CHC members in 2005 with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

The Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) is a Republican Party-controlled caucus in the United States Congress. The CHC was formed in 2003, with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans of Hispanic or Latino and Portuguese descent. These priorities included support of the following: then-President George W. Bush and American troops in the war against terrorism; the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA); tax relief to families and the over two million Hispanic- and Portuguese-owned small businesses; support for faith based initiatives; and, educational choice for all. The impetus behind the Conference's creation was the debate surrounding the nomination of conservative lawyer Miguel Estrada to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.^[1][2] The Congressional Hispanic Conference should not be confused with the older Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is a similar organization controlled by Democratic congresspeople.

History[link]

In the mid to late 1990s, the Republican members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – Mexican-American Henry Bonilla of Texas and Cuban-Americans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida – left the Caucus in protest over its support for improved relations with Cuba.^[3] While Ros-Lehtinen remained an active member of the CHC's public outreach arm, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Caucus has since been comprised solely of Democratic and Democratic-caucusing independent legislators.^[4][5]

Feeling there was "significant need" for a "new Hispanic conference" newly elected Florida congressman Mario Diaz-Balart began to organize in 2002 a caucus for Hispanic Republicans to counter what they felt was Democratic dominance over Hispanic political affairs. On March 17, 2003, Diaz-Balart revealed the formation of the Conference in an open letter published in the Wall Street Journal.^[1] Joined by Bonilla, Ros-Lehtinen, his brother Lincoln, and newly elected colleague Devin Nunes, a California congressman of Portuguese (Azorean) descent, Diaz-Balart decried what he perceived as Hispanic Democratic efforts to derail the nomination of Estrada, a selection seen by some at the time as a possible fast track to the U.S. Supreme Court.^[3][6] The group was officially announced at a press conference two days later. They were soon joined by two more Portuguese American congressmen, Richard Pombo of California and Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania.^[7]

Like their Democratic counterpart, the Conference allows members from the Senate. Mel Martinez, the first Cuban-American US Senator, joined the group shortly after his election in 2004. Additionally, the Conference is open to non-Hispanic "associate" members who represent districts with significant Hispanic populations or generally support its goals with regards to public policy.^[8][9] In 2003, Conference members also formed the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute as an equivalent to the Democratic CHC-affiliated CHCI.

In the 2006 and 2008 elections, the Conference suffered the loss of nearly half of their members to electoral defeat, attempts at higher office or resignations. Past chair Luis Fortuño left Congress after being elected Governor of Puerto Rico. After the 2010 midterm elections, six new Hispanic Republicans were elected to Congress: Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Representatives David Rivera of Florida, Raúl Labrador of Idaho, Francisco Canseco and Bill Flores of Texas, and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, as well as Portuguese American Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who was a member of the conference when he served in the House.

Membership[link]

Current Chair, Mario Diaz-Balart

Active members as of the 112th Congress:

Officers[link]

• Chair: Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-21) (R)
• Vice-Chair: Francisco "Quico" Canseco (TX-23)
• Executive Director:

Full members[link]

• Rep. Bill Flores (TX-17) (R)
• Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-3) (R)
• Rep. Raúl Labrador (ID-1) (R)
• Rep. Devin Nunes (CA-21) (R)
• Rep. David Rivera (FL-25) (R)
• Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) (R)
• Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) (R)
• Sen. Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania) (R)

Associate members[link]

• Rep. Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) (R)
• Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-2) (R)
• Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) (R)
• Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-2) (R)
• Rep. Pete Sessions (TX-32) (R)

Past chairs[link]

• 2003–2005: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) (R)
• 2005–2007: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) (R)
• 2007–2009: Luis Fortuño (PR-RC) (PNP/R)

Former members[link]

