Coronavirus Telephone Town Hall with U.S. Senator Cory Booker

On Monday, May 18, AARP New Jersey hosted a coronavirus information Telephone Town Hall with U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. Senator Booker discussed the coronavirus in New Jersey, recent economic stimulus laws, and the work he is doing in Congress to provide support for New Jerseyans during the public health emergency. Listen here to a recording of the live conversation.

Senator Booker’s office is also providing an online Coronavirus Guide, which is updated every Friday. You can find that at booker.senate.gov/coronavirus. You can reach his office by calling 973-639-8700 or emailing casework@booker.senate.gov.

Below, you’ll find Senator Booker’s answers to the most frequently asked questions from our members who joined the call.

1. What do you believe must be included in the next economic stimulus package?

Senator Booker said the $2 trillion CARES Act is a step in the right direction – bringing resources to New Jersey, including 80 percent of New Jersey families who will receive stimulus checks, an expansion of unemployment insurance, and billions for frontline workers.

The HEROES ACT, which was passed by the House of Representatives, is a $3 trillion relief package with $1 trillion in aid for state and local governments. Senator Booker said he will continue to work to ensure New Jersey receives support for our state and local governments. He said it’s necessary to keep first responders employed and that this is not a time to layoff police officers, fire fighters and paramedics.

He also said he is fighting to make sure we do more for our most vulnerable populations – including those in long-term care facilities and those living paycheck to paycheck. He is pleased the HEROES Act calls for more support for food programs around the state – from Meals on Wheels to SNAP to help for our food banks.

He said he will be pushing for more hazard pay for those putting their lives in danger on a daily basis, and would like to see a further extension of unemployment insurance.

Also, he is fighting to ensure people are not receiving crippling medical bills. He would like to see free, no cost sharing for COVID-related services and would like to expand access to testing.

2. What is being done to protect residents in long-term care facilities?

Senator Booker said our long-term care facilities are struggling to provide effective care and more must be done. He has introduced a bill that would protect the health and well-being of those living in long-term care facilities.

The bill would increase prevention control and testing and give personal protective equipment (PPE) to these facilities. It would help to find teams to go into these nursing homes to provide additional support and accountability. It would facilitate broad-scale tele-visitation for loved ones while in-person visits are not possible during the public health emergency. It would mandate transparency and reporting of COVID-19 cases in facilities, and make sure we are getting daily reporting. It would require Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – a federal agency – to conduct better oversight, including inspections and guidance.

3. When will New Jersey towns begin to see federal funding for local governments?

Senator Booker said it’s not just the state that is having this crisis, but the smallest New Jersey towns to the biggest cities are having major shortfalls in revenue. He said they are in the midst of debates in Washington about whether they can get resources to our state and local governments.

Senator Booker is pushing for state and local funding and said we can’t only help large corporations during the crisis. He said we can’t be doing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) without also helping our towns who are employing our police officers, fire fighters, and paramedics.

While there is debate in Washington, he does not believe this is a partisan issue. He said every Governor through the Governor’s Association joined together to call for a half a trillion dollars for the states. He believes you’ll start hearing that call come from local leaders for both parties.

4. What is being done to help the state in regard to high influx of unemployment claims? Why are claims being held up?

Senator Booker said unemployment is the number one reason people are calling his office. The state is overrun as New Jersey and most states are experiencing historic unemployment insurance claims in such a short period of time.

He said the technology is old, which has been a real challenge in New Jersey and in other states. New Jersey has been shifting resources to deal with large volume of cases. Senator Booker said even if you haven’t received your unemployment since March, when it does go through, it is retroactive and you’ll receive all of your pay. He knows it doesn’t help you feed your family this week, but it does help to know you won’t miss out on any checks.

He said to stay persistent, especially as claims are beginning to slow. Please call Senator Booker’s office (973-639-8700) if you would like extra help and visit his website for a Coronavirus Guide with updated information.

5. What is being done to help New Jerseyans receive food assistance during the pandemic?

Senator Booker said 700,000 New Jerseyans are relying on SNAP as a result of the crisis, and he expects the number to rise.

He said bureaucracy is undermining New Jersey families’ ability to access food, and to get reimbursement from the federal government, agencies are forced to collect a lot of data. He said he is working to suspend federal government rules that are making the situation worse, and that in a time of crisis, he believes we need to lift certain restrictions that would allow food to go to families that need it much quicker.

He is asking leadership in Congress and the White House to bolster the SNAP program in any future COVID-related legislation. He said if businesses are closed, we need to provide support to the people who are struggling to afford basic necessities.

6. When will I receive my stimulus check?

The IRS started sending out stimulus payments in mid-April. You may check on the status of your stimulus payment by using this IRS website. To review if you are eligible and how much you may receive, please read this AARP article.

7. What is being done to lower the cost of prescription drugs?

Senator Booker said he has been working to allow Medicare to use its power to negotiate drug prices to lower costs. He also wrote a bill with others to allow safe importation of drugs, which could lower costs. He said, “Particularly in this crisis, we should be taking steps to lower the cost of prescription drugs right away,” and doesn’t believe Congress has made a large enough impact on lowering prescription drugs. Please call Senator Booker’s office if you have further questions or if you need help finding resources or benefits you may qualify for.

Listen here to our full discussion with Senator Booker and visit AARP’s Coronavirus website for more information.

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