WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) introduced the bicameral Opt for Health with SNAP (OH SNAP), Close the Fruit and Vegetable Gap Act of 2023, legislation that would significantly expand the successful Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which i  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Rep. Rob Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: Congressman Rob Menendez today announced his introduction of the Communities Before Air Tourism Act, which would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Park Service (NPS) to consult with communities under air tour routes and take into consideration the impact on said communities when entering into Air Tour Management Voluntary Agreements with helicopter operators.   more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: Today, Congressman Van Drew announced that he secured a major victory for South Jersey by ensuring that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center will be permanently located in South Jersey. The 2023 FAA Reauthorization bill advanced through the Transportation and Infrastructure committee and the next step is passing through the House and Senate be  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: The Government Accountability Office (GAO)--the independent congressional watchdog--has officially agreed to launch an investigation into the impacts of New Jersey's offshore wind development on the environment, the fishing industry, military operations, navigational safety and more, announced Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today. "This aggressive, independent investigation into the ocean-alteri  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: As Juneteenth approaches, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, New Jersey's U.S. Senator Cory Booker, and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams (D-GA-05) teamed up to introduce the Abolition Amendment, a bicameral resolution which would strike the 'Slavery Clause' of the 13th Amendment, a constitutional loophole which allows slavery "as a punishment for crime" in the United States. "This countr  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, posted the following news release from on June 7, 2023, and letter: This week, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) urged the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights to investigate whether City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law's antisemitic and anti-Israel commencement speech, and the administration's response, violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ensure that Jewish and pro-Israel students are  more

ENGLEWOOD, New Jersey, June 14 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressmen Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, joined the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) Bergen County Annual Leadership Breakfast at Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, NJ, to discuss their work to support the U.S. Israel relationship. Gottheimer was joined by former AIPAC President Mort Fri  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 12, 2023, and a letter: U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) sent a letter to the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT), urging them to further investigate the environmental impact of the MTA's Congestion Tax with a full Environmental Impact Statement. By the MTA's own admission in their report, their Congestion Tax plan would increase pollutants and mobile ai  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation backed by U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) -- the Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act -- which requires the State Department to establish an ambassador-level Special Envoy position for the Abraham Accords. Working as a primary advisor, the Special Envoy would be responsible for coordinating on behalf of  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) today introduced the Iranian Enrichment Monitoring Act of 2023. The bill would require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to notify Congress within 48 hours if Iran has produced or possesses any amount of highly enriched uranium greater than 60 percent purity  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology issued the following testimony by Lt. Col. Christopher M. DeMaise, commander of the Homeland Security Branch of the New Jersey State Police, involving a hearing on June 6, 2023, entitled "Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio": * * * On behalf of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan of the New Jersey State Police, who also serves as the State Director of Emergency Management, I thank you for the oppor  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials issued the following written testimony by Mitch Warren, executive director of the Northeast Corridor Commission, involving a hearing on June 6, 2023, entitled "Amtrak Operations: Examining the Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Efficiency and Service": * * * I am Mitch Warren, Executive Director of the Northeast Corridor Commission. Congress created the Commi  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both-D-N.J.) announced today a combined total of $26,462,670 to Rutgers University, the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, New Jersey Department of Health, Rutgers' Biomedical and Health Sciences, and La Casa de Don Pedro. These grants will provide funds for research regarding neurological disorders, diabetes and endocrinology, sexu  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both-D-N.J.) announced that Camden has been selected to receive $1 million from President Biden's Investing in America Agenda to expedite the cleanup of Judge Robert B. Johnson Park. In total, EPA recently selected 262 communities to receive 267 grants totaling more than $215 million in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipur  more

LONG BRANCH, New Jersey, June 15 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced today that Perth Amboy has been awarded $40,909 in federal grant funding from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. The Borough will use the funding to send 18 firefighters to Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class to become National Registry and New Jersey certified EMTs. "This grant is great news for Pe  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on June 15, 2023: * * * Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement today denouncing the ongoing epidemic of abusive robocalls practices exacerbated by the Supreme Court's ruling in Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, which interpreted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's definition of "autodialer" so narrowly that it applies to very few autodialers in   more

