Press Releases
Van Hollen, Cardin, Warner Urge Administration Officials To Release Additional H-2B Visas
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) released the following statement today regarding a bipartisan call the Senators participated in last night with the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf: "The release of additional H-2B visas to allow our local businesses to hire seasonal workers is of vital and urgent importance to Maryland and Virginia’s seafood industries. Last night, on a call with the Department of Homeland … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Colleagues Press Interior Secretary to Protect the Arctic from New Oil and Gas Drilling
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with five other lawmakers—Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ)—in pressing Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to reverse course on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) reckless plans to sell off America’s Arctic for oil and gas development.The BLM decision, which was announced in a rewritten Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce More than $13 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, John Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced the award of $13,187,737 for 32 projects to counter homelessness in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. This competitive grant program awards nonprofits, state and local governments and their agents for initiatives that … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce Nearly $30 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Central Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) today announced the recent award of $29,859,429 for 83 projects to counter homelessness in central Maryland through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. These projects are spread throughout Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Carroll, and Anne Arundel Counties. This … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, and Hoyer Announce Nearly $5 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced the award of $4,878,428 for 25 projects to counter homelessness through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. These funds will be used throughout Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset Counties. This competitive grant program awards nonprofits, state and … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce Nearly $2 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Western Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced the award of $1,935,715 for 17 projects to counter homelessness in Western Maryland through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. These funds will be used throughout Allegany, Garrett, Washington, and Frederick Counties. This competitive grant program awards nonprofits, state and local governments and their agents for initiatives that … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Young Introduce Bill to Ensure Lifesaving Organs Reach Patients
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) have announced bipartisan legislation to help prevent lifesaving organs from getting lost in transport. The Lost Opportunities to Supply Transplantable Organs (LOST Organs) Act would require the U.S. organ donation system, managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), to better track organs and publicly report when logistics errors result in a lost, damaged or delayed organ. A recent investigation, … Continue Reading
February 19, 2020
Van Hollen, Murray, Democrats Push Departments of Education and Labor to Withdraw Rules Allowing for Federally Sanctioned Discrimination
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Patty Murray (D-WA) and other Democratic senators in urging the Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia to withdraw proposed rules that would expand federally funded discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community and women. The Senators sent two separate letters to the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Both rules would eliminate crucial protections that would leave eligible people at risk of … Continue Reading
February 19, 2020
Van Hollen, Senators Introduce Legislation to Counteract Trump Exit from Iran Deal
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have introduced S.3314, the Iran Diplomacy Act, which calls upon the United States and Iran to return to no less than their commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. On January 14, 2020, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom triggered the JCPOA’s … Continue Reading
February 18, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez, Leahy, Murphy, Wyden Urge Secretary Pompeo to Address Saudis’ Detention of American Doctor while in Riyadh
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today in sending a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to seek a resolution of the case against Dr. Walid Fitaihi, a Saudi-American physician detained without charge by the Saudi government for nearly two years. The senators’ letter calls upon Secretary Pompeo to raise the case with Saudi officials during his visit to the Riyadh … Continue Reading
February 14, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Call for Attorney General Barr's Resignation After "Corrupt" Intervention in Roger Stone Case
United States Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai'i), today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr expressing alarm at, and opposition to, unethical political intervention of senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials in the case of Roger Stone, a former … Continue Reading
February 13, 2020
Van Hollen to Attend Munich Security Conference
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced that he will be attending the Munich Security Conference from February 14th - 16th as part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation. Senator Van Hollen is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and also serves on the Senate NATO Observer Group and as Co-Chair of the Senate Foreign Service Caucus. During the Conference, the Senator will speak at a session titled “Partner, … Continue Reading
February 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Praise FY2020 Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan for Maryland Projects
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) lauded the release today of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) FY2020 work plan that increases available funding for regional projects by more than $18 million. The Army Corps plan boosts resources for oyster restoration and Chesapeake Bay ecosystems and ensures the continued safety and efficiency of the Port of Baltimore and its shipping channels. “From protecting Maryland’s oyster population, to revitalizing the Poplar … Continue Reading
February 13, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on War Powers Resolution
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his vote of support for the War Powers Resolution (S. J. Res 68) to prevent the President from starting a war with Iran without Congressional authorization.“A few weeks ago, we almost stumbled into war with Iran. The Constitution gives Congress - and Congress only - the power to declare war. Today, a bipartisan majority of Senators sent a clear and important reminder to President Trump of this uncontestable … Continue Reading
February 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Cotton Praise Huawei Charges, Urge Further Action
Following reports that the U.S. Department of Justice brought charges of racketeering and stealing trade secrets against the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) released the following statement:“The Huawei indictment exposes its plot to undermine America’s economy and security on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. We commend the Justice Department for bringing these charges, but more should be done to stop … Continue Reading
February 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley Introduce Legislation Requiring Witnesses and Documents for Future Impeachment Trials
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today introduced new legislation that would require the Senate to consider evidence and hear from witnesses in future impeachment trials. The Senators’ resolution follows the conclusion last week of the first-ever Senate impeachment trial that did not include any witness testimony. The Merkley-Van Hollen resolution would ensure the rights of both sides to call relevant witnesses and introduce relevant evidence in any future … Continue Reading
February 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Introduce the Medical License Verification Act
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) , John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Medical License Verification Act to prevent fraud in the healthcare system by requiring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to verify that an applicant’s medical license is valid and in good standing prior to issuing them a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number, which is required by healthcare providers to bill for insurance. … Continue Reading
February 12, 2020
Van Hollen, Young, Durbin, & Graham Request State Department Assessment of Situation in Kashmir and of Religious Minorities in India
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting an assessment of the human rights situation in Kashmir and of the rights of religious minorities in India. The Senators begin, “We write as longtime friends of India regarding some of the troubling actions taken by the current government. More than six months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government … Continue Reading
February 11, 2020
Van Hollen, Sullivan Introduce China Reciprocity Legislation
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Security, today introduced the True Reciprocity Act of 2020, legislation to address the substantial imbalance in the relationship between the United States and China across a number of sectors, including diplomacy, trade, communications, and education. Specifically, the legislation directs the … Continue Reading
February 11, 2020
Van Hollen Vows to Once Again Fight Back Against President’s Proposed Cuts to Bay Funding
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is vowing to once again fight back against President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program. As in previous years, the President’s Budget proposal includes drastic cuts to the Bay program, funding it at only $7.3 million, which is less than a tenth of what the program received last year. “A clean Chesapeake Bay is crucial to the health and success of Maryland’s Bay economy. President Trump’s … Continue Reading
