Press Releases

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 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. 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. 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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the Coronavirus pandemic shines a light on serious vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today reintroduced legislation to increase access to capital for U.S. entrepreneurs looking to scale-up and commercialize their advanced manufacturing operations. The Scale-Up Manufacturing Investment Company (SUMIC) Act would establish a fund, administered by the Small Business Administration, that would offer federal loan guarantees to investors who... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today introduced a bill aimed at helping Americans with the medical costs of any tests, care, or treatment related to the novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The Care for COVID-19 Act would require health insurance plans to cover both diagnostic and treatment services related to the virus, with no cost-sharing to the patient. This includes the cost of prescriptions, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and visits to the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent late yesterday, U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-NJ) pressed the White House for answers regarding the Administration’s COVID-19 screening efforts at airports across the country. In a letter to Vice President Pence, the lawmakers cite troubling reports of individuals not being screened for COVID-19 at airports, including Newark Liberty, despite traveling from regions with high cases of the virus. “Travelers report not being screened or even... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and  Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today introduced a bill aimed at helping Americans with the medical costs of any tests, care, or treatment related to the novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The Care for COVID-19 Act would require health insurance plans to cover both diagnostic and treatment services related to the virus, with no cost-sharing to the patient. This includes the cost of prescriptions, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and visits to the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez today joined a group of their Democratic colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to provide guidance for school districts and institutions of higher education, as well as students and their families, following school closures in New Jersey and across the nation due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  “We do not yet know the scale at which K-12 schools and IHEs across the country may need to close in order to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the heels of the third confirmed case of Coronavirus in New Jersey, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) tonight urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move swiftly to unlock emergency funds that were specifically allocated for state and local governments in the $8.5 billion supplemental package that Congress passed yesterday. That package earmarked a minimum of $950 million for states, localities, territories, and tribal entities,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-N.J.), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) today urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to suspend all immigration enforcement actions in and around hospitals and other medical facilities as the nation... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As New Jersey grapples with its first presumptive case of coronavirus, U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, announced the awarding of $1,750,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reimburse the State of New Jersey’s Department of Health (NJDOH) for its response and preparedness efforts to combat COVID-19. The senators are working to pass an... Read More