Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to skyrocket across the country, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today renewed his call for the Trump Administration to create a special enrollment period so that individuals impacted by COVID-19, or those who currently do not have health insurance, can sign up for coverage at HealthCare.gov. Booker was the first lawmaker to propose legislation that would create such an enrollment period so that millions of individuals fearful of and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The coronavirus relief package passed by the Senate late last night includes a number of key priorities advanced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). These programs include: Direct cash assistance to Americans struggling from COVID-19 fallout: Each eligible taxpayer will receive a $1,200 cash payment (income restrictions apply, beginning at $75,000); an additional $500 cash payment is available per child.  Senator Booker led the charge on this idea with his bold proposal to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today urged the Postmaster General to do more to protect its hundreds of thousands of postal workers who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of their job duties, and who risk spreading the disease to the individuals they deliver mail to. He was joined by New Jersey Democrats Senator Bob Menendez, Rep. Tom Malinowski, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Donald Payne, Rep. Andy Kim, Rep. Bill Pascrell, Rep. Frank... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), both members of the Judiciary Committee, today introduced a bill aimed at the large federal prison population that is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives this week.  The Emergency Community Supervision Act of 2020 would immediately place vulnerable individuals – those who are pregnant, those with underlying health... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Doug Jones (D-A.L.) and Representative Alma Adams (D-N.C.) urged Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to give underresourced colleges and universities the flexibility they need to use designated federal funding as a part of their COVID-19 response.  The COVID-19 crisis has presented unique challenges for Minority Serving Institutions, which are less likely to have the resources they need immediately available to do things like set up... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When the Senate floor opens at 5PM ET today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will file legislation to temporarily ban exploitative bank overdraft fees for the duration of the Coronavirus public health emergency. Banks charge such fees to consumers when they make a purchase or pay a bill but don’t have sufficient funds in their account; typically the charge is $35.Today’s bill builds on more comprehensive legislation the two Senators have co-authored... Read More

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Cory Booker joined an effort led by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Senate Democrats in expressing their concern for children with disabilities amid the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Education Deputy Assistance Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Mark Schultz, the senators pressed the Department on what they’re doing to ensure that children with disabilities are provided a... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), along with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), pressed Amazon on workplace safety, following disturbing reports that the tech company was continuing to implement practices that could be hazardous to workers – and by extension, all of its consumers – in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. The letter comes on the heels of yesterday’s news that the first Amazon warehouse employee in the U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Doug Jones (D-AL) today urged Senate Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate appropriators to direct $1.5 billion in emergency funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to support urgent COVID-19 related costs. Over the past month, MSIs have had to cover substantial emergency expenses for students from low-income families, yet these colleges tend... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Matthew T. Albence, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark A. Morgan requesting information about the policies and procedures their respective agencies have in place to prepare for and manage a potential spread of the coronavirus among... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the economic fallout of the novel Coronavirus outbreak escalates, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-Maine), and a group of their colleagues sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer outlining a bold new proposal to provide Americans with direct cash payments. “Over the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today urged the Bureau of Prisons to allow phone calls and videoconferencing free of charge for all people behind bars, in the wake of the BOP’s prudent decision to temporarily cancel in-person visits in order to help contain the spread of Coronavirus. In a letter to BOP Director Michael Carvajal sent today, Booker wrote: “While I understand the necessity for BOP to close its facilities to outside... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez today joined colleagues in pressing the Coronavirus Task Force on their preparedness and response plans for seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Senators sent three letters to the Trump Administration regarding the safety of people living in nursing homes, the ability of seniors living in the community to maintain critical services including delivered meals and home care, and ensuring that up-to-date and accurate information... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with their Senate colleagues urged the president to invoke the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA), which authorizes the president to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity and supply in extraordinary circumstances, and to direct the production by private sector firms of critical manufactured goods to meet urgent... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-N.J.) today pressed Vice President Mike Pence, Chair of the Coronavirus Task Force, to provide clear guidelines and all necessary resources to our nation’s airports so they can quickly and efficiently screen and process travelers returning to the U.S. from Europe. Several airports across the nation, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and O’Hare... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez today announced a total of $24,655,479 in continued funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the operations of 13 of New Jersey’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). FQHCs are trusted providers for many in lower-income communities who need access to health care services.  New Jersey’s senators advocated for the $8.3 billion coronavirus emergency package that was signed into law several... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) today sent a letter to President Trump urging him to increase the availability of mobile hotspots during the Coronavirus outbreak to help students complete their schoolwork. The call comes on the heels of Trump’s emergency declaration this afternoon, as well as yesterday’s announcement by Bergen County that 75 County school districts will close and use online learning as a result of the virus. In the letter to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced a bill to reduce barriers to unemployment insurance for workers throughout the country who are unable to work due to the Coronavirus. The bill will address “waiting week” requirements, which forces laid-off workers who have satisfied every other eligibility requirement to wait one week before being able to access unemployment assistance. These requirements exist in 42 states (though New Jersey doesn’t have a waiting period). The... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-N.J.) and Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.-09) today wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to give flexibility to New Jersey schools to ensure they can keep feeding New Jersey students just the accelerating COVID-19 crisis. “We write on behalf of all students in New Jersey who depend on free and reduced school meal programs to ensure they receive meals throughout school closures... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today joined a group of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the CEOs of eight major internet service providers (ISPs) calling on the companies to take steps to accommodate the unprecedented reliance we will likely see on telepresence services, including telework, online education, telehealth, and remote support services. In the letter, sent to the CEOS of AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications,... Read More