WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Farmland for Farmers Act, legislation that would address rising rates of corporate farmland investment by limiting future ownership and leasing by corporate investors to ensure that farmland in the United States stays in the hands of farmers. Farmland ownership has long been a source of wealth and power in rural America. However, as la  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on July 28, 2023: * * * "I strongly support many elements of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, including provisions that honor our selfless service members with a well-deserved pay raise; improve access to housing, health care, and other resources for our troops and their families; and continue to support our allies in Ukraine fighting to preserve and protect their democracy from Vladim  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on July 27, 2023: * * * Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chair of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, issued the following statement: "I condemn in the strongest terms efforts by military forces in Niger to overthrow the country's democratically elected president. "This forceful subversion of Niger's constitutional order is  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) reintroduced the bicameral Second Chance for Justice Package, bills that would reform the United States' criminal and juvenile justice system. Studies have proven that locking up children does not reduce crime or the rate of juvenile recidivism - it has the opposite effect. While incarcerated, chi  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs Act of 2023 (DOULA Act), legislation that would establish a pilot program to provide doula services to support veterans experiencing pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. maternal mortality rate increased   more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, legislation that would reduce the alarmingly high U.S. stillbirth rate. Named after Autumn Joy, a New Jersey baby who was stillborn in 2011, the bill would provide critical resources to states, local public health departme  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), reintroduced the bicameral End Employer Collusion Act, legislation that would crack down on collusive "no-poach" agreements that are often used by large franchisors to prohibit franchisees from hiring each other's workers. When two or more employers agree not to hire   more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Expanding Nationwide Access to Test Strips Act, legislation that would expand access to and decriminalize drug test strips nationwide in order to prevent drug overdoses and deaths. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Hirono, Blumenthal, Ossoff, Feinstein, Padilla, Whitehouse, and Markey. According to  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- The Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues issued the following news release on July 28, 2023, through the office of its co-chair, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey: Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12), David G. Valadao (CA-21), and Adam B. Schiff (CA-28) released a statement today calling for immediate actions to be taken by the international community to address the months-long blockade o  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Andy Kim, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: This week, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) reintroduced the Solutions Not Stigmas Act to expand and develop education and training programs for substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment. "The opioid epidemic has crushed communities and families across New Jersey and our nation, and people need our support in this fight," said Congressman Kim.  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-New Jersey, issued the following remarks on July 26, 2023: * * * Today, Congressman Van Drew called for the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in the House Judiciary Committee, highlighting how our southern border has turned into a revolving door for illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. Excerpts below: "Our southern border has been turned into a revolving door for illegal  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Today, July 26, 2023 U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) had three of his amendments included in the House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2024. "We must get the backs of those who had ours, ensure that all of our veterans have access to their hard-earned benefits, and fight antisemitism in every government agency, including at t  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Today, House Democratic Health Committee leaders introduced new legislation to further lower prescription drug prices for American families and rein in pharmaceutical price gouging. The bill was introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA), and Education and the Workforce Committee  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., R-New Jersey, issued the following statement on July 24, 2023: * * * Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) announced that his casework team has closed 1,000 casework cases since taking office in January 2023. This represents 6 months of work on behalf of constituents who have contacted the office for prompt customer service when federal agencies were slow to deliver. This includes casework such as military benefits, passport services, IRS, Medicare, Soc  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., R-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Today Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) announced that thirteen (13) Community Project Funding requests made by his office totaling over $24,000,000, are included in key House funding bills for the upcoming fiscal year. All six counties in New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District are represented in the requests highlighted below. "I have made it a priority to get more money back fr  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., R-New Jersey, issued the following news release: Today Congressman Tom Kean, Jr's (R-NJ) bipartisan legislation, 'The One-Seat-Ride Act', passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The legislation, cosponsored by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a cost/benefit analysis of a one-seat-ride trip versus a transfer trip option during "peak hours" on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley   more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced legislation to ensure the safety and health of workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace. The bill, the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Stress Injury, Illness, and Fatality Prevention Act, is named in honor of Asuncion Valdivia who died in 2004 after picking grapes for ten hours straight in 105-degree temperatures. Mr. Va  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) joined with Sugarman's Drug Store Owners, New Jersey Citizen Action Network Health Care Program Director, Laura Waddell, and Medicare beneficiary, Doreen Monks, today to highlight the impact his Patients Before Middlemen (PBM) Act will have on the lives of patients, particularly seniors on Medicare D. The Senator highlighted how his bill will help add  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on July 27, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J) today issued the following statement on the Senate passage of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included several of the Senator's priorities, including the reauthorization of the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, the Department of State Authorization Act, the Supporting Americans Wrongfully or Unlawfull  more

