Press Releases
Van Hollen, Blunt Secure Key Provisions of Valor Medals Review Act in Defense Authorization Bill
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) announced that key provisions of the World War I Valor Medals Review Act have been included in the House and Senate-negotiated National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senators’ provisions would require the Department of Defense to undertake a review of valor medals awarded to minority Veterans during WWI to determine whether any should receive the Medal of Honor. The language encourages the Department to conduct this … Continue Reading
December 10, 2019
Van Hollen, Brown Announce Inclusion of Honorary Promotion for Bethesda Veteran Charles McGee in Defense Authorization Bill
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Anthony Brown (both D-Md.) announced the inclusion of their provision to authorize the honorary promotion of Colonel (Ret.) Charles E. McGee, United States Air Force to Brigadier General within the House and Senate negotiated National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Col. McGee, a resident of Bethesda, Md., served with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, completing 136 combat missions. He completed an additional 100 combat missions in … Continue Reading
December 10, 2019
Van Hollen Announces Inclusion of Paid Parental Leave for Federal Workers in Defense Authorization Bill
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced the inclusion of language to provide 2 million federal workers with 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child after birth, adoption, or the initiation of foster care. The provision was included within the House and Senate negotiated National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). “We have been fighting for years to provide paid family leave to workers throughout the country. With this agreement, the federal government will finally start to … Continue Reading
December 10, 2019
Van Hollen, Bipartisan Group of Senators Send Letter to UN Convention in Support of Global Efforts to Combat Climate Change
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and a bipartisan group of Senators in a letter to Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in support of its global efforts to thwart climate change. The 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) is underway in Madrid to convene a meeting on the historic Paris Climate Agreement. The Senators wrote, “Failing to address the worsening … Continue Reading
December 10, 2019
As UN Convention on Climate Change in Europe is Underway, Van Hollen, Democratic Senators Urge Trump to Reconsider Paris Climate Accord Withdrawal
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and a group of Democratic Senators in a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to reconsider his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. In their letter, the Senators sound the alarm on the crisis of climate change and the damage that will be inflicted on Americans for future generations unless immediate action is taken. The Senators warned the President against ceding U.S. … Continue Reading
December 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Blackburn, Durbin to Burmese State Counsellor: We Urge You to Fully Cooperate with the ICJ
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and bipartisan group of their colleagues expressed their concerns that Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi will publicly excuse the actions of the Burmese military, or Tatmadaw, at a meeting before the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands. The military likely conducted “genocidal acts” against the Rohingya in 2017, according to Marzukri … Continue Reading
December 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Democratic Colleagues Demand Stephen Miller’s Removal from the White House
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and 24 of their colleagues wrote a letter to President Donald J. Trump, demanding the immediate removal of Stephen Miller from his position as a White House senior adviser. The letter follows recent reports detailing over 900 e-mails, sent from Mr. Miller to far-right Breitbart News between 2015 and 2016, which confirm that Mr. Miller worked to advance white supremacist, anti-immigrant ideologies. In the letter, the … Continue Reading
December 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Defend Social Security Workers, Urge Reversal of Abrupt Cancellation of Telework
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) sent a letter to Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul questioning the recent unilateral decision to cancel telework for 12,000 employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA). After seven years of telework at SSA, which SSA’s own Inspector General determined has increased productivity, workers were initially given only two weeks to rework commutes, childcare, and other arrangements. SSA pushed the deadline back to … Continue Reading
December 05, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $1.56 Million for University System of Maryland Sea Grant Program
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced the award of $1,564,898 for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Sea Grant Program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Maryland Sea Grant (MDSG) funds scientific research related to the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s coastal resources with practical applications benefitting Maryland industries, economies, and conservation groups. “The Maryland Sea Grant Program … Continue Reading
December 05, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $38.4 Million for Water Infrastructure Projects in Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $38.4 million in federal funding for the implementation of several key water infrastructure projects in Maryland. The funding, allocated through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), will go towards Maryland’s Intended Use Plan - a $297 million plan, approved by the EPA, which aims to upgrade wastewater treatment plants and stormwater control measures throughout the … Continue Reading
