Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following another devastating incident of domestic terrorism committed by a white supremacist in El Paso, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today pressed Attorney General William Barr and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray about what the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI are doing to combat white supremacist violence.    “After the horrific September 11th terrorist attacks, your agencies shifted focus from investigating... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate late yesterday passed a bipartisan bill authored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Kennedy (R-LA) called the Rebuilding Small Businesses After Disasters Act. This legislation would help ensure families continue to have access to certain Small Business Administration (SBA) loans soon after a disaster.  This legislation would prevent specific SBA disaster loans from decreasing from $25,000 to $14,000.  In 2015, a provision in the Recovery Improvements... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Several provisions authored by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), passed out of the EPW Committee and were included in a broader highway bill. America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 (ATIA) authorizes $287 billion in highway spending—a 27 percent increase above the spending levels included in the last 5-year transportation reauthorization bill, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the below statement following the Department of Justice’s approval of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger:   “This merger leaves consumers with fewer choices and reduces the field of competitors below an even minimally acceptable threshold. Our antitrust laws were designed to prevent exactly this type of arrangement and it’s alarming that the Department of Justice approved it based on nothing more... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced a bicameral resolution calling for a Congressional commitment to elevate the voices and needs of sexual violence survivors, particularly members of diverse communities that experience sexual violence at higher rates and are less likely to have access to justice and mental and emotional support resources after being victimized.   While all survivors’ voices need to be uplifted, troubling... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) today reintroduced legislation aimed at leveling the playing field by giving all American children an opportunity to generate wealth.   The American Opportunity Accounts Act, also known as “baby bonds”, would give every American child a fairer chance at economic mobility by creating a seed savings account of $1,000 at birth. The funds would sit in an interest-bearing account that would receive additional... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, reintroduced sweeping legislation to address the environmental injustices that harm communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities around the country. The Environmental Justice Act of 2019 would require federal agencies to mitigate environmental injustices through agency action and would strengthen the legal protections of those affected by environmental... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today in a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing that the agency has stopped using the inflammatory and baseless “black identity extremists” label as a designation for domestic terrorist groups. This classification was inexplicably created by FBI in 2017. Today’s announcement came while the FBI Director, Christopher Wray, was being questioned by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).   “We don't use the term... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today issued the following joint-statement upon Senate passage of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) Act, which extends through 2092, the program that provides compensation to first responders and their families for injuries and illnesses suffered as a result of 9/11.  The bill now heads to President Trump for his signature:   “Permanently funding the September 11th Victims’ Compensation Fund provides... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Combating Deceptive Immigration Enforcement Practices Act to prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) from wearing clothing displaying the word “police.” This is the Senate companion to legislation introduced last week in the House of Representatives by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY).   Advocates warn that ICE agents, by displaying the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today blasted U.S. Attorney General William Barr’s decision to overrule career civil rights prosecutors and not bring federal civil rights charges against Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City Policy Department (NYPD) officer who placed Eric Garner in a chokehold, resulting in his death. Barr’s decision is part of a larger pattern of the Attorney General abdicating his responsibility to uphold the rule... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today introduced legislation that invests in startup accelerators and incubators in new and underserved areas. Research indicates that just three geographic clusters—San Francisco Bay Area, Boston-Washington Corridor, and Southern California—account for 77 percent of venture capital funding in the United States, driving small business job growth to thrive in these areas... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), announced today they will introduce on Wednesday an ambitious bill that pioneers a groundbreaking approach to our justice system by giving a “second look” to those behind bars. The Second Look Act would allow any individual who has served at least 10 years in federal prison to petition a court to take a “second look” at their... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill authored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) to give formerly incarcerated individuals a fairer shot at finding employment passed the House of Representatives today, as part of a larger package related to military defense. The bicameral legislation, the Fair Chance Act, was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) led the companion efforts in the House.   This bipartisan bill prohibits the federal... Read More

NEWARK, N.J.—U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded legislation that Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed into law in New Jersey today that limits solitary confinement and bans the practice for vulnerable populations in state prisons.   “Today’s signing of the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act into law is a historic step towards restoring human dignity for detained New Jerseyans,” Booker said. “Solitary confinement is torture. It is an archaic,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the below statement following today’s Senate Judiciary Committee markup where Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) agreed to hold a hearing “about the conditions” at the Southern Border after being pressed by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). Two weeks ago, Booker sent a letter to Graham formally requesting such a hearing.    “It’s encouraging that Chairman Graham has agreed to hold a hearing on the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today will introduce legislation to prohibit the United States Census Bureau from including any citizenship information in the data it provides to states for legislative redistricting. Title 13 of the United States Code mandates that the Census Bureau provide states with the small-area, block-level data necessary for legislative redistricting and population totals. This legislation will safeguard... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), called for an investigation into potentially hazardous emissions from flooring that has been widely installed in public spaces across the country since the 1960s. Some synthetic rubberized floors found in schools, hospitals, and community centers were made using a substance that may release mercury vapor into the air as they deteriorate, posing a potential risk to public... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today blasted the Trump Administration’s immigration policy that limits the number of people allowed to apply for asylum, known as metering, in light of recent fatalities near the Southern Border.    “This administration has used its power to create a humanitarian crisis while stripping migrants of their basic dignity,” Booker wrote, in a letter to Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan. “Seeking asylum in this country is a legal right, not a tool... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the below statement following his vote in favor of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would prohibit funds from being used for military operations against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress: “The Trump Administration has chaotically and irresponsibly escalated tensions with Iran by marching our country to the brink of an... Read More