Press Releases
Van Hollen Secures $15M for Innovative Manufacturing Research at APG that will Boost Maryland’s Economy
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has announced that he successfully secured $15 million in funding to propel manufacturing research managed by the Army Research Lab (ARL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in the Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Appropriations Act. This funding will directly support the Advanced Manufacturing Materials and Processes (AMMP) Consortium, which is working to boost next-generation manufacturing. This funding is in addition to the $23 million that Senator Van Hollen … Continue Reading
July 02, 2018
Van Hollen Announces Full Funding for Implementation of the Childhood Cancer STAR Act
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has announced that the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act will be fully funded at authorized levels for the first time since it became law earlier this month. Senator Van Hollen was an original co-sponsor of the law and pushed for its passage. Additionally, as part of a historic $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Senator Van Hollen secured $30 million for the National … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Van Hollen Statement on Capital Gazette Shooting
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on the shooting in Annapolis, Maryland: “The Capital Gazette is a local institution and vital to how our community gets our information. No one should have to fend off bullets in the newsroom while doing their jobs—this is not normal. While we don’t know what motivated this attack, we must do all we can to stand together in times of great tragedy and unite to end the violence. My heart is with the … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Van Hollen Announces Critical New Funding in the Fight Against Opioids
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced $3.7 billion to fight the opioid crisis in the Fiscal Year 2019 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The investment is an increase of $145 million from Fiscal Year 2018 and passed the Appropriations Committee today with strong bipartisan support. This builds on the $482.5 million to help state and local partners combat heroin, synthetic drugs, and the illegal distribution and use … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Van Hollen, Baldwin, and Schumer Lead Colleagues to Call for Public Review of SEC’s Outdated Stock Buyback Rules
Amid concerns surrounding the accelerating pace of stock buybacks in U.S. capital markets, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are leading their colleagues to call on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton to open a public comment period to review the SEC’s current rules around stock buybacks, which haven’t been updated in over a decade. In 1982, the SEC finalized rule 10b-18 which, for the first … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Van Hollen Secures Defense Appropriations Amendment to Halt the Transfer of F-35s to Turkey Until Secretary of Defense Certifies Turkey Will Not Acquire Russian S-400 Missile Defense System
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that he successfully secured language as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Appropriations Act that would expressly prohibit spending Department of Defense funds to transfer, or to facilitate the transfer of, F-35 aircraft to Turkey until the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, certifies to the appropriate Congressional committees that Turkey is not purchasing the S-400 missile defense system from Russia and … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Van Hollen Announces Funding to Help Children Impacted by Trump’s Family Separation Policy
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced new funding to help children impacted by the Trump Administration’s family separation policy as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which passed the Committee today with broad bipartisan support. The legislation includes $1.3 billion for the Unaccompanied Children (UAC) program, which handles children who have been separated from their … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Van Hollen Announces Public Service Awardees for Baltimore Region
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced the Baltimore City and Baltimore County recipients of his 2018 Public Service Award. The Van Hollen Public Service Award is designed to commend a high school senior who has demonstrated a high level of commitment to community or public service. Students who embody this commitment are dedicated to making a positive change that will benefit their community, state, or nation. Senator Van Hollen is announcing over 90 recipients throughout … Continue Reading
June 27, 2018
Van Hollen Statement on Justice Kennedy’s Retirement
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement regarding the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy: “The McConnell Rule is clear—?the American people must have a say in the upcoming election before Justice Kennedy’s vacancy is filled. And when the Senate considers the President’s nominee next year, we need someone who will get broad bipartisan support. That requires a nominee who is widely viewed to be an impartial administrator of … Continue Reading
June 27, 2018
Van Hollen Statement on Janus Decision
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision in the Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees case. “Today, the Supreme Court dealt another blow to working people and further rigged the rules in favor of wealthy special interests. The right to organize is an underlying principle of our democracy, and unions have long helped Americans fight for fair treatment and fair wages. While … Continue Reading