• Henry Bonilla 2003–2007
• Bob Beauprez 2003-2007 {associate member}
• J. Gresham Barrett 2009–2011 {associate member}
• Lincoln Díaz-Balart 2003–2011
• Chris Cannon 2003-2009 {associate member}
• Luis Fortuño 2005–2009 {Now Governor of Puerto Rico}
• Mel Martinez 2005–2010
• Richard Pombo 2003–2007
• Jon Porter 2003–2007 {associate member}
• Rick Renzi 2003-2009 {associate member}
• Jerry Weller 2003-2009 {associate member}

See also[link]

	Government of the United States portal
	Latino and Hispanic American portal

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Congressional caucus
• List of Latino Republicans

References[link]

Hispanic Caucus meeting at the White House in 2009

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Congressional Hispanic Caucus

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) comprises 21 Democratic members of the United States Congress of Hispanic descent. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States and Puerto Rico. The CHC was founded in December 1976 as a legislative service organization of the United States House of Representatives. Today, the CHC is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus aims to address national and international issues and the impact these policies have on the Hispanic community. The function of the Caucus is to serve as a forum for the Hispanic and other Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda. In addition to covering legislative action, the CHC also monitors Executive and Judicial issues.

CHC legislative priorities cover all areas that have a direct impact on the Hispanic or Latino community. In order to best address these diverse issues, members work in smaller task forces that draw on their expertise and develop priority legislation within each area. The CHC is currently composed entirely of Democrats, although it had been a bipartisan organization since its founding. The Republican members left in the late 1990s over policy differences and, in 2003, formed their own group, the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Senator Bob Menendez, a Cuban American Democrat from New Jersey, is currently the only member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from the Senate.

History[link]

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was organized in 1976 by five Hispanic Congressmen: Herman Badillo (NY), Baltasar Corrada del Río (PR), Kika de la Garza (TX), Henry B. Gonzalez (TX) and Edward Roybal (CA), to serve as a legislative organization through which legislative action, as well as executive and judicial actions, could be monitored to ensure the needs of Hispanics were being met. It was staffed by Raquel Marquez Frankel, who had grown up in Silver City and Albuquerque, New Mexico, and had become, in 1947, the first Latina to attend the University of New Mexico School of Law.^[1] The goal was to work in conjunction with other groups, both inside and outside Congress, to strengthen Federal commitment to Hispanics and heighten the community's awareness of the operation and function of the American political system.

Past Chairs[link]

• 1978–1980 Edward R. Roybal
• 1981–1984 Robert García
• 1984–1985 Bill Richardson
• 1985–1986 Matthew Martinez
• 1986–1987 Esteban Torres
• 1987–1988 Albert G. Bustamante
• 1988–1989 Jaime B. Fuster
• 1989–1990 E. "Kika" de la Garza
• 1991–1992 Solomon Ortiz (TX-27) (D)
• 1993–1994 José Serrano (NY-16) (D)
• 1995–1996 Ed Pastor (AZ-04) (D)
• 1997–1998 Xavier Becerra (CA-31) (D)
• 1999–2000 Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (D)
• 2001–2002 Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) (D)
• 2003–2004 Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23) (D)
• 2005–2006 Grace Napolitano (CA-38) (D)
• 2007–2008 Joe Baca (CA-43) (D)
• 2009–2010 Nydia Velázquez (NY-12) (D)

Controversies[link]

On January 31, 2007, a story on the Politico.com website reported that Rep. Joe Baca had called Rep. Loretta Sanchez a "whore" in a conversation with Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Núñez, prompting Sanchez to resign from the CHC. Rep. Baca has denied this charge,^[2] but two other CHC members, Linda Sánchez (Loretta's sister) and Hilda Solis, expressed support for Loretta Sanchez.^[3] In the case of Solis, Baca called her "'a kiss-up' to Speaker Nancy Pelosi," for which he has apologized to Solis both privately and publicly.^[4]