WOODBRIDGE, New Jersey, June 13 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 12, 2023: Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) provided an update today on bipartisan legislation that will help consumers compare and better understand the cost of health care services across different hospitals. Pallone recently introduced the Promoting Access to Treatments and Increasing Extremely Needed Transparency Act or the PATIENT Act, which strengthens transparency requi  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), New Jersey's only member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, today offered an amendment during a committee hearing to provide relief from the burdensome state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap imposed by Republicans in 2017. The SALT amendment Pascrell offered was modeled after H.R. 3098, a bill authored by several New York an  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 12, 2023: Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05), and Mike Bost (R-IL-12) today announced introduction of legislation to reauthorize the Firefighter Cancer Registry and increase to $5.5 million the authorization funding level through 2028. Created in 2018 by legislation co-led by Congressman Pascrell, the Firefighter Cancer Registry is the  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSres) -- Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., R-New Jersey, issued the following news release: Congressman Tom Kean, Jr's office is excited to announce the 2023 Congressional App Challenge (CAC), an app competition for students in middle and high school. The CAC accepts computer programs (or apps) written in any programming language, for any platform (desktop/PC, web, mobile, raspberry Pi, etc.). The Challenge's submission portal is now open. Students can register and submit their app  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Rep. Donald W. Norcross, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: Today, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), member of the House Committee on Education and Labor's Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee, reintroduced the Lifetime Income For Employees (LIFE) Act of 2023 today. The legislation would allow annuities to be a default in employer-provided 401(k) plans to deliver employees with a steady, guaranteed income during retirement. "Unf  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Rep. Donald W. Norcross, D-New Jersey, posted the following news release from on June 12, 2023: Today, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia, and Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen announced $1 million in federal funding to expedite the cleanup of Judge Robert B. Johnson Park in Camden. Awarded through the EPA's Brownfields funding and made possible by the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, the City of Cam  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr., Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Men's Health Caucus, reintroduced the Men's Health Awareness and Improvement Act today. The bill would establish an Office of Men's Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create, support and promote programs and activities to improve the state of men's health nationwide. "Too often, men  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: Today, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. reintroduced his Payment Choice Act to protect American currency as a form of payment for goods and services. The bill would make it illegal for retail businesses to reject cash for in-person, consumer transactions at stores nationwide. "Every American should have the right to pay in cash," said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. "There are too many stores   more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: Yesterday,Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) joined fellow Navy veteran Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Air Force veterans Congresswomen Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), and Army veteran Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) in introducing a resolution designating June 12 as Women Veterans Appreciation Day to recognize the service and sacrifices of w  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) voted in favor of H. Res. 377, a resolution calling for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, a journalist and Princeton, NJ native who has been detained by the Russian government since March 2023. The resolution passed the House of Representatives unanimously. "The continued detention of Evan Gershkovich is completely unac  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Rob Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 12, 2023: Today, Congressmen Rob Menendez (D-NJ-08), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02), and John Garamendi (D-CA-08) introduced the Airline Employee Assault Prevention Act. This bipartisan legislation would protect passengers and land-side airline employees such as ticket agents and airport workers by fixing a jurisdictional issue that prevents the FAA from implementing plans that would provide assault pr  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, today questioned witnesses during a hearing about the impacts the enhanced Child Tax Credit (CTC) has on families, the accessibility of the child tax credit for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and Social Security Number (SSN) filers, and the economic benefits families and the economy w  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, highlighted the importance of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by asking Director Rohit Chopra about who would protect consumers if the CFPB was defunded. Sen. Menendez also questioned Director Chopra on what progress the CFPB has made to ensure victim  more

