Press Releases

Education bill falls short of investing in the potential and promise of all of our children, especially New Jersey’s most vulnerable students   Washington–U.S. Sen. Cory Booker D-N.J., issued the following statement after the Senate passed Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) by a vote of 81-17:     “Today I voted to oppose passage of the Senate’s education bill.  This bill jeopardized Title I funding for New Jersey, which is a lifeline for underperforming... Read More

Booker, Menendez Praise White House Announcement of ConnectHome Program to Expand Broadband Access Newark, Camden among 27 communities that are part of new public-private partnership pilot program   WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez today praised President Obama’s announcement of the ConnectHome initiative, a public-private partnership that seeks to expand access to high-speed broadband to more families across the country. The program’s pilot project... Read More

  Amendments support educators serving on the front lines of education, eliminate harsh preschool disciplinary policies Passage comes on heels of yesterday’s Senate passage of Booker amendment to expand support for foster children and homeless youth   Washington–U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker D-N.J., celebrated the passage today of two amendments he sponsored to strengthen support for our nation’s educators and eliminate the use of harsh disciplinary practices on preschool... Read More

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), along with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), introduced an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act that would require states to identify and support schools that fail their most vulnerable students. In an effort to close the achievement gap... Read More

   Legislation will help provide essential information for teachers, policy makers and the community groups to better support our most vulnerable youth to reach their full potential   Washington – The Senate has approved a bipartisan amendment sponsored by U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.) to provide essential information for teachers, policy makers and community groups to better support our nation’s foster children and homeless youth. Booker’s amendment (#2169)... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after President Obama granted commutations of sentence to 46 individuals: "The commutations announced by President Obama today are an important step forward for the principle of equal justice under the law. ‎For every one of the 46 offenders given a second chance today, countless more men and women still continue to deal with a legal system ‎plagued by racial disparities that deny basic fairness and equity... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recognizing the tragic consequences that truck-related accidents can have, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced the Truck Safety Act, legislation that seeks to modernize truck safety standards on our nation’s roadways. Booker is the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure which has jurisdiction over truck safety. “Truck drivers work extremely long days to deliver the goods... Read More

WASHINGTON- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today led a letter urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to expedite the agency’s rulemaking (Regulation B) around publicly available small business loan data, pursuant to Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. A lack of public data makes it difficult for lenders to identify and control the levers available to increase lending across all communities. Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, (D-Ore) and other Senate Democrats to unveil legislation providing equal dignity for all legal marriages in the tax code. The bill, the “Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act” sets new precedent by removing gender-specific references to marriage, enshrining dignity and recognition for LGBTQ Americans in the tax code. “For too long, same-sex couples have been... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), the House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member, to introduce the America’s College Promise Act of 2015. The America’s College Promise Act of 2015 makes two years of community college free and provides an affordable pathway for low-income students to a... Read More

Washington, DC – As the Senate debates the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) spoke on the Senate floor today to underscore the need for Congress to reauthorize ESEA in a way that moves us away from the broken No Child Left Behind era, and strengthens the accountability provisions of the legislation to ensure that every student in our country has access to a high-quality public education. Video footage from Senator... Read More

WASHINGTON- In the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which has established marriage equality in all 50 states, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) praised President Obama’s leadership on LGBTQ rights and has requested that the federal Office of Management and Budget conduct a review of federal polices to ensure compliance with the decision. “I therefore ask that the Office of Management and Budget conduct, within the next 60 days, a comprehensive... Read More

WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges today: “Fundamental questions of freedom and equality have been raised by every generation as we have marched onward as a country. Throughout our history, these questions were asked by Abolitionists, by Suffragettes, by Civil Rights activists, by gay rights pioneers – by ordinary Americans with extraordinary courage and an abiding... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, (D-N.J.), and Roger Wicker, (R-Miss), today announced that their bipartisan measure to increase passenger rail safety, reauthorize Amtrak services, and improve existing rail infrastructure has been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The committee unanimously passed the proposal. “Today’s vote brings us one step closer to passing a bill that reinvests in vital rail infrastructure along the Northeast... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court once again upheld the Affordable Care Act and prevented a health care tax hike on millions of Americans: “The Supreme Court has done the right thing by upholding a vital provision of the Affordable Care Act that provides tax credits for individuals who purchase health insurance through federally-run marketplaces in states like New Jersey. These tax credits keep health insurance... Read More

WASHINGTON– Today, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, (D-N.J.) cosponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) of 2015, which seeks to restore and advance voting protections for all Americans. Two years since the Supreme Court gutted core protections in the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, states and localities throughout the country have passed sweeping laws that disproportionately suppress the voting rights of minorities. These laws have left voters without the protections they... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) issued the following statement after his bill, the bipartisan Emergency Information Improvement Act of 2015 was passed by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today. The legislation designates public broadcasting stations as one of several nonprofits eligible for federal assistance when damaged by storms and other disasters. “Public radio and broadcast stations are an essential asset that provide critical... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) are calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to further explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding the “Internet of Things.” In a letter today to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, the senators highlighted the need to analyze new technologies that will promote economic growth and consumer empowerment. In March, the Senate... Read More

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., issued the following statement regarding the agreement between LG Electronics USA and a number of New Jersey conservation groups: “I am pleased to hear that a mutually beneficial agreement has been reached between LG Electronics USA and a number of New Jersey conservation groups on a new design for LG’s new North America headquarters. The agreement is significant to our state as LG nearly doubles its local employment to more than... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today introduced a bipartisan measure to improve passenger rail safety, reauthorize Amtrak services, and improve existing rail infrastructure. The bill, “Railroad Reform, Enhancement, and Efficiency Act,” could receive a vote by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee as early as next week. “To help the United States compete globally, we must invest in a safe and reliable... Read More