Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), members of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to tackle the challenge of space debris – hundreds of thousands of pieces of orbital debris no longer in use that pose a serious threat to satellites and spacecraft.  In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the Senators asked the Commission to form a working group with NASA and the... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-NJ) announced the expansion of the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), a federal drug prevention program, to include Ocean County and assist efforts to battle the opioid epidemic.  The designation, which Sen. Booker advocated for in May, will allow Ocean County to receive federal resources to further the coordination and development of drug control efforts among federal, state,... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the tragic Hoboken rail crash, today U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced the introduction of legislation to protect commuters, rail operators and commercial truck drivers from the dangers of sleep apnea. The legislation, which is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) and Albio... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement on Trump’s tax plan announced earlier today: “The Trump tax plan is great for people like Donald Trump—the wealthy and the well-connected. It's unjust and unfair for everyone else. Asking everyday Americans to shoulder the burden of a massive tax giveaway to the rich breaks the promise President Trump made—just yesterday—of a tremendous tax cut for the middle class and the vow his... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called for an investigation into the planned periodic shutdown of Healthcare.gov – the official federal website established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) where Americans can enroll in a health insurance plan – during the 2018 open enrollment period (OEP). During open enrollment – the time of year that individuals can... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) delivered remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate this afternoon urging Congress and the Administration to urgently act to aid Puerto Rico, which was battered by Hurricane Maria last week. Reports indicate a dire humanitarian situation on the island, with thousands of American citizens without access to electricity, running water, medication, and life-sustaining essentials. Video of Booker’s remarks are available at the following link:... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  A bipartisan coalition of ethics experts, former administration officials, and scholars, including the ethics czars for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, today endorsed two separate bills introduced last month in the Senate that would protect special counsels from political interference. In a public letter, the bipartisan group urged Senators to endorse the Special Counsel Independence Protection Act (SCIPA), introduced by Senators Cory Booker... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  A pilot program authored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) that aims to help small manufacturing businesses access capital and expand their operations was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the Senate last night. The language in NDAA directs the Defense Department to increase capital for manufacturing entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to scale-up and commercialize... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An amendment submitted by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that makes significant improvements to the Taylor Force Act was adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday after it was successfully put forward by bill author Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and supported in committee by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Chris Murphy (D-CT). The changes ensure that no American economic aid will directly benefit the Palestinian... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a bicameral bill in the Senate and House to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol. The Confederate Monument Removal Act would remove all statues of people who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from the National Statuary Hall Collection within 120 days. “The National Statuary Hall Collection is intended to honor American patriots who... Read More

NEWARK, NJ – As part of his ongoing efforts to fight for fair wages for our region’s airport workers, today U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) urged the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to raise the hourly age for workers at airports under its jurisdiction to $15.  In a letter to Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole and Executive Director Rick Cotton, Sen Booker pointed out that not only are airport workers not currently receiving a living wage, but workers at... Read More

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) urged President Trump to reverse his decision made last month to revoke a safeguard that ensures federal buildings, roads, bridges, and other pieces of infrastructure are built to withstand extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Harvey. The Senators also indicated plans to introduce... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the below statement following Trump’s announcement that he would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. This decision means that hundreds of thousands of DREAMers who were brought to this country as kids will be at risk of deportation.  “Today’s decision is a moral catastrophe that should shake us all to the core. The President of the United States has... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Africa and Global Health Policy subcommittee, released the following joint statement on this morning’s decision by the Kenyan Supreme Court to annul the result of last month’s presidential election, citing irregularities. Booker is the Ranking Member of the Africa and Global Health Policy subcommittee.  “Today’s ruling by the Kenyan Supreme... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement in response to new guidelines issued by the Federal Bureau of Prisons explicitly requiring all BOP facilities to provide incarcerated women access to feminine hygiene products, including tampons and pads, at no cost to inmates. The BOP had previously only broadly required “sanitary products” to be made available for free, and the specific type of products available at no cost at different BOP... Read More

NEWARK, NJ – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate subcommittee overseeing America's rail infrastructure, today submitted his public comment to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and NJ Transit supporting the construction of a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel as part of the project’s ongoing environmental review process. The third and final public hearing on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS), which was released in early... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Africa and Global Health Policy subcommittee, released the following joint statement on yesterday’s election in Kenya. Booker is the Ranking Member of the Africa and Global Health Policy subcommittee. “Credible, free, and fair elections are the cornerstone of a democratic society. As members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Africa and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) along with Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) led a letter signed by more than 50 lawmakers criticizing the Department of Education over its current leadership at the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), saying OCR is abandoning its responsibilities of ensuring equal access to education for all students. The Office is being run by Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tom Carper (D-DE) urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “immediately implement” long-overdue chemical facility safety rule updates that provide new protections from chemical disasters to first responders, facility workers, and fenceline communities. The updated safeguards – which were supposed to go into effect this past March – are amendments to the Accidental Release Prevention... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led a bicameral letter signed by more than 60 lawmakers to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, challenging a Department of Justice (DOJ) brief arguing that the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect LGBT Americans from discrimination in the workplace. The brief was filed last month in the case of Zarda v. Altitude Express and directly contradicts the Equal Employment... Read More