A year prior to the "whore" incident, The CHC's Political action committee gave $3,000 to Joe Baca's children's campaigns for state offices in California. Although Baca recused himself from the decision to make the contributions, six members of the caucus criticized the decision, saying that CHC's PAC should support only federal candidates. Consequently, on November 15, 2006, when Joe Baca was elected chair of the CHC, Solis and the Sanchez sisters challenged his election, saying that the voting should have been done by a secret ballot.^[4]

On Monday, April 2, 2007, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez closed her offices in honor of César Estrada Chávez Day, a state holiday in California (which fell on a Saturday that year). CHC chair Baca made the following comment on Sánchez's decision to close the office "I believe the best way to observe César Estrada Chávez Day is not by taking the day off from work or school."^[5] On April 12, Linda Sánchez announced that she had "suspended her membership in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, citing a need for 'structural reforms to ensure that the caucus is more equitable and inclusive of all its members.'" She specifically stated that her decision "was not based on personal animus directed at Baca."^[6]

Membership[link]

Officers[link]

• Chair: Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20) (D)
• 1st Vice Chair Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) (D)
• 2nd Vice Chair Ben Ray Luján (NM-3) (D)
• Whip Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) (D)

Other Membership[link]

Current[link]

• Joe Baca (CA-43) (D)
• Xavier Becerra (CA-31) (D)
• Jim Costa (CA-20) (D)
• Henry Cuellar (TX-28) (D)
• Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07) (D)
• Luis V. Gutierrez (IL-04) (D)
• Senator Bob Menéndez (NJ-D)
• Grace Napolitano (CA-38) (D)
• Ed Pastor (AZ-04) (D)
• Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At large) (D)
• Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) (D)
• Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (D)
• Gregorio Sablan (MP-At large) (D)
• Linda T. Sánchez (CA-39) (D)
• José Serrano (NY-16) (D)
• Albio Sires (NJ-13) (D)
• Nydia Velázquez (NY-12) (D)

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute[link]

In October 1981, the House Committee on House Administration drafted new regulations stipulating that fundraising activities were to be moved off all government premises. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus decided to maintain a legislative support organization on Capitol Hill, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and moved the non-profit, fundraising organization, today known as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc. to a new residence.^[7]

Pictures[link]

Caucus members in 1984   Nydia Velázquez with caucus members   Caucus chairman, Charlie Gonzalez

References[link]

1. ^ Nancy Harbert, Ed., 60 for 60: Shaping Law in New Mexico Since 1950 (2010)
2. ^ Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,' Resigns from Hispanic Group at Politico.com
3. ^ Two More Reps. Complain About Treatment of Women in Hispanic Caucus at Politico.com
4. ^ ^{a b} Women Call for Change in Caucus at The Washington Post
5. ^ Rep. Baca wags finger at Sanchez for closing office for César Chávez Day at The Hill
6. ^ Linda Sanchez Leaves Hispanic Caucus at Politico.com
7. ^ http://www.chci.org/

See also[link]

	Government of the United States portal
	Latino and Hispanic American portal

• Congressional caucus

External links[link]

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Website
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

v t e Chairs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Roybal • García • Richardson • Martínez • Torres • Bustamante • Fuster • de la Garza • Ortiz • Serrano • Pastor • Becerra • Roybal-Allard • Reyes • Rodriguez • Napolitano • Baca • Velázquez • Gonzalez

Bob Menendez
United States Senator from New Jersey
Incumbent
Assumed office January 18, 2006 Serving with Frank Lautenberg
Preceded by	Jon Corzine
Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus
In office 2003–2006
Leader	Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by	Martin Frost
Succeeded by	Jim Clyburn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 13th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 18, 2006
Preceded by	Frank Guarini
Succeeded by	Albio Sires
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 33rd district
In office January 13, 1992 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Christopher Jackman
Succeeded by	Bernard Kenny
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 33rd district
In office January 1, 1988 – January 13, 1992
Preceded by	Jose Arango
Succeeded by	Louis Romano
Mayor of Union City
In office 1986–1992
Preceded by	Arthur Wichert
Succeeded by	Bruce Walter
Personal details
Born	Robert Menendez (1954-01-01) January 1, 1954 (age 58) New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jane Menendez (Divorced)
Children	Alicia Menendez Robert Menendez
Residence	Hoboken, New Jersey
Alma mater	Saint Peter's College (B.A.) Rutgers School of Law in Newark (J.D.)
Occupation	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature
Website	www.menendez.senate.gov

