Press Releases

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker today issued the following statement after the Senate voted on the reconciled version of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). On Monday, Booker announced his support for the education bill while joining Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) President Wendell Steinhauer on a conference call to urge the Senate to pass the legislation, which takes important steps to ensure that every student in our country has access to a... Read More

Booker Praises Modernization of NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Rating System Booker has championed new safety technologies and called for swift adoption of contemporary safety policies to reflect the modern era       WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced changes to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 5-Star Safety Ratings for new vehicles. Among... Read More

  NEWARK, NJ – As the Senate prepares to vote this week on the reconciled version of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-NJ) today announced their support for the education bill while joining New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) President Wendell Steinhauer in urging the Senate to pass the legislation which takes an important step in ensuring that every student in our country has access to a high-quality public... Read More

  In Trifecta Victory, Bill Allows: 1) Profits on Northeast Amtrak Line To Be Used for Tunnel, Approximately $200-$300M A Year; 2) New Federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) Rules Making Federal Low-Interest Loans More Accessible To Development Corp. Structure & Improving Repayment Structure‎; and 3) Expansion Of "New Starts" Transit Program That Will Allow Gateway To Secure Even More Federal Funds     U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY),... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act(FAST Act), a five-year, $305 billion highway and transportation compromise.  Booker is the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, responsible for oversight of passenger and freight rail, and surface transportation in the United States. Booker voted in support of the agreement which included much of the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement in disapproval of Senate Republicans attempt to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal key components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through the Republican Budget Reconciliation bill voted on today in the Senate.   “It is grossly irresponsible to waste taxpayer dollars playing partisan games with the healthcare of the American people. The Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood provide lifesaving... Read More

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, and Congressman Albio Sires (N.J.-08) today applauded the reinstatement of critical funding for New Jersey Transit (NJT), a day after they drew a line in the sand and announced their refusal to support a federal transportation bill if it including a House provision to strip $50 million a year for the agency.   “Saving this critical transit funding for New Jersey was my top priority and essential to moving our... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sens. Cory Booker(D-NJ) and Tom Carper (D-DE) today sent a letter to House-Senate conferees negotiating a final Highway and Transportation Bill compromise, urging them to focus on our nation’s crumbling infrastructure by shortening the authorization period for the bill and using the savings to maximize annual investment levels for all surface transportation programs. Sens. Bennet (D-CO), Blumenthal(D-CT), Cantwell (D-Wash), Cardin (D-MD), Casey (D-PA),... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced a Senate resolution today to recognize the contributions of American entrepreneurs and officially establish National Entrepreneurs’ Day as a federally recognized observance day. The Moran-Booker Senate resolution aims to have Congress identify the third Tuesday of every November as National Entrepreneurs’ Day.   “Today and every day of the year, entrepreneurs deserve to be honored and... Read More

Today, New York and New Jersey leaders announced that they have reached an agreement on funding commitments and a governance structure that will allow the critically important Gateway Tunnel Project to move forward. The agreement marks a major milestone in the effort to build a new trans-Hudson river tunnel that is an essential portion of Amtrak’s eight-state Northeast Corridor that connects the states of New York and New Jersey and is one of our region’s most critical major... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today praised the White House’s endorsement of the Equality Act, comprehensive legislation that would ban discrimination against LGBT Americans.   “I am grateful for President Obama’s support in our legislative fight to achieve justice and equality for those who endure discrimination due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. Brave men and women in every generation throughout America’s history have... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced the Strengthening Technical Assistance, Resources, and Training to Unleash the Potential of Veterans Act (STARTUP-Vets), legislation which would increase access to capital and educational resources for veterans aspiring to enter the small business sector. Veterans Day is tomorrow, Wednesday, November 11.   “Many of our nation’s veterans possess a breadth of professional skills and experience that are ideal... Read More

  Senators: “Decisions about protecting species under the Endangered Species Act should be made based upon science – such provisions have no place in the appropriations process.”    WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today led a letter to President Obama urging him to reject all spending bill riders that would undermine Endangered Species Act protections for particular species or otherwise erode the Endangered Species... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Lee(R-UT) today introduced the Stop Debt Collection Abuse Act of 2015, legislation that promotes fairness and strengthens protections for ordinary consumers against predatory debt collection practices.     “From unpaid traffic tickets to overdue student loans, debts owed to the government have too often become a license for debt collectors to harass and intimidate well-meaning families who are struggling to get... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today led a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) urging them to address the predatory behavior in the prepaid card market that impacts formerly incarcerated people. Sen. Booker was joined by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Dick Durbin(D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Al Franken... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today issued the following statement after the Senate passed a budget deal that also responsibly lifts the nation’s debt limit before the Nov. 3 deadline and raises domestic and defense spending caps.  “I am relieved that Congress has finally come together to pass a budget that averts the fiscal catastrophe of a default, protects our national and economic security, and safeguards the promises we’ve made to our... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker(D-NJ) today issued the following statement after the Senate passed a one-month extension of federal transportation funding that included a three year extension of the implementation deadline for Positive Train Control technology. The Senate also confirmed Sarah Feinberg as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, responsible for overseeing our nation’s rail system and implementation of PTC. Booker, the top-ranking Democrat on the... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., issued the following statement in response to the release of the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report on the status of Superfund cleanups. Last year, Booker and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA, requested that the GAO assess what progress has been made to clean up Superfund sites in the wake of a 2010 GAO report that showed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not have adequate funding to clean up these toxic sites. The... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today issued the following statement after the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, broad-based legislation he introduced last month with a coalition of Republicans and Democrats to begin the process of reforming our criminal justice system, was passed today by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.    “For decades, our broken criminal justice system has held our nation back from realizing its... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC–U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., today issued the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) action to tamp down exorbitant phone rates charged to prison inmates: “Providing communications services at fair and reasonable rates is critical to ensuring that incarcerated people maintain the supportive ties with their families that contribute to successful reentry into society. Extreme phone rates that exponentially exceed regular market rates... Read More