HIGHLANDS, New Jersey, July 26 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced the start of a major dredging project of the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers. Pallone secured $26 million for maintenance dredging of the rivers in a federal spending bill for Fiscal Year 2023 that President Biden signed into law late last year. The Army Corps of Engineers will dredge both the entrance of the Shrewsbur  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, Thursday, July 27, 2023, U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), and Don Davis (NC-1) joined parents of the Parkland school shooting victims -- Lori Alhadeff, Max Schachter, and Tony Montalto -- to announce new bipartisan school safety legislation to require silent panic alarms in schools nationwide a  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), one of Congress's strongest supporters of organized labor, today praised the UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) for tentatively securing a fair new contract. "During the pandemic, America's Teamsters bravely went to work every day and they kept America running," said Congressman Pasc  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), a longtime member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today praised the announcement by President Biden of Martin O'Malley to be the new head of the Social Security Administration (SSA). "This high profile nomination to head the SSA shows that the White House understands the importance of this agency," said Congressm  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr.'s bill to support first responders passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. His bill, the First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act or H.R. 3254, amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to exempt emergency equipment with breakthrough technologies from a cumbersome approval proce  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, issued the following statement on July 22, 2023: * * * U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Global Health and Global Human Rights Subcommittee, today issued the following statement regarding the push to change Liberia's pro-life laws: "Abortion always ends a baby's life and also harms the mother--psychologically, spiritually and often physically. Your children--Liberia's future--are under direct attack, and it is imperative t  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and John Rutherford (FL-05) reintroduced the Public Housing Fire Safety Act. The bipartisan legislation provides funding for public housing authorities to equip older units with sprinkler systems, improving the safety of residents and local communities. American families are the foundation of our country and more than worth the   more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following remarks on July 26, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, today delivered remarks during the markup of the Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability (MEPA) Act. This bipartisan legislation includes the Senator's Patients Before Middlemen (PBM) Act which will eliminate the perverse incentives that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) exploit to drive u  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following remarks on July 27, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today successfully secured an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to reauthorize the Firefighter Cancer Registry program for another five years and raise the authorized funding to a $5.5 million annually. The registry is the largest effort undertaken to understand the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. Th  more

BAYONNE, New Jersey, July 25 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 24, 2023: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), alongside Congressman Rob Menendez (D-N.J.-08), Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.-11), and Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, today announced a $730,477 award in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grant program. This investment will support the improvements and upgra  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on July 28, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement after the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 this week with a provision he authored to bolster U.S. support for children with disabilities and strengthen the ability of disability rights o  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: In a posthumous tribute to the fallen victims and the wounded, and following the 29th anniversary of the terrorist attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to recommit effo  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- 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, and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), along with Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), introduced the IDB Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill to require the Treasury Department to increase transparency on activities of the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) at   more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on July 27, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement following the U.S. Senate's passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024. This year's defense package included numerous priorities Chairman Menendez spearheaded to further modernize the Depa  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following remarks at the Committee's hearing, "U.S. Economic Security: Addressing Economic Coercion and Increasing Competitiveness." The witnesses for the hearing were the Honorable Jose Fernandez, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the   more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release and letter: This week, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for international Development Administrator Samantha Power urging them to focus attention on Ukrainian children Russia has abducted during their unprovoked war against Ukr  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement related to events in Niger: "We join the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in condemning the military coup in Niger, and call upon those who seized power to st  more

WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, New Jersey, July 25 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 24, 2023: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both-D-N.J.) today joined with Mayor John E. McCormac, State Senator Joseph Vitale (D-19), Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-19), Councilman Brian Small, and Woodbridge Township Chief-of-Staff Caroline Ehrlich for the groundbreaking of the federally funded Cypress II site, an underutilized space transformed into a new recreat  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: As the nation observes Minority Mental Health Awareness month, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.-31) introduced the Mental Health for Latinos Act, legislation to improve mental health outcomes among Latino and Hispanic communities. This legislation recognizes the unique mental health challenges of the Latino community, aiming to r  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) reintroduced theSolutions Not Stigmas Act this week, which bolsters substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs in New Jersey and nationwide. "The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the growing opioid epidemic across the country, including right here in New Jersey. Thanks to the tireless work of our health care professionals   more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Yesterday evening, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) questioned technology and national security experts on how the United States can best lead in and support the emerging technologies -- like artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing -- that will define American competitiveness for the coming decades. Rep. Sherrill represents a wide range of high-end manufacturi  more

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey, July 29 -- Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement on July 28, 2023: * * * Today, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) -- a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy helicopter pilot, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee -- released the following statement on President Biden's Executive Order implementing bipartisan military justice reforms: "For too long, the culture of sexual assault and harassment has been a shameful b  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today voted to fully fund veterans' programs and strengthen national security through critical military construction projects as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. "The courageous men and women who have served our country--and have made tremendous sacrifices to ensure our security--  more