Chairman's Press
Menendez Statement on USAID’s Announcement of Humanitarian Assistance to Venezuela
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that it was providing humanitarian assistance to address food security and public health issues related to Venezuela's growing refugee crisis. "I welcome USAID's announcement to provide humanitarian assistance in response to Venezuela's growing refugee crisis. With thousands of Ven… Continue Reading
March 19, 2018
Menendez on New Venezuela Sanctions Targeting Petro Cryptocurrency
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced an executive order prohibiting transactions related to and dealings in Venezuela's cryptocurrency, known as the Petro. "I welcome the Administration's imposition of additional sanctions to block Maduro's efforts to further drown Venezuela in debt and suffering. Maduro created the Venezuelan state-backed Petro cryptocur… Continue Reading
March 18, 2018
Menendez Condemns Denial of Democratic Choice for Russian Citizens
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after Russia's state and media sources reported the Russian presidential elections have resulted in the re-election of President Vladimir Putin to another six-year term: "Today, in further violation of its international commitments, the Russian government once again deprived its citizens of the fundamental right to choose their political leadership. The Kreml… Continue Reading
March 16, 2018
Menendez, Colleagues Request Briefing on Sanctionable Sales of Russian Weapon Systems
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led a group of his Senate colleagues in writing to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan today requesting a detailed analysis from the Trump Administration on the current status of Russian S-400 air defense system sales or negotiations with countries around the world. The senator's missive follows reported negotiations between Russia and certain countries over sales of the Kremlin's S-400… Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Menendez Statement on U.S. Treasury Russia Sanctions for Election Meddling, Cyber Attacks
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned five entities and 19 individuals under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Co-authored by Menendez, CAATSA was overwhelmingly approved by Congress last summer and mandates the President to hold Russia, Iran and North Korea accountabl… Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Menendez Opening Remarks at Hearing on State Fragility, Growth and Development
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the below statement, as prepared for delivery, at today's hearing titled "State Fragility, Growth and Development: Designing Policy Approaches That Work." The Senator started his remarks by addressing President Trump's firing via Twitter of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the subsequent dismissal of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steve Goldstein. "Be… Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Menendez Calls on the Trump Admin to Partner with UK Following Revelations that Russia Ordered Poisoning of Former Spy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Monday that it was "highly likely" Russia ordered the poisoning in England of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia: "Yesterday's announcement by Prime Minister May once again makes absolutely certain that there must be real consequences for Russia's disruptive and vicious behavior thr… Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Menendez on Trump’s Firing of Tillerson
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after President Trump announced on Twitter that he had fired Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, and named Mike Pompeo as his nominee to assume the post: "President Trump has demonstrated yet again that he is the Commander-in-Chaos. "President Trump has never understood the critical role that the State Department plays in defining our values and pro… Continue Reading
March 11, 2018
Menendez Responds to Pres. Trump on His Administration’s Failure to Fill Diplomatic Vacancies
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump on Sunday tried to blame Senate Democrats via tweets for his Administration's failure to nominate and fill critical Senate-confirmed positions to the State Department and USAID. "This Administration has routinely denigrated the responsibilities of our diplomatic and development corps and deemed them low priorities for American foreign po… Continue Reading
March 09, 2018
Menendez Statement on President Trump’s Agreement to Meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement after President Trump agreed on Thursday night to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to discuss denuclearization. Menendez authored the North Korea Sanctions Act of 2015, legislation that created new sanctions and military countermeasures to stop Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and address its cyber warfare. "I welcome any opportunity to forge a … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Menendez on Process of Choosing Guatemala’s Next Attorney General
WASHINGTON, D.C. - US Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today submitted the following statement for the record in support of a credible and efficient process for choosing Guatemala's next Attorney General to continue the country's efforts of strengthening the rule of law and combatting impunity. "I rise to affirm the partnership between the United States and Guatemala. I also rise to speak to the crucial role the Guatemalan Attorney General… Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Menendez, Colleagues Urge Trump to Prioritize, Advance Women’s Policy Priorities Ahead of International Women’s Day
WASHINGTON - Ahead of International Women's Day, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) led seven colleagues in a letter to President Trump expressing their "ongoing concern over your administration's demotion of the rights of women and girls as a foreign policy priority and efforts to roll back initiatives that have advanced health, prosperity and stability around the world." Joining Menendez, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on the letter are U.S. Senators Jeanne Shahe… Continue Reading
March 06, 2018
Menendez Calls on Trump Administration to Confront Russian Aggression and Defend Democracy from Foreign Interference
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tonight spoke on the Senate Floor calling on the Trump Administration to defend our democracy and national security against foreign interference. Menendez underscored President Trump's embrace of Putin, his refusal to impose mandatory sanctions under CAATSA, and his inability to spend a dime of the $120 million Congress authorized to counter the Kremlin's information warfare. Below … Continue Reading
March 06, 2018
Menendez Welcomes Potential Path in Korean Dialogue, Urges Trump to Fully Engage
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after South Korea announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is willing to enter into nuclear negotiations: "President Moon's efforts, backed up by the leverage of additional economic and military pressure, have demonstrated that there is a narrow, diplomatic pathway forward for peace, stability, and a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. Unfo… Continue Reading
March 06, 2018
Senator Menendez Remarks at AIPAC Policy Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke this morning at the 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery: "Good morning AIPAC and thank you for that warm welcome! I'm honored to be here once again at your policy conference. "Let me take a moment of personal privilege to say that sometimes, God puts a Goliath in your path so that you may find the David within you, and I found the David within … Continue Reading
March 05, 2018
Menendez Urges Tillerson to Match Administration Africa Policy Statements with Action Ahead of Trip to Continent
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Monday ahead of his first trip to Africa as America's top diplomat later this week. Senator Menendez writes that the Administration's approach to Africa, while focused in principle on four major themes, has been undercut in practice by a "failure to properly staff the Africa bureau, inadequate budget requests, lack of strategic engagement with the co… Continue Reading
March 01, 2018
Menendez Reacts to Resignation of US Ambassador to Mexico
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday after the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson, announced her resignation: "Ambassador Jacobson's departure marks yet another critical moment in the exodus of expertise from a State Department suffering under poor management and dangerous political guidance. "Mexico is one of our most important bilateral partners in the world. But since his c… Continue Reading
February 28, 2018
Menendez Writes Tillerson, Mnuchin Regarding CAATSA Concerns
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Wednesday, expressing dismay that the Trump Administration has failed to implement many mandatory sanctions and reporting provisions of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), a law passed overwhelmingly by Congress last summer to hold Russia, Iran and North Korea accountable for their… Continue Reading
February 28, 2018
Menendez Calls for Swift Action on Countering Kremlin Propaganda With Congressionally Authorized Funds
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement after the Departments of State and Defense reached an agreement to transfer $40M to the State Department's Global Engagement Center to fight foreign government-sponsored propaganda. "It is well past time that the State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC) gets the resources Congress intended for it to effectively fight Kremlin-sponsored disinform… Continue Reading
February 27, 2018
Menendez Reacts to Sudden Resignation of Lead State Dept. North Korea Negotiator
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday upon the news that Ambassador Joe Yun, the lead State Department official responsible for North Korea negotiations, is resigning: "Today's announcement that Ambassador Joe Yun, our top North Korea diplomat, is resigning is yet another setback in the Trump Administration's chaotic and uneven approach to diplomacy in the Korean peninsula and to the over… Continue Reading
