Chairman's Press
Declaraciones de Menéndez y Durbin en Vísperas de Chantaje Electoral del Régimen de Maduro en Venezuela
WASHINGTON - El Miembro de Más Alto Rango del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores del Senado, Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), y el líder demócrata del Senado Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) emitieron las siguientes declaraciones denunciando el chantaje electoral anticipado en las elecciones del régimen de Maduro programadas para el domingo 6 de diciembre: "Durante casi dos años, los líderes mundiales se han solidarizado con el presidente interino Juan Guaidó y la… Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
Menendez Calls on Trump Administration to Pay Attention to El Salvador’s Troubling Trajectory under Bukele
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is calling on the Trump administration to start paying attention to the weakening democratic governance in El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele. Citing reports of the Bukele government's widespread irregularities and mismanagement of COVID-19 funding, the discovery of secret negotiations between the Bukele administration and the MS-13 gang to advance his party's electoral ambitions, … Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
Menendez Calls on Secretary Pompeo to Cancel Indoor Soirées to Avoid Reckless Health Risk to Department Employees and Event Staff
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is calling on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to prioritize the well-being of State Department employees and workers by canceling upcoming indoor parties and other non-essential in-person events, in an effort to reduce further spread of COVID-19. In response to a Washington Post report that the Department has invited 900 people to multiple large-scale gatherings that start next week, Ranki… Continue Reading
December 03, 2020
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Strengthen Protections for Venezuelan Women and Children
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced a bipartisan resolution in support of efforts strengthening international protection of and assistance to Venezuelan women and children. The bipartisan resolution comes during the United Nation's 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. "With this resolution, we stand in solidarity with Venezuelan women and… Continue Reading
December 03, 2020
Menendez, Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Senate Resolution in Support of Thailand’s Pro-Democracy Movement
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today led a group of seven of their Senate colleagues in introducing a Senate Resolution to underscore the United States' commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Thailand. The senators' resolution follows recent demonstrations by Thailand's pro-democracy movement, which have been met with violence and repression by the country's government. J… Continue Reading
December 02, 2020
Menendez Opening Remarks at Nominations Committee Hearing on Ambassadors to Ethiopia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Malaysia, Timor-Leste
WASHINGTON - U.S. 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 Geeta Pasi to be Ambassador to Ethiopia, Cynthia Kierscht to be Ambassador to Mauritania, David Reimer to be Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Brian McFeeters to be Ambassador to Malaysia, and C. Kevin Blackstone to be Ambassador to Timor-Leste. Below are Ranking Member Menendez's remarks as… Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement in Observance of Romania’s Great Union Day
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in observance of Romania's Great Union Day, December 1: "As Romanian-Americans in New Jersey and Romanians around the world commemorate Great Union Day, I send my best wishes to all those celebrating. The United States and Romania already have a strong relationship, and I am especially grateful to the Romanian people for their commitment to standing with the… Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
Menendez, Portman Call for Funding to Address Humanitarian Disaster in South Caucasus
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined today by Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to explicitly allocate robust funding in the final FY21 appropriations bill to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the south Caucasus. In a letter to Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, … Continue Reading
November 28, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement on Holodomor Remembrance Day
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in observance of Holodomor Remembrance Day, November 28: "I join the people of Ukraine and Ukrainian-Americans in New Jersey in remembering the millions who perished during the Holodomor. Nearly 90 years after Stalin deliberately created a famine in Ukraine and sealed the country's borders to block starving Ukrainians from escaping or food aid from entering,… Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
Menendez Leads Bipartisan Call for Saudi Government to Release Wrongfully Detained Women Political Prisoners
WASHINGTON - Today, following the conclusion of the G20 Summit, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led nine of his Senate colleagues in demanding the immediate release of women political prisoners who remain unjustly detained in Saudi Arabia. In a bipartisan letter to Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Senators emphasized the heightened risk of c… Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
Menendez Statement on Biden-Harris National Security Cabinet Announcement
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after President-elect Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Antony Blinken as Secretary of State, Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,. Along with those nominations, Jake Sullivan was named as National Sec… Continue Reading
November 22, 2020
Menendez Statement on Trump Administration’s Withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump administration officially withdrew the United States from the Open Skies Treaty, a key part of America's international arms control strategy: "As I have stated previously, the administration's decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty is reckless and leaves the United States and our allies less secure against Russia. For nearly twenty year… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Senators Menendez, Paul, Murphy Unveil Joint Resolutions of Disapproval for Proposed Arms Package to UAE
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced they are introducing four separate Joint Resolutions of Disapproval rejecting the Trump administration's effort to provide the United Arab Emirates with a precedent-setting aircraft and myriad other weapons systems. The bipartisan resolutions come after the Trump administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell over… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement for the Record on Preventing Conflict and Supporting Democratic Transition in Ethiopia
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today submitted the following statement for the Senate record condemning the escalating violence in Ethiopia between the Federal government and political leaders of the Tigray region, and calling for an immediate ceasefire to begin a sustained dialogue that settles political differences. "I rise today to call upon the Administration to take urgent diplomatic action to address the escalat… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Menéndez Reacciona al Retiro de Cargos de la Administración Trump en el Caso de Narcotráfico Contra el Exsecretario de Defensa de Mé
WASHINGTON - El senador Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.), Miembro de Más Alto Rango del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores del Senado, emitió las siguientes declaraciones después de que la administración Trump abruptamente retirara los cargos de narcotráfico del gobierno de Estados Unidos en contra del exministro de Defensa de México, el general Salvador Cienfuegos: "Después de cuatro años de petulancia vacía del presidente Trump co… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Menendez Reaction to Trump Administration’s Retreat on Drug Trafficking Case Against Former Mexican Defense Minister
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump administration abruptly dropped the U.S. government's drug trafficking case against Mexico's former defense minister, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos: "After four years of President Trump's empty boasting that he stands for the rule of law, his term ends with his administration once again turning a blind eye to the facts and selling out U.S. national securi… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement in Observance of Latvia’s Proclamation Day
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in observance of Latvia's Proclamation Day November 18: "I extend my best wishes to Latvian-Americans in New Jersey and around the world celebrating Proclamation Day. For generations, Latvians have struggled against authoritarian powers and survived foreign occupations, ultimately repelling these threats and building a vibrant, prosperous society. Latvia is… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement in Observance of Latvia’s Proclamation Day
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in observance of Latvia's Proclamation Day November 18: "I extend my best wishes to Latvian-Americans in New Jersey and around the world celebrating Proclamation Day. For generations, Latvians have struggled against authoritarian powers and survived foreign occupations, ultimately repelling these threats and building a vibrant, prosperous society. Latvia is… Continue Reading
November 17, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Delivers Remarks on Implications of Conflict in the South Caucasus
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today delivered remarks on the Senate Floor on the Turkish-backed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Senator addressed the implications for regional stability following a Moscow-brokered agreement that grants Russia another foothold in the south Caucasus, as well as the need for President-elect Biden to reassert American leadership following the Trump administration's failure to defend… Continue Reading
November 14, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement in Observance of Diwali
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in observance of the holiday of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights: "As the Hindu, Jain, and Sikh communities in New Jersey and around the world celebrate Diwali, I join millions who are lighting lamps and extend my warmest wishes for a safe and happy holiday. These tiny flames illuminate the darkness and symbolize our common pursuit of light, knowledge, and… Continue Reading