June 26, 2018
Van Hollen Provision Providing $5 Million in New Funding for Paid Senate Internships Passes Full Senate
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded the Senate’s overwhelming passage of his provision dedicating $5 million in new funding for the sole purpose of providing financial compensation to interns in Senate offices. Senator Van Hollen’s bipartisan amendment - which he worked on with Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) - was … Continue Reading
June 26, 2018
Van Hollen, Rubio, Cotton Urge Commerce Dept To Grant Waivers To Customers Removing ZTE Technology
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) today urged the Department of Commerce to provide guidance and waivers to telecommunications operators and other customers wishing to remove ZTE software, hardware, and technology from their network infrastructure and suppliers seeking to provide alternative products to these customers. The full text of the letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross is below: Dear Secretary Ross: We write to urge the Commerce … Continue Reading
June 25, 2018
Van Hollen, Cardin Secure Maryland Wins in Senate-Passed Funding Bill
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin applauded Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill. As part of this legislation, the Senators worked to secure critical funding for several port maintenance projects in Maryland - including the Port of Baltimore, Knapps Narrows, Poplar Island, and Mid-Chesapeake Bay. This legislation also supports our nation’s veterans by providing $2 … Continue Reading
June 22, 2018
Van Hollen, Durbin Lead Letter Calling Attention to Trump Administration’s Slashing of Refugee Admissions
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen joined by 31 Senators expressing their serious concerns about the severe drop in refugee admissions into the United States. Wednesday marked World Refugee Day, which is an international effort to raise awareness of the situation of refugees. This Administration has demonstrated an unprecedented hostility to … Continue Reading
June 21, 2018
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Sends Letter to Department of Labor in Support of Baltimore City Schools Teachers Facing Deportation
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin along with Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) have written a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta urging prompt consideration of the Baltimore City Public School System’s (City Schools) Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM) audit. Without a timely resolution by the Department of Labor, 25 longtime City Schools teachers are at risk of deportation. “Without a decision made on the … Continue Reading
June 21, 2018
Van Hollen Announces Federal Employee Pay Increase Included in Senate Appropriations Bill
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced a 1.9 percent pay increase for federal employees as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, which unanimously passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee. President Trump’s most recent budget proposed a total pay freeze for civil servants, even as the cost of living increases for middle-class families. This legislation, while not perfect, is a strong rebuke to those kinds of attacks on the … Continue Reading
June 21, 2018
Van Hollen Announces New Effort to Help Constituents Access Information About Family Members Detained at the Border
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that he successfully secured language as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill to help Members of Congress better serve constituents who are looking for information about family members who have been detained at the border and potentially separated from their children. Currently, when people are taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it is … Continue Reading
June 21, 2018
Van Hollen Announces New Reporting Requirements on the Trump Travel Ban
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that he successfully secured language as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act that would ensure that the public has access to information on President Trump’s travel ban, including the number of visa waivers granted to citizens of the banned countries. To date, the administration has provided no transparency about how the ban is being administered. Senator Van Hollen has repeatedly … Continue Reading
June 21, 2018
Van Hollen Secures Language to Help Flood Mitigation Efforts in Maryland
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that he successfully secured language encouraging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance to States in updating their flood mitigation plans as a part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Homeland Security Appropriations Act. This language will ensure that mitigation plans take into account the needs of communities with multiple recent Presidentially declared disasters - including communities in Maryland like Ellicott City. … Continue Reading
June 21, 2018
Van Hollen Secures Critical Funding for Maryland Projects in Homeland Security Appropriations Bill
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that he successfully secured millions in federal investment for critical Maryland projects as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Homeland Security Appropriations Act. “From research labs that are vital to keeping our nation safe, to ensuring the Coast Guard’s fleet is well-maintained and ready to act, this bill includes key priorities that support jobs in Maryland and our national security,” said Senator Van Hollen. “Military bases and federal … Continue Reading
