Press Releases
Van Hollen, Norton Resolution Congratulating Washington Mystics on Historic WNBA Title Passes the Senate
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that their joint resolution congratulating the Washington Mystics for winning the 2019 WNBA Finals passed the U.S. Senate today. The Mystics’ championship marks their first title after competing deep into the playoffs in 2017 and 2018. Van Hollen and Norton released the following statement.“The Washington Mystics’ historic WNBA championship deserves the full congratulations of the U.S. House and … Continue Reading
October 17, 2019
Van Hollen, Udall Introduce Legislation to End FEC Deadlock and Strengthen Campaign Finance Violations Enforcement
Legislation follows the arrest of individuals with foreign ties charged with making illegal political donations for the benefit of foreign interests FEC Chair continues to raise concerns that with only three out of six commissioners, the agency will not be able to investigate campaign finance violations, including foreign interference in the 2020 electionToday, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced legislation that will revitalize the Federal … Continue Reading
October 17, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone, Blumenthal Call Out Trump Administration’s Termination of Essential Air Service at Hagerstown Regional Airport
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Commerce Transportation and Safety Subcommitttee, today expressed their concerns to the Acting Under Secretary for Transportation Policy, the Honorable Joel Szabat, regarding the expected termination of the Essential Air Service (EAS) program at Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR).On October 11, the Department of Transportation issued an … Continue Reading
October 17, 2019
Van Hollen, Graham Introduce Turkish Sanctions Legislation
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced the Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2019, which would levy immediate, serious sanctions against Turkey following their invasion of northeastern Syria and their slaughter of the Kurdish people.The legislation would apply new sanctions to senior Turkish officials, including President Erdogan, key Turkish banks, military transactions, and their energy sector activities in support of the Turkish Armed … Continue Reading
October 17, 2019
Van Hollen Statement on the Passing of Congressman Elijah Cummings
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the passing of Maryland Congressman Elijah E. Cummings: "At a time of chaos and division, our friend Elijah Cummings stood strong as a man of principle, unity, dignity, and compassion. His insatiable thirst for justice was rooted in his core. Maryland has lost a beloved son and our nation a hero of our times." … Continue Reading
October 16, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Brown Announce New Partnership to Recruit Mental Health Professionals for Prince George’s County Schools
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) announced the recent award of more than $280,000 in federal funding to support a new partnership between Prince George's County, the University of Maryland College Park, and Bowie State University. Allocated through the U.S. Department of Education's Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program, the award supports the first of an expected five years of funding for the Build, … Continue Reading
October 14, 2019
Van Hollen Statement on Death of Officer Bomba
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the death of Montgomery County Police Officer TJ Bomba: "I send my deepest condolences to the friends and family of Officer TJ Bomba. We all owe a debt to him and the Maryland police officers who put their lives at risk every day to keep our communities safe. I am closely monitoring the situation in Silver Spring." … Continue Reading
October 12, 2019
Van Hollen Statement on Administration’s Turkish Sanctions Executive Order
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's Executive Order announcement on sanctions on Turkey: "President Trump gave Turkey the green light to attack the Syrian Kurds the moment he agreed to Erdogan's request to move American Special Forces away from key Kurdish-controlled areas. The idea that the Administration is now going to sanction Turkey to protect the Kurdish people rings totally hollow. This is nothing but an effort to stop the … Continue Reading
October 10, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Senate Democrats Demand DeVos Take Immediate Action To Fix Gross Mismanagement Of Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Letter Follows GAO Report Showing Administration has Rejected 99 Percent of TEPSLF Applicants and Used Only Four Percent of Appropriated Funds This week, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-MD) joined Senate Democrats, including Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA), in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos demanding that the Department of Education take immediate action to rectify serious flaws in … Continue Reading
October 10, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Press FHWA on Highway Guardrail Safety
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have written to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Nicole Nason to press for an update on improving highway guardrail safety. In June 2016, FHWA received number of recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address this issue; however, three of the five recommendations have yet to be resolved. In February 2018, Maryland resident Pfc. Michael Carter Jr. died in a car accident involving a … Continue Reading
October 10, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce $168,000 for Allegany County First Responders