Robert "Bob" Menendez (born January 1, 1954) is the junior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. In January 2006, he was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jon Corzine, who resigned upon being elected Governor of New Jersey. Menendez was elected to his own full six-year term in the 2006 U.S. Senate election.

Prior to his appointment to the U.S. Senate, Menendez was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 13th congressional district. He previously served as Mayor of Union City (1986–1992) and as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate.

Following the 2008 elections, Menendez was appointed to head the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.^[1]

Early life, education, and law career[link]

Bob Menendez was born on New Year's Day in New York City to Cuban immigrants^[2] who left their homeland a few months earlier, in 1953, seeking economic and political freedom from the repressive government headed by Fulgencio Batista.^[3] His father, Mario Menendez, was a carpenter, and his mother, Evangelina, a seamstress.^[4] The family subsequently moved to neighboring New Jersey where, growing up in Union City, he graduated from Union Hill High School.

After a B.A. from Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law in Newark. in 1979. He is a brother of Lambda Theta Phi fraternity.^[5][6] He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1980 and became a lawyer in private practice.

Early political career[link]

In 1973, at age 19, while attending Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, he launched a successful petition drive against his mentor, then-Union City Mayor William Musto, to reform the local school board. He was elected to the Union City Board of Education in 1974. He would stay close to Musto throughout the 1970s, however, and supported Musto in his re-election to the New Jersey Senate in 1978. Menendez would later testify against Musto in a court case that resulted in a prison sentence for Musto. The trial was very controversial, and Musto declared his innocence for the rest of his life.

Menendez was elected mayor of Union City in 1986 after an unsuccessful run against the popular Musto in 1982. Menendez served as mayor until 1992. While mayor, he simultaneously served in the New Jersey Legislature, a common practice for New Jersey politicians. He was in the General Assembly from 1987 until 1991 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1991 to 1993, following the death of Christopher Jackman.^[7]

United States House of Representatives[link]

Menendez as a Congressman

In 1992, 14th District Congressman Frank Guarini retired after seven terms. Menendez won the Democratic nomination for the Jersey City-based district, which was renumbered the 13th after New Jersey lost a district in the 1990 Census, and was easily elected that November. The district was already heavily Democratic, but had been redrawn with a Hispanic majority after the 1990 census. He was reelected six times with no significant Republican opposition.

In 1996, Menendez was briefly a candidate in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Bill Bradley, but he backed out and the seat was won by Democrat Robert Torricelli. In 2002 Menendez voted against the Iraq Resolution to authorize the invasion of Iraq.^[8]

In 2003, Menendez was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, ranking him third in the Democratic hierarchy in the house, behind House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland. He was elected to chair the Credentials Committee of the 2004 Democratic National Convention and was a speaker on the first day of the convention. During the 107th Congress, he was chair of the Democratic Task Force on Education and the Democratic Task Force on Homeland Security.

Although he had sometimes been portrayed as the political boss of Hudson County, he strongly dislikes this appellation, particularly because, according to an anonymous close source quoted in the December 11, 2005 Union City Reporter, "there is no boss of Hudson County".^[9]

United States Senate[link]

Congressman Robert Menendez spoke on the importance of small businesses in the U.S. economy in Texas.

In December 2005, Menendez was appointed by Jon Corzine to fill the remaining year in the Senate seat from which Corzine resigned upon being elected the previous month as Governor of New Jersey. While several other names had been mentioned, Menendez was the early favorite among pundits for Governor-elect Corzine's replacement to fill the vacancy that would be created when Corzine resigned from the Senate. Corzine's decision to appoint Menendez got the support of several Latino groups, including the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Menendez was the sixth Latino to serve in the United States Senate.