December 05, 2019
Van Hollen, Maryland Congressional Delegation Lauds Funding for Howard Street Tunnel Project
Following a Maryland congressional delegation meeting with Maryland Secretary of Transportation Pete K. Rahn, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone released the following joint statement in response to the news that Maryland officials and CSX have identified additional funding to expand the Howard Street Tunnel. “We are pleased to hear that the State of Maryland and CSX have … Continue Reading
December 02, 2019
Van Hollen, Democrats Stand Up for Constitutionally Protected Right to Abortion; File Bicameral Amicus Brief in June Medical Services LLC v. Gee
Today, Senator Chris Van Hollen and members of the U.S. Senate led by Senators Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, Dianne Feinstein and Richard Blumenthal, along with 161 members of the U.S. House of Representatives led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr., Jerrold Nadler, Diana DeGette, Barbara Lee and Judy Chu, filed an amicus brief in the case of June Medical Services LLC v. Gee, which is currently pending before the Supreme Court of the United States and represents a … Continue Reading
December 02, 2019
Van Hollen, Graham Urge Pompeo to Impose Sanctions on Turkey for Acquiring Russian S-400
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to impose sanctions on Turkey for its acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system. Under current law - and per Secretary Pompeo’s own interpretation - the Administration must act. The letter follows reports that Turkey is now testing the S-400 system. “Both the Administration and the Congress have repeatedly warned President Erdogan that his decision to move … Continue Reading
December 02, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Over $2.3 Million in Head Start Funding for Maryland Rural Development Corporation
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced $2,369,024 in federal funding for Head Start projects at the Maryland Rural Development Corporation. The funding was awarded through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. The Maryland Rural Development Corporation provides Head Start services to families in Caroline, Cecil, and Harford Counties. “Investing in early childhood education is crucial to our students’ … Continue Reading
November 27, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Call on Amtrak To End Forced Arbitration, Ban On Class Actions
As thousands of Americans prepare to journey by train during the busy holiday travel season, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Amtrak to “demand that Amtrak immediately eliminate [its] anti-consumer arbitration and class action policy.” In January, Amtrak implemented a broad new policy that not only prevents Amtrak riders, employees, and others from seeking justice in the courts, it also prohibits them from banding together in a group to seek … Continue Reading
November 26, 2019
Van Hollen, Democrats Slam Trump Administration Over Latest Walk Back from Strong Tobacco Regulation
Today, U.S. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 21 of their Democratic Senate colleagues sent a letter to President Trump criticizing his Administration’s alarming pattern of making decisions that prioritize tobacco companies’ profits over public health. The letter comes following recent news that the Trump Administration was backing down from previously promised steps to address nicotine addiction. This month the Trump Administration reversed course on its September … Continue Reading
November 26, 2019
Van Hollen, Whitehouse, Duckworth, and Merkley Blast Trump EPA Methane Rule as Giveaway to Fossil Fuel Industry
Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are taking the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to task for dramatically rolling back standards for methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, calling Trump’s methane proposal the product of a captured agency. In an official comment on the Trump administration’s methane rule, the senators lay out how the proposal would benefit oil and gas companies at the expense of … Continue Reading
November 26, 2019
Van Hollen Joins Senate Democrats in Urging HUD to Reject Proposed Changes to the Fair Housing Act's Disparate Impact Standard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined SenatorSherrod Brown (D-OH) along with forty-five senators sent a letter to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, urging him to reject changes proposed in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) August 19, 2019 Proposed Rulemaking: HUD’s Implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard (the Proposed Rule). The Proposed Rule would effectively eliminate … Continue Reading
November 25, 2019
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $477,000 for Local Police Departments for DNA Processing
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) announced $477,000 in federal funding for the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore City Police Crime Laboratory to process DNA samples. The Baltimore County Police Department will receive $225,000 and the Baltimore City Police Crime Laboratory will receive $252,000. The funding, awarded through the Department of Justice’s DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog … Continue Reading
November 25, 2019
Van Hollen, Senate Dems Urge HUD To Reject Proposed Changes To The Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) along with forty-four senators sent a letter to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, urging him to reject changes proposed in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) August 19, 2019 Proposed Rulemaking: HUD’s Implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard (the Proposed Rule). The Proposed Rule would effectively eliminate use of the disparate impact … Continue Reading
