Booker Says, “I Am Not Going to Support a Budget that Hurts New Jerseyans”

In case you missed it, in interviews, videos, and conversation with New Jerseyans, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is speaking out about the upcoming budget fight and the rising costs Americans and his constituents are facing. As the budget fight gets underway, Booker is making his position clear: "I am not going to support a budget that hurts New Jerseyans, that hurts people more than they're hurting already."

NBC Meet the Press

September 7, 2025

Senator Booker: "This is a president that does not have the morals necessary to reach across the aisle and work within the bounds of our constitution. He is reckless, and he's hurting Americans, and I'm not giving away my vote for a budget that's going to hurt New Jerseyans or anybody in our nation."

Senator Booker: "I am not going to support a budget that hurts New Jerseyans, that hurts people more than they're hurting already."

NJ Spotlight News

Rising cost of living worries residents - and Booker

September 8, 2025

"With prices on everyday goods still climbing, frustration among New Jersey residents is mounting. U.S. Senator Booker sat down with some in Newark today to hear it firsthand, hosting a roundtable to learn where they are feeling it the most and to talk about how he plans to tackle it in Washington, laying the blame on President Trump's recent policies involving tariffs and tax reforms that Booker argues favor the wealthy at the expense of the working poor."

Sen. Booker: "Now as we're seeing a back to school moment for Americans all across the country, we're seeing families facing increasing challenges to afford the basics."

"He did say he would withhold his vote if he doesn't see some major changes that he believes are causing these families pain."

The Bergen Record:

As cost of back-to-school items rises, NJ's Cory Booker vows tough stance on spending bill

By Mary Ann Koruth

September 9, 2025

Back-to-school shopping costs and the impact that tariffs will likely have on an already costly grocery list had Wilson - who is the mother of a 16-year-old and grandmother to two elementary schoolers - despairing over her family's expenses, she told Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, on Sept. 8 in his Newark office.

"What we're seeing is a coordinated, full-blown attack on public education in America," Booker said. "By strangling these vital programs, what we are seeing is instability in our public schools."

Booker was discussing the impact of tariffs and the increasing pressure on social safety net programs from recent federal funding clawbacks and the federal spending plan, which the Republican-majority Congress approved in July.

"What I'm hearing from these professionals is a five-alarm fire," Booker said. "They are ringing the bell. And this is September. If it continues to June, we are going to have one of the worst years in public education."

"I will not give my vote away in this budget showdown unless some of this suffering hitting American families is alleviated," he said.

New Jersey Globe

With shutdown looming, Kim, Booker say they're willing to block Republican funding bill.

Senate Democrats could sink partisan appropriations legislation thanks to filibuster

By Joey Fox

September 4, 2025

If Congress can't pass some sort of government funding bill by September 30, then the federal government will enter into a shutdown for the first time since 2019. And thanks to the filibuster, which requires most bills to get 60 votes in the Senate in order to pass, Senate Democrats will have to play a role in any funding deal that makes it to the president's desk.

New Jersey's two senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, are saying that their votes can't be taken for granted to prevent a shutdown. If Republicans put forward a bill that doesn't involve any input from Democrats and would, from their perspective, harm New Jersey and its residents, both senators signaled that they're willing to use their power to stop it.

"I am not going to support a budget that hurts New Jerseyans, that hurts people more than they're hurting already," Booker told reporters during a gaggle that he later posted online. "Donald Trump and Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. They have a responsibility to put forward a budget that can get through the United States Senate."

If Trump tries to "bully" the Senate into passing a partisan bill, he added, "I'm going to block it and I'm going to fight to prevent him from doing that."

@SenBooker

Senator Booker: "This is a time to draw lines and to stand and fight. So I'm telling folks, this is a crossroads. I'm standing and fighting against any kind of budget proposal that is going to hurt Americans or New Jerseyans."