Booker Concludes 2022 Jersey Summer Road Trip

Booker visited all 21 counties during the trip and focused on his ongoing work to serve the people of New Jersey

Newark, NJ – From visits to businesses to local farms, roundtable discussions to townhalls, press conferences to small business walks, U.S. Senator Cory Booker concluded his 2022 Jersey Summer Road Trip today. Over six days, Booker visited all 21 counties in New Jersey and highlighted his efforts to secure congressionally directed spending for critical New Jersey projects and organizations, his support of local industries, and his continued commitment to serving the state’s residents.

Booker launched his tour in Stafford Township to discuss the On P.O.I.N.T. program, which provides on-site social workers for police departments to address the high volume of social service-related calls and incidents they receive. He then announced legislation that would expand the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, which promotes housing stability among very low-income veteran families, to former members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Booker hosted a listening session with New Jersey stakeholders to discuss food insecurity and hunger in New Jersey, the need to reform our nation’s food system, and the rising incidence of diet-related diseases. Booker will use the comments and feedback he received at the listening session, cohosted with New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, for the upcoming White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health that he successfully secured funding for. Booker also announced over $1 million in federal grant money for Norwescap Food Bank to increase its capacity to distribute food and build a more modern facility.

To close out his road trip, Booker hosted a roundtable discussion in Cumberland County to discuss the county’s work to implement community violence intervention strategies that aim to reduce and prevent gun violence. Booker has been a proponent of such strategies; in 2019, he introduced the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, legislation that would provide federal grants to communities for gun violence intervention and prevention programs designed to interrupt cycles of violence. Research has shown that a combination of community-oriented intervention programs and commonsense gun control policies can reduce gun violence rates.

“Over the past days, I’ve had the chance to meet with advocates, elected officials, and residents of the Garden State who have graciously shared their feedback, concerns, and stories with me,” said Sen. Booker. “These conservations will stay with me and help me further advocate for our state as I return to Washington. It’s an honor to serve the people of New Jersey, and I know that together, we will address the unique challenges our state and nation faces.”