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $168,000 in federal funding for fire departments in Allegany County. The funding, awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, includes: $95,238 for the Cresaptown Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a gear washer and to install a diesel exhaust extraction system, which removes harmful carcinogens from fire engines idling in … Continue Reading
October 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Graham Announce Framework for Sanctions Against Turkey
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement announcing a framework for sanctions against Turkey in response to their recent military aggression in northeastern Syria with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). A link to the framework is available here: “Today Senator Lindsey Graham and I are announcing a framework to place immediate sanctions on senior Turkish government officials, prohibit all U.S. military business and U.S. military transactions with Turkey, and … Continue Reading
October 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce $652,500 for Infrastructure Improvements in Garrett County
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $652,500 in federal funding to support infrastructure improvement projects in Garrett County. The funding, awarded through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), includes: $455,000 to the Board of County Commissioners of Garrett County to help construct a new water treatment plant at the Keyser's Ridge Business Park in Oakland, Md. The new treatment plant will include a modular … Continue Reading
October 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer Announce over $121,000 for Volunteer Fire Departments in Prince George’s County
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced $121,904 in federal funding for volunteer fire departments in Prince George's County. The funding includes $71,428 for the Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad to purchase and install two self-loading power cot stretcher units and two new stair chairs and $50,476 for the Brandywine Volunteer Fire Department to replace hydraulic rescue tools, which are outdated and beyond their … Continue Reading
October 08, 2019
Van Hollen, Members of Congress Demand Bank Regulators Strengthen, Not Weaken the Community Reinvestment Act
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, along with 28 members of Congress sent a letter to the heads of the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC demanding that the three banking agencies not issue a proposed rule unless it has the support of the community development and civil rights groups that represent the communities the Community Reinvestment Act was designed to serve. "Policies that restrict access to credit and banking, such as those that result in redlining, have perpetuated a long legacy of … Continue Reading
October 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer Announce over $1 Million to Prevent Opioid Abuse in Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced $1,099,865 in federal funding for the University of Maryland, College Park for their Strengthening the Capacity of Rural Maryland to Address Opioid Misuse project. The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), will go toward preventing opioid misuse in rural Maryland. This project aims to increase the number of trained … Continue Reading
October 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Congressional Leaders File Bipartisan Amicus Brief in Support of DACA in the Supreme Court
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (Both D-Md.), together with 49 senators and 123 U.S. Representatives and former lawmakers have filed a bipartisan amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on DACA on November 12, 2019. President Trump terminated the DACA program on September 5, 2017, throwing the lives of nearly 800,000 Dreamers into chaos. "Dreamers were brought to America as … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Senate Colleagues Urge HHS to Act to Stop Youth E-cigarette Epidemic
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a group of 12 senators to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take long overdue steps to stop the youth e-cigarette epidemic. In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the Senators called on HHS to “advance policies to help prevent more adolescents from getting hooked on e-cigarettes, and prioritize solutions to help America’s youth quit e-cigarettes, by expediting and focusing on the development of effective cessation … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Urge Trump Administration To Protect Health Coverage For People With Preexisting Conditions
Letter requests HHS and CMS to limit push of "junk" health insurance plans that cover less and cost more U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-MD) joined Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and 37 others in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to protect individuals with preexisting conditions by limiting the proliferation of "junk plans" - short-term insurance plans that can exclude coverage for … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce $1 Million for Frederick Community College Emergency Management Training
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $1,000,000 in federal funding for the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management and Public Safety at Frederick Community College in Frederick, Md. The funds were awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Homeland Security National Training Program/Continuing Training Grants, which supports training to prepare communities to prevent, respond to, and recover from hazardous … Continue Reading
