Chairman's Press
Menendez Opening Remarks at Nominations Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following opening statement at this morning's committee hearing on the nominations of Ashok Michael Pinto to be United States Alternate Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, William Todd to be Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Eric Ueland to be an Under Secretary of State (Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights). … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Menendez, Rubio Unveil New Effort to Combat Trafficking of Cuban Doctors
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today introduced the Combating Trafficking of Cuban Doctors Act. The new legislation seeks to strengthen accountability for the Cuban regime's documented human trafficking and exploitation of Cuban doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals through overseas medical missio… Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Menendez: Woodward, Bernstein Reports Sound Alarm over Trump, Erdo?an Relationship
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today formally requested National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien submit to Congress a series of internal documents and communications documenting the nature and national security implications of President Trump's close ties with Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. The Senator's request follows reporting by investigative journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that raise additional qu… Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Menendez, Graham, Young, and Cardin Lead Bipartisan Senate Resolution Congratulating Israel, UAE, and Bahrain on Historic Abraham Accords
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today introduced a bipartisan resolution congratulating the governments and people of Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain on the recently signed Abraham Accords. The resolution: Congratulates the Governments and people of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain on reaching these historic agreements. Encourages o… Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Senate Democrats Unveil The America LEADS Act To Make Comprehensive Investments In American Workers, Competitiveness, Alliances, And Diplomacy To Confront The Rise of China
WASHINGTON - Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democrats today introduced the America Labor, Economic competitiveness, Alliances, Democracy and Security (America LEADS) Act, Senate Democrats' proposal for a new U.S.-China policy. The most comprehensive China legislation to date, the America LEADS Act seeks to recognize that only when we have a vibrant economy here at home can we truly compete with… Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Menendez Opening Remarks at Committee Hearing on Advancing U.S. Engagement and Countering China in the Indo-Pacific and Beyond
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered opening remarks at today's committee hearing entitled "Advancing U.S. Engagement and Countering China in the Indo-Pacific and Beyond." Testifying at the hearing were Department of State Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Julie Chung, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Senior Bureau Official Philip Reeker, and Assistant Secretary for East Asian and … Continue Reading
September 16, 2020
Senate Republicans Again Block Menendez Effort to Designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following remarks on the Senate Floor after Senate Republicans blocked a unanimous consent (UC) request to immediately approve the House-passed Venezuela TPS Act of 2019. Menendez was joined on the Senate Floor by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). This is the fourth time that Senate Republicans block the legislation to provide Temporary… Continue Reading
September 14, 2020
Menendez, Engel Lead Dems in Calling on USAGM to Renew Foreign National Journalist Visa Extensions
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today led seven of their Senate and House colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) CEO Michael Pack seeking answers to his reported decision not to renew visa extensions for foreign nationals working as journalists in the United States for USAGM networks and grantees includi… Continue Reading
September 14, 2020
Menendez, Risch Murphy, Rubio, Durbin Lead Colleagues in Introducing Resolution in Support of the Belarusian People
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), today introduced a resolution condemning the crackdown on peaceful protestors in Belar… Continue Reading
September 14, 2020
Senate Dems Decry Trump Administration on Expulsion of Asylum Seekers from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today was joined by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in calling on the Trump administration to end its anti-immigrant policies denying access to asylum for Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and others forced to flee their countries. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Strate… Continue Reading
September 11, 2020
Menendez: We Must do Right by 9/11 Families as they Seek Justice
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement committing to stand by survivors of the 9/11 attacks and victims' families: "On the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, we not only remember those who perished on that horrific day and those who later succumbed to their illnesses, but we remind the country and the world of our commitment to support the victims and their families. For too long, 9/11 victims an… Continue Reading
September 09, 2020
Menendez, Cardin Call on Treasury Department to Announce New Magnitsky Act Designations
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), author of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, today sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin calling on the Trump administration to immediately release a robust and credible set of Magnitsky Act designations for 2019. Citing the longstanding expectation that Treasury announce each year's Magnitsky Act designations by December, the… Continue Reading
September 02, 2020
Menendez Statement on Poisoning of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the government of Germany confirmed today that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned using the nerve agent Novichok, a highly lethal military grade nerve agent the Russian government is known to have developed: "Given the Kremlin's long history of using Novichok to carry out state-sanctioned murders, today's announcement points to the … Continue Reading
August 31, 2020
Leading Democrats Sound Alarm on USAID 2020 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today was joined by 14 of his Senate Democratic colleagues in rejecting the Trump Administration's recently released draft proposal to change the gender policy for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). "This policy, which supplants USAID's 2012 gender policy in its entirety, is riddled with shortcomings and problematic characterizations of fundamental rights. It is a … Continue Reading
August 31, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement on Recent Attacks Against U.S. Military in Afghanistan
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the recent rocket attacks targeting U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, which could constitute a direct violation of the peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban: "The attacks over the past two months in Helmand province against U.S. troops could indicate a clear violation of the Feb 29th arrangement between the Taliban and the Trump Admi… Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Menendez, Risch Joint Statement on Belarus
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on ongoing violence and unrest in Belarus following the presidential election earlier this month: "It has been nearly three weeks since President Alexander Lukashenka stole another presidential election, and our admiration for the Belarusian people continues to grow. Belarusians have shown the world that they will… Continue Reading
August 26, 2020
Menendez and Smith Statement on the Costs of Allowing the New START Treaty to Expire
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a new report regarding the potential costs of expanding U.S. strategic nuclear forces if the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) Expires: "CBO's nonpartisan report is clear: The Trump administration's un… Continue Reading
August 24, 2020
Menendez, Risch, Reed, Inhofe Send Message of Support to Philippines in Wake of Bombings on Jolo Island
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after two explosions on Jolo Island, Philippines resulted in multiple Philippine military and civilian casualties: "We extend our sincere condolences and a strong message of suppor… Continue Reading
August 21, 2020
Menendez Statement on Secretary Pompeo’s Subversion of Congressional Oversight for Political Purposes
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement regarding Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent actions to leverage the work of the State Department to obstruct transparency, escape accountability, and advance the personal and electoral agenda of President Donald Trump: "It is no secret that the President and his Secretary of State recoil from scrutiny. They claim to act on behalf of the American people, y… Continue Reading
August 19, 2020
Menendez, Risch Letter to Iraqi PM Expresses Support for Continued Partnership
WASHINGTON - Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today sent a letter to Prime Minister al-Kadhimi of Iraq ahead of his official visit to the United States later this week. The senators express their continued support for a robust partnership between the U.S. and Iraq, and their desire to deepen that relationship for the benefit of both U.S. and Iraqi security and prosperity. "We write to welcome you to … Continue Reading
