Press Releases
Van Hollen Statement on Historic House Passage of D.C. Statehood
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the House of Representatives’ passage of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, legislation granting Washington, D.C. statehood, making it the 51st state, and giving its citizens full representation in Congress. “Today is a historic day in our nation’s capital. For far too long the people of the District of Columbia have faced taxation without representation. The District has been denied the basic right of … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Van Hollen, Sasse Push to Punish Companies, Individuals who Steal U.S. Intellectual Property
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) have filed a bipartisan amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to mandate strong economic penalties on foreign firms and individuals involved in stealing American intellectual property.The amendment mirrors the Senators’ bill, the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which would levy sanctions on individuals and firms found to engage in, benefit from, or enable the significant and serial theft of … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Van Hollen, Klobuchar, Colleagues Urge Intelligence Agencies to Take Further Action to Combat Disinformation Campaigns Aimed at Disenfranchising Voters
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sent a letter to the Department of Defense, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and U.S. Cyber Command urging them to take additional measures to combat influence campaigns aimed at disenfranchising voters, especially voters of color, ahead of the 2020 election. Sophisticated influence campaigns like the one the Russian … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Senate Passes Van Hollen, Durbin Resolution to Reaffirm U.S. Commitment to Global Effort to Find COVID-19 Vaccine
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 38 of their colleagues, raised the unanimous passage of their resolution encouraging U.S. engagement with the international community on the COVID-19 response to research, develop, and distribute vaccines and therapeutics. The resolution noted the historic international effort to eradicate smallpox as an example of why concerted global collaboration and coordination is needed for the COVID-19 pandemic.President Donald … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Van Hollen, Senators Press Pompeo to Extend Emergency Refugee Protections for Afghan Sikh, Hindu Communities Facing Persecution
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), joined by 18 of their Senate colleagues, urged the Trump Administration to grant emergency refugee protections to Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan facing persecution as religious minorities. In a bipartisan letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the senators called on the State Department to prioritize resettlement opportunities under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program allocation ceilings for Afghan Sikh … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Van Hollen, Rubio Press for Action on Bipartisan DETER Act
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have filed their Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act as a bipartisan amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Provisions of this bipartisan legislation were included in the Fiscal Year 2020 House-passed NDAA, and the Senate later unanimously passed a resolution urging NDAA conferees to include the DETER Act in the conference report. The DETER Act sends a clear … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on House Passage of Justice in Policing Act
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the House of Representatives’ passage of the Justice in Policing Act:“Tonight the House took meaningful action to provide desperately-needed transparency and accountability in our police systems. The Justice in Policing Act holds police accountable, bans the abusive practices that led to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, requires public reporting of misconduct, and ends immunity protections for … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $450,000 to Support Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses and Underserved Community Entrepreneurs
Members of the Baltimore congressional delegation including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced $450,228 to support minority- and women-owned businesses, lift up underserved community entrepreneurs, spur economic growth and create jobs across the Baltimore metro region.Through funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Economic Development Administration (EDA) Opportunity Zones … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Van Hollen, Udall, Leahy Announce GAO Report Revealing Trump’s 4th of July Event Doubled Costs to Taxpayers in 2019
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the Department of Interior’s budget; and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the results of an investigation they requested that that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) perform regarding the costs and impacts associated with President Trump’s decision to … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Van Hollen, Kennedy Introduce Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act as NDAA Amendment
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) have introduced the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill passed the Senate unanimously this May. Senators Van Hollen and Kennedy introduced the legislation to protect American investors and their retirement savings from foreign companies that have been operating on U.S. stock exchanges while flouting Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight. … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Van Hollen, Pocan, & Colleagues Introduce Bicameral Work Share Proposal to Help Employers and Workers Weather COVID-19 Economic Storm
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) along with Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and a number of House members introduced the Rebuilding Main Street Act, legislation to help small businesses, nonprofits, and workers weather the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and support safe reopening. The legislation expands the existing work share program to allow employers to share their payroll costs with the … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Senate Unanimously Passes Van Hollen, Toomey Hong Kong Autonomy Act
Today, the United States Senate unanimously approved the bipartisan Hong Kong Autonomy Act, authored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). The Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which was introduced in response to the increasingly brazen interference of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, would impose mandatory sanctions on entities that violate China's obligations to Hong Kong under the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. The legislation would also impose mandatory … Continue Reading
June 24, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Cut Energy Costs for Homeowners and Save Energy Efficiency Jobs
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.), along with U.S. Representatives Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and David McKinley (R-W.Va) today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to help save energy efficiency jobs during and after the coronavirus pandemic. The bill also includes rebates to help homeowners retrofit their homes to cut their monthly energy costs, stimulate the energy efficiency market for jobs and suppliers, and help protect the … Continue Reading
June 24, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Inadequate Republican-Proposed Police Legislation
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on his vote against Senate consideration of the Republican Justice Act: “Our nation is facing a moment of reckoning. Yet the proposal put forward by Senate Republicans today does not meet the need for real, systemic change. Unfortunately, it is ultimately a maneuver to subvert meaningful change in police accountability. If Senator McConnell were serious about addressing the urgency of the moment and movement, he … Continue Reading
June 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Press for Robust Funding for Background Checks, Gun Safety in Next Coronavirus Relief Package
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), along with nine of his colleagues, urged Senate leadership to provide robust funding for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background System (NICS) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in future coronavirus relief packages to ensure the continued processing of background checks and to uphold gun safety laws. Despite efforts by Senator Van Hollen and others to change this loophole and … Continue Reading
June 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Harris Announce Additional $500,000 in Funding to Expand Telehealth at Atlantic General Hospital
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Andy Harris, M.D., (all-Md.) announced the award of $515,449 for Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, Maryland through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This funding will be used for the purchase of a patient engagement telehealth platform. The hospital previously received a $50,000 award through the … Continue Reading
June 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Duckworth, King Introduce Bill to Significantly Enhance Domestic Production of Life-Saving Medical Supplies
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Angus King (I-ME) have introduced legislation to strengthen the national response to pandemics by modernizing the production of critical medical supplies for frontline healthcare providers. The Public Health Emergency (PHE) Production Act would ensure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) fully leverages its allocation authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to respond to current and future … Continue Reading
June 23, 2020
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $3 Million to Reduce Air Pollution and Recycle Carbon Waste
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $3 million in federal funding for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) to develop technology that reduces air pollution and recycles carbon waste. “This new federal funding will invest in innovative new technologies that can improve air quality in our communities for the good of public health and of our environment,” … Continue Reading
June 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Call on McConnell to Bring Bipartisan House-Passed Dream and Promise Act to Senate Floor for a Vote
Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling rejecting President Donald Trump’s repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) and their colleagues have sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) calling on him to immediately take up the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status … Continue Reading
June 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Cortez Masto Push to Ensure Survivors of Domestic Violence Can Access Their Economic Impact Payment
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), along with 34 Senate colleagues, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging them to take action to ensure that survivors of domestic violence can access their Economic Impact Payment. Domestic violence survivors face unique barriers that can keep them from being able to access their economy recovery rebates they are legally entitled to under the law. “The recovery … Continue Reading