Elections[link]

2006

In the midterm elections held November 7, 2006, near the end of his one-year appointment, Menendez successfully ran to retain his seat in the Senate. He defeated Republican Thomas Kean, Jr., current minority whip in the New Jersey Senate and son of former state governor Thomas Kean, with 53% of the vote to Kean's 45%.

Menendez was endorsed by several newspapers including The New York Times,^[10] The Philadelphia Inquirer,^[11] The Star-Ledger,^[12] and The Record.^[13]

On August 27, 2006, two Republican state lawmakers filed an ethics complaint against Menendez, alleging he broke conflict-of-interest rules when he rented property out to a nonprofit agency that receives federal funds. Menendez helped the organization win designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center in 1998. That designation allowed the agency to receive additional federal grants.^[14] Menendez allies note that the organization in question, the North Hudson Community Action Corp., which provides social services and health care to the poor and was founded in 1960, had received federal funding for years before Menendez was in Congress, and receives its funding based on mathematical formulas.^[15] Menendez maintains that he rented the property out below market-value because "he was supportive of its work".^[16] The total rent collected over nine years was over $300,000.

In September, 2006, just a few weeks before the 2006 senate elections, the Republican US District Attorney began investigating the rental deal with NHCAC, subpoenaing records from them. Democrats criticized the investigation, particularly the timing of the investigation and news leaks as being politically motivated. To date, no charges have been brought and the accusations remain unsubstantiated, one of many in the so-called US Attorneys scandal.^[17]

2012

Menendez is running for re-election a full second term.

Tenure[link]

On February 9, 2010, the Wall Street Journal obtained a copy of a letter ^[18] from Senator Menendez to the Federal Reserve pushing for approval of a deal for the sale of First BankAmericano of Elizabeth. ^[19] A media controversy arose due to BankAmericano’s political connections. Its board members included several major campaign contributors to Menendez — among them state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union)^[20], a powerful member of the New Jersey Legislature. First BankAmericano had been under financial pressure for more than a year because of mounting loan losses. A highly critical report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. also found the institution had engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices, including operating without adequate supervision by its board of directors, an excessive level of delinquent or bad loans, inadequate earnings and insufficient coverage of its assets. ^[21]

In 2009, Menendez succeeded Senator Chuck Schumer of New York as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Menendez's tenure, which has followed two straight election cycles of dramatic Democratic gains, has been marked by more troubled Democratic outlook. Critics of Menendez have pointed out the surprising Democratic loss in the 2010 Massachusetts Senate special election that followed the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy; Menendez's lower-key, more cautious management style; and Democratic problems caused by retirements in Indiana and elsewhere. Others, such as Schumer, have defended Menendez's performance, citing the political climate.^[22]

Menendez (second from right) marching in the North Hudson Cuban Day Parade with Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack (second from left), June 6, 2010.

In February 2006, Menendez cosponsored legislation with New York Senator Hillary Clinton to make it illegal for foreign governments to buy U.S. port operations. The legislation was a direct response to Dubai Ports World's efforts to purchase Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) of the United Kingdom, which operates six major U.S. ports. Menendez said, "Our ports are the front lines of the war on terrorism. They are both vulnerable targets for attack and venues for smuggling and human trafficking. We wouldn't turn the Border Patrol or the Customs Service over to a foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one either."^[23]

On September 28, 2006 Menendez voted for the Military Commissions Act.^[24]

On June 12, 2007, Menendez endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential bid and was given the position of National Campaign Co-Chair. Subsequently he made numerous media appearances voicing his support for her campaign.^[25]

