Press Releases

Newark, N.J. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement: “Sharpe James was a beloved pillar of our shared community, serving the City of Newark for two decades as mayor and giving nearly four decades of his life to public service. I am deeply saddened by his passing, and I extend my most heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew him throughout Newark.” Read More

Newark, N.J. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement: “As mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka has a responsibility to ensure that facilities operating in the city are adhering to laws that protect the safety and wellbeing of occupants and residents. This incident is disturbing, unnecessary and indicative of tactics that are undermining the safety and security of our communities, not adding to it. Law enforcement officers should have deescalated this situation. Mayor... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined a group of 25 Democratic senators led by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), along with Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), in writing a letter to President Trump in advance of the president’s upcoming travel to the Middle East next week, urging him to take an active role in pressing for humanitarian aid and a return to ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in order to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, joined a group of bipartisan senators led by U.S. Senators Marker Warner (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) in writing a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to work with President Trump to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan, build out key senior Africa roles at the State Department and the National Security Council, and to hold... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During Teacher Appreciation Week, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) reintroduced the bicameral Respect, Advancement, and Increasing Support for Educators (RAISE) Act, legislation that would boost teacher compensation by putting tax money back in their pockets and help diversify the teaching workforce. The bill would provide educators with a minimum of $1000 in refundable tax credits and as much as $15,000. Teachers play a critical role in shaping young... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – This afternoon, Senator Cory Booker sent a letter to United States Department of Transportation Secretary (USDOT) Sean Duffy regarding the ongoing operational challenges at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), including widespread flight delays and cancellations, reportedly outdated air traffic control systems, and chronic staffing shortages. Booker wrote: “Given the serious consequences for our nation’s aviation system, it is critical that the United States Department of... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) raised the alarm on the Trump administration’s proposed rule that would defang the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by changing a key definition in the regulation.  The Trump administration is proposing to change the scope of “harm” covered by the landmark legislation, circumventing congressional intent and reversing 30 years of Supreme Court precedent.  “By amputating this critical part of... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – This afternoon, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) led a letter alongside seven members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation to PJM Interconnection (PJM), New Jersey’s regional transmission organization (RTO). Ahead of an anticipated 17% rate increase on June 1, the legislators urged PJM to provide updates on the steps it is taking to lower rates for New Jersey families and those across the thirteen states PJM operates. The legislators wrote: “We write to express... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led nearly 30 Democratic senators in sending a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Maureen Henneberg to reverse the abrupt cancellation of hundreds of public safety grants that serve crime victims and improve public safety in communities across the country. The letter DOJ to provide information about its decision to cancel the grants.  “On April 22, the Department of... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the Keep Finfish Free Act, bipartisan legislation to prohibit federal agencies from issuing any permit or taking any other action to authorize or facilitate commercial finfish aquaculture operations in federal waters, known as the exclusive economic zone, from 3 to 200 nautical miles off U.S. shores, unless Congress passes future legislation explicitly authorizing such permits. Commercial finfish... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led a bicameral group of his colleagues in the New Jersey delegation in writing a letter to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Keith Sonderling regarding a notice that the IMLS terminated a grant directed to the New Jersey State Library (NJLS). This grant supported Teaching Information Literacy, a project developing an instructional framework and educational tools that K-12 teachers and librarians use to teach... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined a group of House and Senate Democrats led by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39), Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, to announce the bicameral reintroduction of the Equality Act in an effort to push back against escalated attacks from the Trump Administration, MAGA Republicans, and state legislatures on the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Americans nationwide. In states across the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) have concluded a day-long sit-in on the US Capitol steps that began at sunrise today, calling Americans to action to protect Medicaid and other vital safety net programs from devastating cuts proposed in Trump and Congressional Republicans’ budget bill. With Congress returning to session tomorrow, Republican leaders have made clear their intention to use the coming weeks to advance a reckless... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  On Earth Day, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Jack Reed (D-RI) announced a pair of bills to permanently protect the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling. The package includes Booker and Reed’s Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act, which would permanently prohibit the U.S. Department of the Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) led colleagues in writing a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. regarding the suspension of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), leaving states, researchers, and health care providers without access to this vital data.  Last month, Senator Booker and Representative Kelly led colleagues in writing a letter to CDC Acting Director Susan Monarez regarding reports... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Cory Booker along with U.S. Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) reintroduced a bicameral resolution recognizing April 11 through April 17 as Black Maternal Health Week. This resolution serves to bring national attention to the maternal health crisis in the United States and the critical need to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates among Black mothers.  In the United States, Black women face a maternal mortality rate two to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), along with U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), led 117 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing strong opposition to the department’s proposal to reverse Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace eligibility for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, a move that... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate and House Democrats filed an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). FTC Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are duly appointed, Senate-confirmed Commissioners at an independent federal agency created by Congress. Trump’s illegal attempts to terminate them threaten the integrity of independent federal agencies and the FTC’s ability to enforce civil antitrust law and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) sent a letter to President Trump urging his administration to seek answers and conduct a U.S.-led investigation into the fatal shooting of Amer Rabee, a 14-year-old New Jerseyan. Two other American citizens were also injured in the incident, including 14-year-old Ayoub Ijbara and 15-year-old Abdulrahman Shihada. Ayoub Ijbara was born in New Jersey and is reported to be in critical condition. “As New Jersey’s Senators,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers (PROSPECT) Act to expand access to high-quality early childhood care at community colleges and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). U.S. Representatives Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05) and Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01) reintroduced companion legislation in the House. Student parents face significant hurdles in pursuing higher education, and the lack of... Read More