Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) announced the introduction of the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, legislation that would delay the January 19 deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban, by an additional 270 days. “Tens of millions of Americans use TikTok for entertainment, business, and social networking, including myself,” said Senator Booker. “Americans should not be shut... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) responded to the release of two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies on the health and safety risks faced by meatpacking workers. The findings highlight that meatpacking continues to be a job where workers have unacceptably high rates of injury. Meatpacking and slaughterhouse workers are required to handle animal carcasses on an assembly line with force, speed, and repetitive motions. The studies found that at existing... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) urged President Biden to support a new issuance of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) totaling $650 billion. SDRs are an international reserve asset, distributed by the International Monetary Fund,  to help supplement member countries' reserves, and have previously provided liquidity to help developing and low-income nations. In 2021, the IMF issued $650 billion in SDRs to help stabilize the global economy during the COVID-19 crisis. “We urge... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led colleagues in reintroducing S.40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, legislation that would establish a commission to consider proposals for reparations for African American descendants of slavery.  The Commission will study the impact of slavery and the continuing discrimination against African Americans and will make recommendations on reparation proposals for the descendants of... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) decision to maintain protections for grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agency’s decision was based on the best available science, as well as ample stakeholder input from state, tribal, and conservation partners. “Biologists estimated that around 100,000 grizzly bears once roamed western... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the kidnapping of Rafael Tudares, Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González’s son-in-law, in Caracas: “In July, the Venezuelan people overwhelmingly... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ 2nd District) applauded the unanimous Senate passage of two bills, H.R. 7606 and H.R. 7607, renaming two United States Postal Service (USPS) post offices in Cape May County, New Jersey, in honor of Carlton H. Hand and George Henry White, respectively. The bills passed in the House of Representatives in June 2024 and now head to President Biden to be signed into law. “This is a special moment for New... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), along with Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to President Biden urging him to take action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to protect unleased and at-risk areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from fossil fuel development.  “As you cement your legacy to be the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) applauded the passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024) through the U.S. Senate. Reauthorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works Program to conduct studies, construct projects and research activities to improve the nation’s waterways, WRDA 2024 is vital to flood and coastal storm risk management, ecosystem restoration programs, and local sustainability and climate resiliency efforts.  “As... Read More

Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement: “The National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate today includes a long list of policy improvements and important funding authorizations, including requiring the appointment of a Special Envoy to help mediate the conflict in Sudan, millions of dollars of investment in military facilities across New Jersey, increased support for military families, and a pay raise and improvements in benefits for active... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued two reports revealing details of the financial assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to agricultural producers. The first report focused on USDA financial assistance to the largest livestock feeding operations from 2018 to 2023, and the second report focused on the financial assistance provided by USDA to all agricultural producers between 2019 and 2023. U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kirsten... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the United Nations (UN) Security Council to increase enforcement of the existing Darfur arms embargo and extend it to cover all of Sudan. The resolution is in response to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led colleagues in writing a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, urging the agency to provide guidance to states on expanding coverage for fertility services, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), through their benchmark plans before the end of 2024.  “Despite significant advances in the medical treatment of infertility, such as IVF, access to and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert M. Califf, expressing concern over the agency’s call for manufacturers to test sunscreen ingredients on animals despite decades of human safety data supporting these products. The letter highlights the importance of ensuring access to sunscreens and that requesting animal tests to keep these products on the market undermines and jeopardizes the availability of... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) introduced the Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act to include holistic demographic data of federal loans and grants recipients. Currently, data tracking of federal awards such as grants, loans, and contracts does not include the recipients’ ethnicity, race, or sex. Congresswoman Kelly introduced companion legislation in the House. “Federal contracting is a major economic... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act to reform civil forfeiture laws and protect Americans’ rights from government abuse.  “Civil asset forfeiture allows federal law enforcement to seize the property of Americans who haven’t even been charged with or convicted of a crime,” said Senator Booker. “Under this system, police can keep cash, cars, and even homes based on mere suspicion of a... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) applauded the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (Port Authority) adoption of an hourly wage increase for airport service workers at Port Authority-operated airports. “Port Authority airport service workers play an indispensable role at three of our nation’s busiest airports–from cleaning cabins and handling sensitive cargo, to escorting passengers with disabilities, assisting with security, and so much more. The Port Authority’s... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Tammy Baldwin (D-MI) led a group of over 40 Senators to urge Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) to keep any new dangerous, hyper-partisan policy provisions that would curtail the freedoms of women and LGBTQ+ individuals out of must-pass government funding legislation. House Republicans inserted ‘poison pill’ provisions, which would otherwise fail the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation that would establish a new U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program to provide community land trusts (CLTs) an incentive to convert vacant housing into readily available housing for unhoused individuals. CLTs are nonprofit, community-based organizations that acquire, own, and manage land for the common good. CLTs provide long-term affordable housing on land held by the non-profit organization–offering... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting a briefing on how the agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of recent unmanned aerial system activity in New... Read More