Service history
4 years in the U.S. Congress · since 2023
- Representative NJ-8 2023–present
Background
- background Born January 1, 1954; lawyer
- background Saint Peter's University (political science); Rutgers Law School
- role Mayor of Union City (1986); New Jersey Assembly and Senate
- role U.S. House (NJ-13, 1993–2006) and Senate (2006–2024)
- role Chaired Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (2013–2015, 2021–2023)
- controversy Convicted July 2024 on corruption/foreign agent charges; sentenced 11 years; resigned August 2024
Campaign finance
2022 cycle
Candidate for U.S. House NJ-08 · 2026 General Election
- $1,752,969 raised
- $1,397,774 spent
- $355,195 cash on hand
| $1.75M | |
| $1.71M | |
| $1.35M | |
| Itemized (≥ $200) | $1.33M |
| Unitemized (< $200) | $19.30K |
| Other committees (PACs) | $356.27K |
| Transfers from other committees | $43.24K |
| Offsets to expenditures | $2.22K |
| Other receipts | $0.01 |
| $1.40M | |
| Operating expenditures | $1.34M |
| Contribution refunds | $8.95K |
| Other disbursements | $50.90K |
| Cash on hand | $355.20K |
| Debts owed by committee | $0.00 |
Through December 31, 2022 · FEC
Data from FEC (through Dec 31, 2022)
Over time
Data from FEC per-cycle campaign finance
Money raised, spent, and cash on hand across every election cycle on record — toggle a series in the legend.
| Cycle | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $1,752,969 | $1,397,774 | $355,195 |
| 2024 | $2,384,983 | $2,463,493 | $276,686 |
| 2026 | $1,958,766 | $1,555,715 | $679,737 |
Track record
Assembled from Congress.gov · FEC · official disclosures — each fact links its own source
- Roll-call participation →
voted in 619 recorded roll calls · chamber median 100.0%
Missing a vote is not inherently negative — an absence can be excused, reflect leadership or committee duty, or a recorded pairing.
- Bills sponsored →
plus 294 cosponsored
A count of bills introduced as the primary sponsor; most legislation never advances, regardless of who sponsors it.
- Sponsored bills enacted →
of 21 bills sponsored
Whether a bill becomes law depends on the whole Congress, not the sponsor alone; substantive provisions often pass folded into other vehicles.
- Party-unity voting →
votes with the party majority · median 99% · on 437 party-line votes
Party-unity is how often a member votes with their own party's majority on party-line votes — it reflects agenda alignment, not loyalty, independence, or virtue.
- Cross-party voting →
votes with the other party's majority on those same votes
The share of the same party-line votes cast with the OTHER party's majority — a descriptive rate, not a measure of principle.
- Documented positions →
no positions documented yet
Documented, sourced positions we have on record — the absence of a documented position is not the absence of a view.
- Committee assignments →
committees and subcommittees
Committee seats are assignments made by party leadership — a measure of role and jurisdiction, not an achievement or a conflict in itself.
- Documented relationships →
neutral overlap signals (e.g., committee oversight of a traded sector)
A documented relationship is a factual overlap in the public record — NOT evidence of wrongdoing.
Assembled from CivicGate's ingested public records for Robert Menendez. A fact shown as “—” means we don't yet hold that data — not that the value is zero.
Voting record
Data from Congress.gov roll-call records
Full voting record (619 roll calls) → · Congress 119 · based on 619 of 645 recorded roll calls
Committee assignments (4)
Data from Congress.gov committee memberships
- Energy and Commerce Committee · oversees Energy, Health, Technology, Telecom
- Communications and Technology Subcommittee · oversees Technology
- Energy Subcommittee · oversees Energy
- Environment Subcommittee · oversees Energy
Industry PAC support
Data from FEC — PAC (political action committee) contributions, 2024/2022 cycles
Total disclosed PAC money: $1,182,206. Industry is approximated from a curated map; individual (non-PAC) donations are listed separately above.
- Finance $51,300 · 17 PACs
- Health $40,400 · 15 PACs
- Telecom $30,000 · 10 PACs
- Defense $28,500 · 6 PACs
- Energy $5,500 · 4 PACs
- Technology $4,500 · 4 PACs
Top PAC contributors (10)
- AIPAC PAC $22,900
- AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION - COPE $20,000
- TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE $20,000
- NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN & PUBLIC EDUCATION $20,000
- MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS $20,000 · Defense
- LIUNA PAC $20,000
- CHC BOLD PAC $20,000
- NEW MILLENNIUM PAC $20,000
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $20,000
- PAC TO THE FUTURE $15,000
Top contributors (FEC)
Outside spending on this race
Data from FEC, Schedule E independent expenditures
Independent expenditures are money outside groups (PACs / super-PACs) spend to support or oppose a candidate without coordinating with their campaign. What's this? →
Issue positions (15)
Documented + CivicGate vote-derived — stated positions link their source; derived positions come from votes on direction-tagged bills
- AbortionPartial support from votes
- Civil RightsPartial support from votes
- Climate & EnergyPartial support from votes
- Criminal JusticePartial oppose from votes
- DefensePartial support from votes
- Economy & TaxesPartial support from votes
- EducationPartial support from votes
- Foreign PolicyPartial oppose from votes
- Gun PolicyPartial oppose from votes
- HealthcarePartial support from votes
- HousingPartial support from votes
- ImmigrationPartial support from votes
- Labor & WagesPartial support from votes
- Technology & PrivacyPartial support from votes
- Voting & ElectionsFull support from votes
Documented relationships
Documented facts about Menendez, aggregated from public records. A documented relationship is not evidence of wrongdoing — it is context, not a conclusion.
