Booker Continues Annual 21-County Tour with Stops in Essex and Somerset Counties

NEWARK, N.J. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) continued his annual 21-County Tour with stops in Essex and Somerset Counties. In Essex County, he visited medical researchers and students at Hackensack Meridian Health's Center for Discovery & Innovation and School of Medicine. He then traveled to Somerset County, where he met with community leaders and families at the Franklin Food Bank for a roundtable on the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for New Jersey families.

In Essex County, Senator Booker toured the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine's amphitheaters and simulation lab, where students receive hands-on medical training, and the Center for Discovery & Innovation's laboratories, where researchers conduct immunology and cancer research and work to translate scientific discoveries into clinical care. He met with researchers and medical leaders about their work advancing cancer research, training the next generation of health care professionals, and developing new treatments.

This visit comes as the Trump administration has cut federal support for medical research, including right here in New Jersey, a global leader in life science innovation and world-class medical research that relies on millions of dollars in NIH grants. Senator Booker has consistently fought to protect federal investments in medical research. He introduced the NIH IMPROVE Act, which would provide consistent funding for NIH's maternal health research initiative, and cosponsored legislation to expand Medicare-funded medical residency positions to help address the nation's physician shortage. He also leads annual funding requests for colorectal, esophageal, ovarian, and Von Hippel-Lindau cancer research through the Department of Defense's Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program.

"Senator Booker has been a tireless advocate for education, research, and high-quality, accessible healthcare for all communities," said Robert Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "We are proud to host him at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and the Center for Discovery and Innovation, to show how by training doctors of the future and making new scientific discoveries, we are working toward a better and healthier future for all of New Jersey, and beyond."

In Somerset County, Senator Booker joined families and the leaders of New Jersey's five major food banks at the Franklin Food Bank for a roundtable discussion on SNAP and food insecurity. Participants discussed the role SNAP plays in supporting nearly 850,000 New Jerseyans and the challenges communities face as federal policymakers consider cuts to the program. An estimated 44 percent of food-insecure residents in New Jersey do not receive SNAP benefits, making the work of organizations like the Franklin Food Bank critical to ensuring families have access to food.

Earlier this year, Senator Booker introduced his Food is Medicine: HEAL America Agenda, which calls for strengthening nutrition assistance and expanding access to healthy foods, including by expanding SNAP incentives for fresh fruits and vegetables and connecting federal food programs with American family farmers.

"Today, the Franklin Food Bank was honored to welcome U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and leaders from New Jersey's five Feeding America food banks for an important conversation about the devastating impact of recent SNAP cuts on families in Franklin Township and communities across New Jersey.As food insecurity grows, we're leaning on strong and integrated partnerships at the local, county, and state levels to meet these challenges head-on. Together, we're working to ensure our most vulnerable neighbors have access to healthy, nutritious, culturally relevant food and the social services they need to thrive with dignity. Our greatest strength is our people. Our staff and volunteers are resilient, creative, and resourceful. Like palm trees, we may bend in the fiercest storms, but we don't break. Our roots run deep-and our partnerships run even deeper and we'll continue to adapt, respond, and stand with our neighbors," said Derek Smith, Executive Director, Franklin Food Bank.

"Today's conversation between Senator Booker, New Jersey's five food banks, and several of our pantry partners was an important opportunity to discuss the future of SNAP and what's at stake for families in need," said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "Since the SNAP cuts included in H.R. 1 took effect, we have seen increased demand for food assistance as families struggle to keep meals on the table with fewer resources. Shifting an additional $90 million in SNAP administrative costs to the state would put even more pressure on communities already working to meet growing needs. We urge Congress to delay this cost shift for two years and to roll back the harmful cuts enacted under H. R. 1. Thank you to Senator Booker for listening to those on the front lines of hunger relief and advocating with us to protect this critical program."

"Families across South Jersey face an affordability crisis. Food, utilities, healthcare - it's all rising while federal support is shrinking," said Jane Asselta, President & CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey. "We thank Senator Booker for meeting with us to raise awareness of how SNAP cuts are impacting food insecurity, increasing the need for additional federal food resources."

"Norwescap has seen demand more than double over the last three years. With the SNAP benefits changes and coming Medicaid changes we are going to be stretched beyond capacity to help our vets, seniors and lower-income families put food on the table," said Mark Valli, CEO of Norwescap.

"Across Monmouth and Ocean counties, nearly 148,000 people are experiencing food insecurity, and the changes to SNAP enacted through H.R. 1 are creating new challenges for many of the neighbors we serve," said Triada Stampas, President & CEO of Fulfill. "Our Navigation team, one of the most experienced in the country, is already seeing widespread confusion around expanded work requirements. Some people who still need help may lose benefits simply because they cannot navigate the new requirements or document an exemption. When that happens, their need for food does not disappear. They turn to food banks and local pantries that are already experiencing increased demand and cannot replace the scale of SNAP. We are grateful to Senator Booker for listening to what our communities are experiencing and for his continued advocacy to protect this critical program."

"Hunger is not a failure of character. It is often the result of a family facing impossible choices. Our responsibility is to make sure those choices become less impossible," said Randall West, CEO of Mercer Street Friends.

"At a time when the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are pursuing cuts to federal investments in medical research and SNAP, today's conversations reaffirmed how critical both of these programs are to the health of New Jerseyans and the importance of standing up against these chaotic and cruel policies that are hurting the people of our state. At the Center for Discovery and Innovation, I saw researchers who work every day to find new breakthroughs in cancer research, develop better treatments, and turn discoveries in the lab into care for patients. At the Franklin Food Bank, I heard from New Jerseyans feeling the squeeze of rising grocery costs and from the people working tirelessly to make sure their neighbors have enough to eat. We cannot afford to turn our backs on this work or on the people who depend on it. I will continue fighting for every dollar I can to make sure New Jerseyans doing this critical work have the support they need," said Senator Booker.

Senator Booker's Annual 21-County Tour continues tomorrow with stops in Middlesex, Union, and Hudson Counties.