In the News

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said his office has heard from another 100 New Jerseyans who are in Morocco, Peru, Guatemala and other countries and are trying to get home. They included a handful of people in their 20s at an air B&B and guests trying to return from a wedding from Honduras.

“I write today to urge you to take all steps necessary to provide assistance to Americans abroad who wish to return to the United States during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic,” Menendez wrote in his letter to the president.

That’s why I recently introduced the Small Business Relief from Communicable Disease Induced Economic Hardship Act to make these loans interest-free up to $2 million for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic – so they have more cash on hand to continue to make payroll, keep their shelves stocked and ultimately weather this storm. 

Under the “Small Business Relief from Communicable Disease Induced Economic Hardship Act,” co-sponsored by Menendez and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) small businesses would be able to access interest-free loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses.

The measure from Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, would amend the Federal Reserve Act to allow the Fed to buy municipal bonds under “unusual and exigent circumstances.” The rule would be triggered by events like the rapid spread of a virus, other health emergencies or crises.

In a letter sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Friday, Sens. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, urged him to provide paid sick leave and time-and-a-half hazard pay for its workers, among other measures.

Menendez said the Trump administration’s own decisions may make it difficult for people living with HIV or other affected groups get care should they contract coronavirus.

Menendez laid out his own vision for federal action in a chat with Dave D’Alessandro of the Star-Ledger Editorial Board:

But congressional Democrats including New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, and California Sen. Kamala Harris, say they aren’t clear what Google plans to do with the data it collects — and whether information the company obtains, or possibly harnesses from users’ browsing habits, might be used for a range of purposes that people might not expect.

The center received samples of live virus from the CDC last week, through the intervention of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who visited the center two weeks ago and heard of their need. The virus samples were used to validate the test. 

On Tuesday, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) accused American companies of deliberately turning a blind eye to “horrific” forced-labor conditions in China’s Xinjiang region. This related to companies that use workers inside the region, not to labor exports like the ones to the Nike supplier.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., are among lawmakers pushing for longer-term solutions. The senators on Wednesday introduced a bill that would funnel $100 million to develop U.S. manufacturing of drugs.

U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to unlock emergency funds allocated for state and local governments to deal with the coronavirus. 

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was at a health center in Passaic County Monday morning to discuss the latest in the federal COVID-19 response.

“No one should be discouraged from seeking help just because they’re afraid of the cost, especially during a public health emergency,” Menendez said. “We need everyone who falls ill to be able to see a doctor, get tested, get treated and take the precautions necessary to protect the community at large.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ, is one of the co-sponsors and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez signed a letter last November opposing the practice. He is reviewing the bill, a spokesman said.

U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-NJ) have announced that Metropolitan Family Health, Inc. will receive over $2.5 million in federal funding this year.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez on Thursday joined with 14 Senate colleagues to urge U.S. employers to commit not to penalize workers for following recommended health procedures in order to protect the public from further spread of the coronavirus.

U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, both Democrats, announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $1,351,092 in grants to aid the continued operation of federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) across North Jersey.

In addition, Hartney wishes the state Legislature would pass a resolution supporting the efforts of U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-N.J.), along with their colleagues in Virginia, in their quest to have the issue addressed through consumer product safety.