- Committee oversight & campaign money — health coverage: medium
Sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees the health sector, and received 15 PAC contributions from health-sector political action committees totaling $40,400 (recent cycles).
PAC industry is approximated from a curated keyword map, and only members with an FEC candidate id on file are covered — real totals may be higher.
- Committee oversight & campaign money — telecom coverage: medium
Sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees the telecom sector, and received 10 PAC contributions from telecom-sector political action committees totaling $30,000 (recent cycles).
PAC industry is approximated from a curated keyword map, and only members with an FEC candidate id on file are covered — real totals may be higher.
- Committee oversight & campaign money — energy coverage: medium
Sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce — Energy, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce — Environment, which oversee the energy sector, and received 4 PAC contributions from energy-sector political action committees totaling $5,500 (recent cycles).
PAC industry is approximated from a curated keyword map, and only members with an FEC candidate id on file are covered — real totals may be higher.
- Committee oversight & campaign money — technology coverage: medium
Sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce — Communications and Technology, which oversee the technology sector, and received 4 PAC contributions from technology-sector political action committees totaling $4,500 (recent cycles).
PAC industry is approximated from a curated keyword map, and only members with an FEC candidate id on file are covered — real totals may be higher.
Have a question about this? Ask Menendez to explain → Browse all documented relationships →
Frequent co-sponsors
Connections network
Sponsored / cosponsored bills (200)
- HR 10003Consumer Protection and Recovery ActcosponsoredJul 29, 2026
- HRES 1463Expressing support for July to be designated as "Disability Pride Month".cosponsoredJul 26, 2026
- HR 9941Right to IVF Act of 2026cosponsoredJul 22, 2026
- HR 9803Protecting Immigrants From Legal Exploitation Act of 2026cosponsoredJul 20, 2026
- HRES 1427Expressing support for the designation of July 10th as Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day.cosponsoredJul 12, 2026
- HR 9614NRC Staff Pay Alignment ActsponsoredJul 8, 2026
- HJRES 200Providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to Turkey of certain defense articles and services.cosponsoredJul 1, 2026
- HR 9432LIFT the BAR ActcosponsoredJun 23, 2026
- HR 9332Load Forecasting Enhancement ActcosponsoredJun 17, 2026
- HRES 1355Supporting the designation of the week of June 14 through June 21, 2026, as "National Men's Health Week".cosponsoredJun 9, 2026
- HR 9208HEAR Act of 2026cosponsoredJun 7, 2026
- HJRES 189Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to "Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations".cosponsoredMay 20, 2026
- HR 8939Closing the HPV Testing Gap ActcosponsoredMay 19, 2026
- HR 8798Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026cosponsoredMay 12, 2026
- HR 8754No Delay for Immigration Oversight ActcosponsoredMay 11, 2026
- HRES 1260Supporting the designation of May 10, 2026, as "National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day".cosponsoredMay 6, 2026
- HR 8694Assault Weapon Financing Accountability ActcosponsoredMay 6, 2026
- HRES 1269Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of the Cinco de Mayo holiday.cosponsoredMay 6, 2026
- HRES 1253Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the United States, including their commitment to defending the Constitution and delivering essential services to United States citizens, and in doing so, supporting the United States economy, during Public Service Recognition Week and throughout the year.cosponsoredMay 3, 2026
- HR 8620CARES Hotline ActsponsoredApr 29, 2026
- HRES 1243Recognizing the significance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States.cosponsoredApr 29, 2026
- HR 8326To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 16 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Drive in Willingboro, New Jersey, as the "James A. Cotten Post Office".cosponsoredApr 15, 2026
- HR 8333YouthBuild for the Future ActcosponsoredApr 15, 2026
- HR 8275Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of the Office ActcosponsoredApr 13, 2026
- HR 8226Helicopter Safety Parity Act of 2026cosponsoredApr 8, 2026
Comparison lens (E18)
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Committee activity
Proceedings attended
Congress.gov publishes no attendance list, so this reflects the proceedings whose own record names this member — in an opening statement, an attendance roster or a vote sheet. It is not a complete attendance history.
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