice reform efforts with Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President: “This afternoon, I met with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and several members of Congress to discuss the urgent need to reform our broken criminal justice system. I was encouraged to hear the President call... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., joined President Obama, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., at an event at AARP’s headquarters today to announce new federal rules aimed at better protecting American families’ retirement savings. Most critically, the proposed rules would protect families from paying hidden fees on their retirement savings and hold all advisers who provide workers with retirement investment advice to a fiduciary standard of... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., today issued the following statement on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) release of proposed rules for commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones: “For years, other countries have outpaced the United States in the development of commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems because we have lacked a regulatory framework for this emerging technology. For months, I've urged the FAA to act quickly to put forth a set of rules that... Read More

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Cory Booker D-N.J., at a press conference led by Sens. Richard Durban D-Ill. and Mike Lee R-UT, today joined a bipartisan coalition of senators and representatives to introduce the Smarter Sentencing Act, legislation to modernize federal drug sentencing polices by giving federal judges more discretion in sentencing those convicted of non-violent offenses. With prison populations skyrocketing and about half of the nation’s federal inmates serving sentences for... Read More

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. Cory Booker D-N.J. and Jeff Sessions, R-A.L. today introduced legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to participants of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. “We are forever indebted to those brave Americans-men and women of diverse age, color, and creed-who gathered in Selma to march on the frontlines in the fight for equality and justice,” said Senator Booker. “As an American who... Read More

WASHINGTON–U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. has been appointed to serve as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, part of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The subcommittee oversees interstate transportation policy issues and focuses on safety, security, and infrastructure development related to highways, waterways, and both freight and passenger rail -- including Amtrak. “There isn’t... Read More

WASHINGTON –U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Marco Rubio, R-F.L., today reintroduced S. 424, the Wi-Fi Innovation Act, legislation to expand unlicensed spectrum use by requiring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to test the feasibility of opening the upper 5 GHz band to unlicensed use. At a time when demand for spectrum is drastically increasing, the legislation aims to provide more of this valuable resource to the public to bolster innovation, spur economic development, and... Read More

WASHINGTON– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., at a press conference with U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Al Franken D-Minn., and Bernie Sanders I-Vt., today, praised the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality proposal, which was announced this morning and will be voted on by the FCC on February 26. The proposed changes would give the FCC strong legal authority to ensure that no content is blocked and no so-called pay-to-play fast lanes exist — a concept... Read More

WASHINGTON– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., announced that Jeff Giertz will join his office as communications director effective today, overseeing his communications team. Giertz joins Booker’s office after working as communications director on former U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley’s 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate. Giertz also worked for several years as communications director in Braley’s congressional office in Washington, D.C.; served as communications director for then-U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez announced that $438 million in funds have now been disbursed for clean-up of two New Jersey Superfund sites, as a result of a historic environmental settlement reached with Anadarko and Kerr-McGee. The funds will go toward paying for past and future clean-up work at the Welsbach Superfund site located in Camden and Gloucester City, New Jersey and reimburse the federal government for substantial clean-up costs at the Federal... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to approve petitions that would remove barriers to the deployment of community broadband: “I applaud the FCC’s proposal to preserve the rights of communities trying to make important broadband investments. As mayor of Newark, I saw how cities are often in the best position to innovate and find solutions to the specific challenges facing... Read More

NEWARK, NJ – With funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set to expire at the end of February, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, both (D-NJ), today held a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport to warn of the possible impact any cuts would have on New Jersey and urge Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass a clean, full Department of Homeland Security funding bill for the 2015 fiscal year. As a member of the Homeland Security and Government... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today released the following statement regarding President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal: “President Obama sent Congress a forward-looking budget that builds on the economic recovery we're seeing by focusing on boosting paychecks for middle class families and preparing workers for a 21st century economy. While New Jersey's economy is moving in the right direction, we need investments in infrastructure, transportation,... Read More

WASHINGTON –U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., today released the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015. The bill authorizes funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE): “Today, I voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will allow the United States to respond to emerging threats and challenges, while giving our troops the tools and... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-NJ) and Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) released the following joint statement decrying the Department of the Interior’s inclusion of the Atlantic Ocean in its Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program (Five Year Program) for 2017-2022. The draft proposed Five Year Program, which was announced today, allows for oil and gas exploration in a portion of the Mid- and South... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. today introduced the Community Broadband Act to preserve the rights of cities and localities to build municipal broadband networks. Internet access is increasingly a necessity, yet rural and low-income communities continue to face barriers to broadband adoption. Municipal broadband can often provide an affordable, reliable option. “As Mayor of Newark, I saw firsthand the value of... Read More