HOBOKEN, New Jersey, June 13 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 12, 2023: Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Governor Phil Murphy, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla, and other officials joined together for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of ReslienCity Park at 12th and Madison Streets. Formerly known as the Northwest Resiliency Park, ResilienCity Park is the largest resiliency park in New Jersey, offering more than five acres of public open space am  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release and a letter: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.-5) sent a letter to the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT), urging them to further investigate the environmental impact of the MTA's Congestion Tax with a full Environmental Impact Statement. By the MTA's own admission in their report, their Congestion Tax plan would increase pollutants and mobile air toxins, incl  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), a Senior Member of the Senate Banking Committee, and U.S. Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.-05), Senior Member of the House Financial Services Committee, reintroduced the Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2023. The bicameral legislation originally introduced in 2017 would require public companies to annually disclose the gender, race, ethnicity  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D-N.Y.-07), the Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, today introduced the bicameral Small Business Financing Disclosure Act. The bill aims to protect small business borrowers from predatory lenders and small business financing options carrying unfair terms and conditions and would ensure safegu  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) unveiled the United States Uruguay Economic Partnership Act - the first bill exclusively focused on strengthening the partnership between the United States and Uruguay. This groundbreaking bipartisan legis  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will convene for one nominations hearing and one closed TS/SCI briefing. The topic of the briefing will be on the Current Dynamics in U.S.-China Relations and the briefer will be the Honorable Nicholas Burns, U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. For all hearings, the Senate Foreign Relat  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on June 13, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) issued the following statement following the Biden administration's decision to provide an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal: "I am glad the Biden administration has reversed the Trump administration's cruel and misguided decision to rescind TPS designations for El Salvador, Hon  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on June 14, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) issued the following statement on the passing of Luisa "Piti" Gandara, the former first lady of Puerto Rico: "Today Puerto Rico lost an extraordinary light. Following the news that its former first lady, Luisa "Piti" Gandara, passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer, I join her friends, family, and all who knew her in honoring h  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), alongside Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senate Finance Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), today introduced the Patients Before Middlemen (PBM) Act to delink the compensation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from drug price and utiliza  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) joined Senate and House colleagues in reintroducing the bicameral Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would codify and strengthen the right to contraception, which the Supreme Court first recognized more than half a century ago in its Griswold v. Connecticut decision. Enshrining the right to contraception into federal law would reverse s  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: In a continued effort to expand and strengthen access to dental care for veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both-D-N.J.) joined their colleagues in introducing the Improving Whole Health for Veterans with Chronic Conditions Act. The legislation would establish a new pilot program to provide comprehensive dental car  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) today reintroduced the bipartisan Payment Choice Act to ensure customers have the freedom to choose how they pay for goods and services. With the increased use of electronic and contactless methods of payment and many businesses refusing cash, consumers without access to financial services are finding it harder to participat  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release and letter on June 12, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) today led a bipartisan coalition of 34 Senate colleagues in requesting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, use the agency's special exceptions and adjustments authority to update the proposed payment update in the final inpatient prospective payment system rule. "  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) today introduced the bipartisan Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, legislation that would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The bill would also prohibit the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses to be sold overseas. Companion legislation was introduced last mon  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: This week, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered floor remarks prior to the vote for cloture for Elizabeth Allen, the president's nominee for Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. A copy of the Chairman's remarks as prepared have been provided below. "Madam Presi  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: This week, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, participated in a full Committee hearing - chaired by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen - to consider the nominations of The Honorable Nisha Desai to be Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Co  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on June 14, 2023: * * * Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement after voting last night against the far-right's bill to prioritize guns over public safety: "House Republicans want to increase access to deadly weapon accessories that make mass shootings easier. They continue to push dangerous policies that threaten public safety. "Parents like myself worry each day about drop  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Rob Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on June 14, 2023: * * * Congressman Rob Menendez released the following statement after the passage of H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: "The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act is not just an investment in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) but also in resilient aviat  more