On April 25, 2008, a former undercover F.B.I. agent revealed in the book Ruse: Undercover with FBI Counterintelligence that Cuban diplomats approached Robert Eringer to investigate Menendez. It was suggested that the Cuban government was determined to generate scandalous information about the senator, along with Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, because of their anti-Castro lobbying efforts.^[26]

In October 2009, Menendez sent a strongly worded letter of protest to Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias, castigating him for his praise of Cuba's totalitarian system. Christofias, the leader of AKEL, Cyprus' Communist Party, since 1988 and president since 2008, had paid a state visit to Cuba in September 2009 for the opening of Cyprus' new embassy and, in his speech, made a number of anti-American embargo references, and spoke of the "common struggle of Cyprus and Cuba". In his letter to Christofias, Menendez said "you cannot claim human rights violations by Turkey in your country and then ignore such violations in Cuba. Second, you cannot call for property rights for Greek Cypriots and then deny them on Cuba. Finally, you cannot take issue with the militarization of northern Cyprus and then ignore the state security apparatus that oppresses the Cuban people."^[27][28]

On December 18, 2011, Menendez came out in support of the Respect for Marriage Act. He voted for the Defense of Marriage Act as a congressman in 1996.^[29]

Recall initiative[link]

An effort to recall Senator Menendez was launched in early 2010 by a group of New Jersey citizens.^[30] Although Article 1, Paragraph 2(b) of the New Jersey Constitution expressly authorizes such a recall,^[31] state officials fought the effort in court.^[32] On March 16, 2010, a State Appeals court ruled that the recall petition could go forward.^[33] Menendez said he was surprised that a group claiming to be true to the Constitution is trying now, in his words, "to undermine it".^[34] Menendez appealed the ruling.^[35] Legal experts have debated the constitutionality of a state recall of a federal officeholder.^[36][37] On November 18, 2010, the New Jersey Supreme Court found that the New Jersey provision violated the U.S. Constitution.^[38]

Committee assignments[link]

Menendez is on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Finance and Foreign Relations committees.

• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development (Chairman)
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth
  • Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
  • Subcommittee on European Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection

Caucus memberships[link]

• Armenian Caucus^[39]
• Congressional Autism Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Human Rights Caucus
• Narcotics Abuse and Control Caucus

Personal life[link]

In 1976, Menendez married Jane Jacobsen, a teacher for the Union City Board of Education. They divorced in 2005.^[40] The couple has two children: Alicia Menendez, a graduate of Harvard University, and Robert, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Controversies[link]

On January 5, 2012 Menendez blocked Judge Patty Shwartz, an Obama administration nominee to a federal judgeship, drawing speculation that the block was placed because of Shwartz's relationship with the head of the public corruption unit for New Jersey’s federal prosecutor who had investigated the senator during his 2006 election fight.^[41] Menendez denied personal motivation for the block. He has long contended that the corruption investigation was politically motivated.^[42][43] The investigation was closed in the fall of 2011, with no charges filed.^[44]

In 2010, Wall Street Journal reported that Menendez had written to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke^[45] asking him to approve an acquisition that would rescue from the prospect of receivership a New Jersey bank, First Bank Americano, operated by Menendez contributors.^[46] It was discovered that "eight of 15 directors, including the bank’s chairman and vice-chairman, have been contributors to Menendez or his political action committee."^[47] Former federal bank regulator, William Black, called the letter "grotesquely inappropriate" and said that "the letter crossed an unofficial line by asking regulators to approve an application instead of simply asking that it be given consideration."^[46] An aide to the senator said that his decision to write the letter was not influenced by political contributions.

In 2005 a New York Times Op-Ed characterized Menendez, once "a corruption-fighting mayor of Union City, N.J.," as "a proponent of business as usual" and had "long been an entrenched de facto leader of the Hudson County Democratic machine." The Times further criticized Menendez about his relationship with a young former aide of his, Kay LiCausi, to whom he helped get "hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying contracts and political consulting work."^[48]

Electoral history[link]

House[link]