Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez today sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs asking for answers on a proposed VA health center in Ocean County and the current barriers to care faced by New Jersey Veterans.   The letter, which was also signed by Congressman Andy Kim and Chris Smith, outlines the critical demand for a new and expanded Community Based Outpatient Clinic, or CBOC, in Ocean County. The delegation cites “numerous barriers to care” for local... Read More

NEWARK, N.J. – Ahead of Veterans Day tomorrow, U.S. Senator Cory Booker today released a comprehensive resource guide for the hundreds of thousands of veterans who call New Jersey home. The handbook, available online here, is designed to help New Jersey veterans with the transition from military to civilian life. It includes information on health benefits, workforce centers, employment opportunities, crisis support resources, and federal and state education programs. “Veterans Day is a time for... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with Congressmen John Lewis (D-GA) and Richard Neal (D-MA), called on the Government Accountability Office to study the Opportunity Zones tax incentive program following multiple reports of possible wrongdoing by senior administration officials in implementing the 2017 tax incentive program. The Opportunity Zones program, based on bipartisan legislation authored by Booker, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), and Congressman... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez today called on U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao to explain why, despite viewing the Hudson River tunnels secretly last year and seeing the crumbling state of the rail crossings between New York and New Jersey first-hand, her Department continues to drag its feet on the critical transportation project. Despite repeated formal and informal invitations to visit the current tunnels and the Portal Bridge... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), whose father graduated from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to restore funding for HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and other minority serving-institutions (MSIs). Mandatory funding benefiting these institutions lapsed on September 30, 2019.   “HBCUs, HSIs, TCUS, and MSIs serve as one of the most significant pathways for... Read More

CAMDEN, NJ – U.S Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, Mayor Frank Moran, Congressman Donald Norcross, local elected officials, U.S. Department of Transportation, N.J. Economic Development Authority and project partners, Coopers Ferry Partnership, celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony to kick-off construction for “Camden Connections to the Future Projects”.  The scope of the project will focus on carrying out critical improvements to the City of Camden's aging infrastructure and dilapidated... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation barring the use of surveillance technology, such as facial recognition, in federally-funded public and assisted housing. The No Biometric Barriers to Housing Act prohibits the use of facial recognition and other biometric identification technology in public housing units, an alarming trend that poses significant privacy risks for vulnerable communities. It would also require that the Department of Housing and Urban... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) released the following statement on the passing of former New Jersey Congressman Bill Hughes:   “I am deeply saddened to learn of Representative Bill Hughes’ passing. He was a beloved public servant who, through his work in Congress and as an Ambassador, demonstrated pragmatism, civility, and above all else, love of country. The Jersey Shore is cleaner and our communities are safer because of Bill’s accomplishments during his two decades in... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today released the following statement on Opportunity Zone guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Treasury earlier today. The Opportunity Zone program creates a tax incentive for individuals who reinvest unrealized capital gains into high-impact, long-term projects in high-poverty communities across the country. It is based upon bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC). Governors of each... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U. S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Ron Kind (D-WI), today urged the Department of Treasury to conduct an immediate and complete review of their actions related to all “certified opportunity zones for eligibility requirement conformance” following multiple reports of possible wrongdoing by senior administration officials in implementing the 2017 tax incentive program. The program, based upon bipartisan legislation authored... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Representatives Andy Kim (D-NJ), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and Chris Smith (R-NJ), requested the U.S. Air Force (USAF) begin the process of approving the construction of an overpass over County Road 539, which splits Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) and puts at risk the safety and welfare of civilians and military personnel in New Jersey. In a letter, the lawmakers asked the USAF for... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led members of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy in urging President Trump to nominate the first U.S. Ambassador to Sudan since 1997. In a letter, Booker highlighted the importance of strong U.S. support for Sudan as the country transitions toward a civilian government and democratic elections after months of protests.   In April, a military coup deposed... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) reintroduced a bill that targets the harmful trend of companies outsourcing labor to contractors and temp workers rather than hiring direct employees, a problem that is particularly pervasive in the airline industry. The Airline Accountability Act would require air carriers participating in the City Pair Program, which is used by federal employees to travel for work, to disclose labor violations from them or their... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) released the below statement following Senate efforts to repeal harmful IRS regulations.   “The outcome of today’s vote is another example of Republicans abandoning New Jerseyans and Americans that have worked hard to fulfill the American Dream through homeownership. Americans deserve a fairer tax code that invests in their communities, not in wealthy corporations. This IRS regulation unfairly stymies efforts to provide much-needed relief to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) today reintroduced legislation that takes an innovative, two-pronged approach to tackling the affordable housing crisis. The Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act would provide immediate assistance to rent-burdened individuals with monthly tax credits, while pushing communities to adopt more inclusive zoning laws by making their surface transportation funding and community... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced the STOP (Study, Treat, Observe, and Prevent) Neglected Diseases of Poverty Act, legislation that would provide the necessary tools to address, and ultimately eliminate, neglected diseases of poverty in the United States.   Neglected diseases of poverty, many of which are neglected tropical diseases are a group of chronic and disabling illnesses, such as chagas and dengue fever, that primarily impact those living in extreme... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today released public comments he submitted opposing a proposed rule that dismantles vital federal protections for victims of housing discrimination. The proposed Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule dramatically weakens the Fair Housing Act’s (FHA) disparate impact standard, a standard that protects some of the country’s most vulnerable populations by banning practices that have discriminatory impact, not just discriminatory intent.   The... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), today released groundbreaking legislation to reduce urban gun violence in American cities. The Break the Cycle of Violence Act would provide federal grants to communities for evidence-based gun violence intervention and prevention programs designed to interrupt cycles of violence.   Research has shown that a combination of community-oriented intervention programs and... Read More

Newark, N.J.— U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) last night met with aggrieved workers from an American Airlines subcontractor under investigation for multiple labor violations, pledging his support for their efforts to unionize and announcing he will reintroduce federal legislation to crack down on such unscrupulous subcontracting firms.    Booker sat down with workers employed by Eulen America, a Spain-based contractor that is under investigation for complaints of wage theft, discrimination,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, legislation authored by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of Environment and Public Works Committee, was signed into law. The Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act would give states facing a threat to public health from lead in drinking water the flexibility to make a one-time transfer of the federal funds in their Clean Water State Revolving Fund to their Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for projects that will remove lead from drinking water.    “With... Read More