Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Lee (R-UT) reintroduced the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill that would reshape EQIP to be more equitable and effective.Started in 1998, EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that provides farmers and ranchers with federal cost-share grants to implement environmentally-beneficial conservation practices on their farms. Unfortunately, USDA currently turns away two out of every... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) will chair the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy in the 118th Congress. “As chair of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, I look forward to helping the United States chart a new path forward to strengthen and expand our relationships with African countries,” said Senator Booker. “For too long, many have painted Africa with broad strokes, ignoring the diversity and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Lee (R-UT) led a bipartisan effort to reform agricultural checkoff programs. Joined by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act will make checkoff programs more responsive to the farmers who are required to contribute to them. Checkoffs are mandatory Department of Agriculture fees assessed on a per-unit basis that fund boards... Read More

Washington, DC – Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement ahead of Saturday’s general election in Nigeria:“Tomorrow, the people of Nigeria have the opportunity to?make their voices?heard?and declare their aspirations for the future.? “Free, fair, and peaceful elections that reflect the will of the people are the bedrock of any democracy. As the most populous country... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C — On Tuesday, February 21st and Wednesday, February 22nd, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around Brownsville, Texas, meeting with local immigration stakeholders and government officials and gathering information about the situation facing migrants. “My trip allowed me to see first-hand the conditions migrants face at our southern border and reinforced my belief that we need to modernize our immigration system and border policies,” Senator... Read More

Washington, DC -- Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022:“One year ago, Russia launched an illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.  “Since then, we have seen the brutality of Putin’s military on full display. Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced, and countless lives have been lost. From the cruel targeting of civilians —... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) today issued the following joint statement in response to the Biden Administration rolling out its proposed asylum transit ban rule:“Last month, when the Biden Administration announced it would soon be issuing a proposed rule, which in effect would function as a ‘transit ban’ on asylum seekers who don’t first apply for asylum in a transit country, we urged... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today and tomorrow, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is traveling to South Texas and Mexico to meet with officials about the situation facing migrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and to observe firsthand the impact of the administration’s recent actions on access to asylum.“The challenges our nation is facing at the southern border are exacerbated by Republican... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) urged New Jerseyans to plan ahead for passport renewals in the face of longer-than-usual processing times.As mid-year high travel season approaches, passport renewal applications tend to increase dramatically. Because of these seasonal increases in applications, processing times are taking about two weeks longer on average. Applicants can expect 8-11 weeks for a routine renewal and 5-7 weeks for expedited renewals, which... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Representatives Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Democratic Leader, announced the reintroduction of the bipartisan Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act, legislation to eliminate the federal crack and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a package of bills geared towards ending unfair and abusive labor practices in our country’s correctional facilities: the Combating Workplace Discrimination in Correctional Facilities Act, the Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Ensuring Work Opportunities in Correctional Facilities Act, and the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act.“The Thirteenth... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) today reintroduced the American Opportunity Accounts Act, legislation that would create a federally-funded savings account for every child in order to make economic opportunity a birthright for everyone in America and help close the racial wealth gap. The lawmakers' bill comes as baby bonds programs gain... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) celebrated the Senate passage of a bipartisan resolution commemorating Black History Month and the important contributions made by Black Americans throughout United States history. The resolution was introduced by Senators Booker, Tim Scott (R-SC), and Warnock.“Black history is American history. Generations of Black Americans throughout our country’s history have worked, struggled, and sacrificed... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led 45 of their colleagues in the Senate and House in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan encouraging the agency to expand its current efforts to address the plastic production crisis. “As our transportation, energy, and industrial sectors transition to clean energy, the oil and gas... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced the STOP (Study, Treat, Observe, and Prevent) Neglected Diseases of Poverty Act, legislation that would provide the necessary tools to address, and ultimately eliminate, neglected diseases of poverty in the United States.Neglected diseases of poverty – many of which are neglected tropical diseases – are a group of chronic and disabling illnesses, such as chagas and dengue fever, that primarily impact those living in extreme... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to support and provide students with more access to music and arts in our schools. The first bill, the Music In Our Schools Month Resolution, would support music in schools by affirming the importance of music education, highlighting the benefits students receive from its instruction, and recognizing the hard work of... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during the first week of Black History Month, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) reintroduced the United States Colored Troops Congressional Gold Medal Act, legislation that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 219,000 African Americans who fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War.Since the colonial era, African Americans have served the United States in times of war. Yet, there... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced today that he will bring Aqeela Sherrills, a longtime public safety activist based in Newark, to Tuesday’s State of the Union address as his guest. Sherrills, who helped found the Newark Community Street Team in 2014, is a national leader in using community-based public safety approaches to preventing violence and supporting crime survivors.“Gun violence and violent crime demand a comprehensive approach that includes... Read More

Washington, DC – Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement: “It has been almost two months since Azerbaijan initiated its blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road in or out of Nagorno-Karabakh. This corridor is the lifeline for a community of approximately 120,000 people, including tens of thousands of children, who now face food, medicine, electricity, and gas... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, reintroduced a package of bills geared towards reforming the country’s agriculture sector: the Farm System Reform Act, Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act, Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act, and Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act.U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced the House companion of the Farm System Reform Act... Read More