Press Releases
Van Hollen, Cotton Applaud Implementation of Provision Prohibiting U.S. Government from Purchasing Huawei Equipment
Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ar.) released the following statement on the implementation of their 2019 NDAA provision prohibiting the U.S. government from purchasing equipment from Huawei: "Huawei can always be used as a Trojan horse for the Chinese Communist Party, so it's vital we keep its equipment away from our government networks. Today, the administration implemented our provision prohibiting the U.S. government from purchasing equipment from Huawei. This action … Continue Reading
August 12, 2019
Van Hollen Seeks Answers on Safety Issues at Fort Detrick
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy seeking answers regarding the current hold on operations at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick. The text of the Senator's letter is available here and below. Dear Acting Secretary McCarthy: I write to express my deep concern regarding the indefinite cessation of activities at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious … Continue Reading
August 12, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce More Than $100,000 in New USDA Investments in Allegany County
Rural Business Development Grants will expand job training and startup business programs Today, U.S Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $105,775 in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for two projects in Allegany County. Allegany College of Maryland in Cumberland, MD, received more than $61,000 in federal funding in order to expand rural learning programs that provide educational instruction and job training for adult students. … Continue Reading
August 12, 2019
Van Hollen Statement on USDA-Union Agreement
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding USDA's agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees on behalf of the employees of ERS and NIFA. "The scientists and researchers at ERS and NIFA provide crucial services to the agriculture community, and the Trump Administration's disrespect for their expertise and disregard for their well-being has been deeply concerning. While I do not support the relocation of these agencies, I'm glad to see … Continue Reading
August 11, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $2.8 million for Coastal Management Program in Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $2.8 million in federal funding to help administer Maryland's federally approved coastal management program. This funding was provided through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Coastal Zone Management Program to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. This investment will create jobs and provide continued assistance on everything from coastal hazards and recurrent flooding, to … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, and Raskin Announce $2.7 Million for UMD/NIST Center for Neutron Research
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) have announced $2.7 million in federal funding for the University of Maryland (UMD) / National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Joint Program for the Advancement of Neutron Scattering. This program brings together researchers and scientists from UMD and NCNR in order to operate and develop neutron scattering instrumentation and techniques, as well as to … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $23.8 Million in 2019 Preparedness Funding for Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) hailed the recent award of more than $23.8 million in fiscal year 2019 federal preparedness grants for Maryland. Preparedness grants are allocated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to state, local, tribal and territorial governments as well as non-government entities. Rather than reacting to a specific disaster, they support citizens and first responders in preparing for, … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Send Message to Big Tech: Close Your Gun-Shopping Loopholes
Despite policies banning their sales, gun accessory listings available on Google, Amazon and eBay in days following mass shootings U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined his Senate colleagues today in calling on the CEOs of Google, Amazon and eBay to close the gun shopping loopholes which, in the days following mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, reportedly allowed listings for the purchase of shotgun rounds, ammunition clips, assault weapon components and a drum magazine nearly … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Nearly $130,000 in USDA Rural Business Development Grants for the Eastern Shore
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced the recent award of nearly $130,000 in federal funds for jurisdictions on Maryland's Eastern Shore through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant (RDBG) Program. Grants are as follows: $30,000 to Kent County for the development of job training programs to equip adult students with marketable fiber optics and cyber security skills. The County will contribute an additional $17,581, … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Nearly $500,000 for Eastern Shore Airport Improvements
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced more than $488,000 in federal funds for two airports on Maryland's Eastern Shore through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Both grants fund phases of tree obstruction removal projects. Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB) will receive more than $173,500 to acquire land for that purpose, while Cambridge-Dorchester Regional Airport (CGE) will receive more than $315,000 for … Continue Reading
August 08, 2019
Van Hollen, Democratic Senators Urge Trump Administration to Reject $100 Billion Tax Cut for Wealthy
Democratic Senators warn against unilateral action to cut capital gains taxes Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined the Senate Democrats in urging Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin against unilaterally cutting capital gains taxes for the wealthiest Americans by an additional $100 billion over 10 years, an illegal action that would defy longstanding Justice Department policy. The request follows a letter signed by 21 Republican senators urging Secretary Mnuchin to circumvent … Continue Reading
August 08, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Sarbanes Announce Nearly $10 Million for BWI Airport
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) today announced $9.94 million in federal funds for the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These funds will be used to reconstruct a portion of Taxiway Z which has reached the end of its useful life. "BWI is a huge asset to our state and our nation. So much of our region's commerce … Continue Reading
August 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Brown, and Raskin Announce $296,041 for Partnership to Train STEM Educators
Funding Will Support Joint UMD-College Park, Montgomery College, Prince George's Community College Effort U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Steny Hoyer, Anthony Brown, and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) issued the following statement announcing $296,041 in funding for a collaborative project between the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park, Montgomery College, and Prince George's Community College from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The joint project … Continue Reading
August 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Join Letter to EPA: Reverse Course and Ban Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos Now
Senators cite EPA's own studies that found chlorpyrifos harms children's brains and poses a serious threat to farmworkers even with protective equipment and engineering controls U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined Senate colleagues in calling on EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to ban chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide linked to brain damage in children and known to cause serious harm to human health. The letter comes in response to a recent EPA decision to reject a … Continue Reading
August 06, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Raise Concerns about Eliminating Refugee Cap
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) along with Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Thune (R-SD), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Rob Portman (R-OH), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote a bipartisan letter to the administration to express concern … Continue Reading
August 06, 2019
Van Hollen Secures Maryland Priorities in Infrastructure Package Passed by Key Senate Committee
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has announced the inclusion of several Maryland priorities within the bipartisan America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019. This legislation, which passed the key Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week, is the most significant investment in America's highways introduced in history. The bill authorizes $287 billion in federal funding over five years, including $259 … Continue Reading
August 05, 2019
Van Hollen, Warren, Pressley, García Applaud Fed Decision on Faster Payments
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.) applauded the Federal Reserve's decision to move forward on building a real-time payments system. Currently, Americans lose billions of dollars each year in overdraft fees, driving consumers to turn to more costly financial products because of our inefficient payments system. Taxpayers deserve a public utility that allows them … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $1.9 Million for Community College of Baltimore County
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) issued the following statement announcing $1.9 million in federal funding for Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) from the U.S. Department of Labor's Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grant program. This funding will go towards the training of CCBC students in healthcare-related apprenticeship programs in conjunction with other … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $1.1 Million for Canton Railroad Company
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) issued the following statement announcing $1.1 million in federal funding for the Canton Railroad Company from the Department of Transportation (DOT). These funds will go towards the Canton Railroad Company's Switch Replacement Project which will benefit the surrounding communities by bringing about safer and more reliable freight rail service. The Canton … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Urge VA Secretary to End Anti-worker, Anti-union Negotiation Tactics
VA has Gone around Workers & Employed Delay Tactics; Brown Says Failing to Negotiate in Good Faith Threatens Quality of VA Services Provided to Veterans U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today joined a group of his Democratic colleagues urging Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to abandon the Department's current destructive approach to ongoing negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Despite VA and AFGE's history of engaging … Continue Reading
