Ranking Member's Press
MENENDEZ, INHOFE, SENATORS SEND LETTER CONGRATULATING TAIWAN PRESIDENT TSAI ING-WEN ON REELECTION
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), co-chairs of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, led a letter today congratulating President Tsai Ing-wen on reelection as President of Taiwan. They were joined by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Shelley M… Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Menendez Blasts Trump Admin for Loosening Export Controls on Semi-Automatic Arms and Sniper Rifles for Export
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 formally announced on Friday that it was moving forward with its plans to drastically weaken U.S. firearms export regulations despite the Senator's official hold. The move, which was being blocked by Menendez over concerns that the Trump Administration wanted to dilute congressional oversight of foreign sales of lethal weapons, lo… Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
As Senate Impeachment Begins, Menendez Calls for Rigorous Investigation of Marie Yovanovitch Security Risk
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke today with CNN's Poppy Harlow about the Senate's impeachment trial of President Trump. The Senator also provided a reaction to the latest revelations from Rudy Giuliani's associate about the apparent surveillance of U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Yesterday, Menendez wrote a letter to the State Department demanding a briefing on the matter. CLICK HERE TO WATCH In … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Menendez Demands Immediate Briefing Following Menacing Text Messages Suggesting Amb. Yovanovitch was Stalked by Giuliani Associates
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today sent a letter demanding the State Department immediately brief him about what Secretary Pompeo and the State Department knew regarding any threats to the safety of U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. The Senator's letter follows the release of new evidence as part of the House impeachment investigation. The evidence includes threatening text messages from Rudy Giuliani's associates sug… Continue Reading
January 14, 2020
NATIONAL SECURITY SENATORS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO DEVELOP 5G ALTERNATIVES TO HUAWEI
WASHINGTON - Today, a bipartisan group of leading national security Senators introduced legislation to encourage and support U.S. innovation in the race for 5G, providing over $1 billion to invest in Western-based alternatives to Chinese equipment providers Huawei and ZTE. Heavily subsidized by the Chinese government, Huawei is poised to become the leading commercial provider of 5G, with far-reaching effects for U.S. economic and national security. With close ties to the Communist Party of Chi… Continue Reading
January 14, 2020
Menendez Expresses Concern about India’s Citizenship Amendment Act
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express his serious concerns about India's Citizenship Amendment Act and the potential for the establishment of a National Register of Citizens. The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to give citizenship to most religious minority groups in the country except for Muslims. Meanwhile, a National Register could require all Indians to provide documents… Continue Reading
January 13, 2020
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Passes Senate Unanimously
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today voted unanimously to pass the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, S. 1982, legislation introduced by Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) , Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harming marine life. SOS 2.0 builds on the success of the Save Our Seas Act, introduced by Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse, and signed into law by President Trump in October 2018. "As marine debris and plasti… Continue Reading
January 11, 2020
Menendez Statement on Passing of Sultan Qaboos of Oman
NEWARK - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the passing of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman: "I extend my deepest condolences to the royal family and friends of the Sultan and all those in mourning in Oman. One of his greatest legacies will be a strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Oman. We stand in support as the country transitions to new leadership under Haitham bin Tariq … Continue Reading
January 11, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement on Elections in Taiwan
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-chair of the U.S. Senate Taiwan Caucus, issued the following statement regarding the election results in Taiwan: "I would like to extend my congratulations and best wishes to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election. Taiwan's vibrant democracy is a tribute to the aspirations of the people of Taiwan, and an inspiration for those who strive for the freedom of speech and assembly, … Continue Reading
January 10, 2020
Menendez, Engel, Risch, McCaul Seek Answers about World Bank Hiring Practices Concerning Employees from Taiwan
Washington-Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Representative Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Representative Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas), the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today requested an explanation about the World Bank Group (WBG) telling employees with Taiwan passports that their employmen… Continue Reading
January 10, 2020
***VIDEO*** Menendez Responds to Sec. Pompeo’s Claim that He Briefed Senate on Imminent Threat Justifying Soleimani Killing
NEWARK - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, responded live on MSNBC to a press conference by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday morning. While announcing new sanctions against Iran, Secretary Pompeo claimed he had provided Congress all the intelligence needed to prove the Administration's claim of an imminent threat justifying President Trump's approval of an airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. On the A… Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Passes Senate Unanimously
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Senate today voted unanimously to pass the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, S. 1982, legislation introduced by Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harming marine life. SOS 2.0 builds on the success of the Save Our Seas Act, introduced by Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse, and signed into law by President Trump in October 2018. "As marine debris and pla… Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Menendez and Engel Request New Threat Assessment for U.S. Diplomatic Personnel and Compounds Created by Soleimani Killing
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 sent a letter requesting the Trump Administration provide them an updated assessment within the next 7 days of the current risk and threat matrix created by the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Members requested a detailed e… Continue Reading
January 07, 2020
***ICYMI*** Ranking Member Menendez Discusses Latest on Iran Crisis Following Soleimani Killing
WASHINGTON - In multiple interviews with MSNBC and CNN, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, discussed the latest in the escalating crisis with Iran and the increased threat to our national and homeland security resulting from President Trump's approval of an airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The Senator's media appearances follow a letter he and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent to President Trump calling on him to d… Continue Reading
January 06, 2020
Menendez on Juan Guaidó’s Reelection as Head of Venezuela’s National Assembly and Interim President
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the successful reelection of Juan Guaidó as the head of Venezuela's National Assembly. The successful vote to reelect Guaidó came hours after the Maduro regime tried imposing a new leader by forcefully blocking the Interim President's entrance into the National Assembly. "Yesterday, democratic members of Venezuela's National Assembly overw… Continue Reading
January 06, 2020
Menendez and Schumer Call on President Trump to Declassify War Powers Act Notification Letter
WASHINGTON - In a letter to President Donald Trump, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to immediately declassify the White House notification to Congress of the initiation of hostilities against Iran, pursuant to the War Powers Act of 1973. In the letter to President Trump, the senators said it is critical for the Trump administration to share additional information in a timely manner with… Continue Reading
January 05, 2020
Menendez Statement on Terrorist Attack Against U.S.-Kenyan Military Base in Nairobi
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, released the below statement Sunday following an attack on the Manda Bay Airfield military base in Kenya. The airstrip attack, which killed a U.S. military member and injured two other U.S. contractors, comes on the heels of a car bombing in Mogadishu that claimed nearly 80 lives last week. Al Shabaab has claimed credit for both attacks. "I condemn the attack in Kenya today that claimed th… Continue Reading
January 03, 2020
***ICYMI*** On MSNBC, Ranking Member Menendez Discusses Qassem Soleimani
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today spoke with Hallie Jackson on MSNBC to give his reaction to the airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the potential implications of the escalating situation in the Middle East. "Qassem Soleimani was a terrorist. He caused the lives of hundreds of Americans and civilians throughout the region. His direction of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force wa… Continue Reading
January 01, 2020
Ranking Member Menendez Statement on Attack on U.S. Embassy Compound in Baghdad
NEWARK - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement following the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq: "I condemn in the strongest and most forceful of terms these violent attacks against the American Embassy in Baghdad, and the Iranians who are backing this siege. The top priority for the United States must remain ensuring that our American diplomats and personnel at Embassy Baghdad are protected a… Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Congress Passes Menendez-Rubio Bill Reshaping U.S. Policy in Eastern Mediterranean
WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) issued the following statements after the Congress last night approved their Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019, which was included in a bipartisan legislative package to fund the government through September 2020. The legislation is a comprehensive recalibration of American diplomatic, military, and economic policy towards the East… Continue Reading
