Press Releases
Van Hollen, Shaheen Statement on Interim Agreement between Serbia and Kosovo
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in issuing a joint statement with U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) after the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo announced an interim agreement to normalize relations and resolve disputes over the use of automobile license plates by the ethnic Serbian minority, a debate that has sparked unrest and exacerbated tensions between the two countries. "We … Continue Reading
March 01, 2023
Maryland Delegation Announces $38 Million for Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) announced that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has delivered $38,000,000 in Federal Aviation Administration funding for improvements to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) Airport. The funding was made available through the FY2023 Airport Terminal Program, which was created … Continue Reading
March 01, 2023
Van Hollen Statement on House Republicans’ Decision to Ban Congressionally Directed Spending that Benefits Our Communities
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chairman of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement on House Republicans' reported decision to ban congressionally directed spending from FSGG appropriations and other subcommittees: "House Republicans are trying to strip away resources that directly support our small businesses, drive economic opportunity, and boost innovation and entrepreneurship in our states. These … Continue Reading
February 24, 2023
Van Hollen, Booker, Kaine Statement on Saturday’s General Election in Nigeria
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement ahead of Saturday's general election in Nigeria: "Tomorrow, the people of Nigeria have the opportunity to make their voices heard and declare their aspirations for the future. "Free, fair, and peaceful elections that reflect the will of the people are the bedrock of any democracy. As the most populous country and the nation … Continue Reading
February 24, 2023
Maryland Delegation Announces More than $34.8 Million for Public Housing Agencies
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) announced $34,824,846 in federal funding for Maryland public housing agencies. The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's FY 2023 Public Housing Capital Fund Formula Grant Awards. The awards were made available through the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which … Continue Reading
February 22, 2023
Van Hollen, Brown, Colleagues Urge CMS Administrator to Protect Children from Losing Health Coverage
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in sending a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure urging CMS to ensure that the gains made in reducing the number of uninsured children are not lost as states begin to unwind some Medicaid policies that have been in place since the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency. As part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), Congress … Continue Reading
February 22, 2023
Van Hollen, Welch Send Letter to Department of Energy Urging Swift and Effective Implementation of Energy Efficiency Programs
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm, calling on DOE to publish guidelines to expand consumer access to energy use data as it implements two key energy efficiency programs, the HOMES Rebate Program and the Smart Grid Program. The HOMES Rebate Program, which passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), was based on Senators Van Hollen's and Welch's HOPE for HOMES Act, critical … Continue Reading
February 22, 2023
Van Hollen, Baldwin, Murphy, Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Limit Availability of Junk Health Care Plans
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in sending a letter urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take immediate action and address short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI) plans, or junk plans, which fail to provide adequate, comprehensive health insurance coverage. In 2018, in an effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trump Administration made junk plans more widely available to … Continue Reading
February 21, 2023
Maryland Congressional Members Announce $2 Million in Federal Funding to Move Forward on Removal of Highway to Nowhere
Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Kweisi Mfume, Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $2 million in federal funding for Baltimore City to plan for the redevelopment of the Highway to Nowhere in West Baltimore, a highway project that destroyed homes and businesses and displaced 1,500 residents at the time of its construction more than 50 years ago. The structure has divided and damaged those … Continue Reading
February 21, 2023
Van Hollen, Wyden, Rubio, Durbin, Boozman, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Repression of Iranian Baha’i
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.) in introducing a bipartisan resolution condemning Iran's government for persecuting the 300,000 members of the Baha'i faith. The Iranian Baha'i community is the largest religious minority in Iran with membership of more than 300,000 people. Unlike some other religious minorities such as Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, Iran's Baha'is have … Continue Reading
February 17, 2023
Van Hollen, Wexton Introduce Legislation to Ensure Transparency in Federal Agency Relocations
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) announced the introduction of the Conducting Oversight to Secure Transparency (COST) of Relocations Act to require any federal agency preparing to relocate to conduct and release to the public a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the proposed move before it is carried out. The legislation comes after a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found that the previous administration's … Continue Reading
February 17, 2023
Maryland Delegation Announces More Than $5.1 Million for Gun Violence Prevention Programs
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) announced $5,124,825 in federal funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to bolster gun violence prevention programs across the state. This funding for the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services (GOCPYVS) comes from the U.S. Department of Justice's Byrne Memorial Justice … Continue Reading
February 16, 2023
Van Hollen, Whitehouse, Colleagues Urge Financial Action Task Force to Bolster Transparency in Latest Beneficial Ownership Proposal
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in sending a bipartisan letter alongside their Senate colleagues to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the intergovernmental body that sets international anti-money laundering standards, calling on FATF to improve their latest beneficial ownership transparency proposal governing trusts and similar legal arrangements. "The international order built on democracy, free markets, and the rule-of-law is … Continue Reading
February 14, 2023
Van Hollen, Markey, Dingell Applaud EPA Next Steps on Capitalizing National Climate Bank Network
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) release of the Federal Assistance Listing on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the next step in capitalizing the lawmakers' historic push for a national climate bank network, an initiative they fought to include within the Inflation Reduction Act. The lawmakers worked together to craft the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund … Continue Reading
February 14, 2023
Van Hollen, Reed, Collins Call for HHS to Release Remaining $1.5 Billion in LIHEAP Funding to States
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in sending a letter alongside their Senate colleagues urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to swiftly release the $1.5 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in fiscal year (FY) 2023. LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment … Continue Reading
February 14, 2023
Van Hollen Reintroduces Bill to Make it Easier to Sign Up for Health Coverage, Close Massive Enrollment Gap
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) reintroduced his Easy Enrollment in Health Care Act, legislation to simplify the process of enrolling in a health insurance plan. The Senator's bill, modeled off a program already successfully in place in Maryland, would enable Americans to receive health care plan information and enroll in coverage through their federal income tax returns. "More Americans than ever can access free or low-cost health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, yet … Continue Reading
February 10, 2023
Van Hollen, Durbin, Sanders, Murphy, Smith Urge Department of Education to Inform Potential Students of Low-Financial-Value Postsecondary Programs
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in sending a letter to the Department of Education (Department) to provide input about the Department's process for compiling a list of low-financial-value postsecondary programs. This list would serve as a warning sign for students, parents, and educators about the certain higher education programs that do not produce a financial return on … Continue Reading
February 09, 2023
Van Hollen, Romney Introduce Bill to End China’s Unfair International Advantages
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) introduced the Ending China's Developing Nation Status Act, bipartisan legislation to prevent the granting of "developing nation" status to China in future treaties and international organizations. This bill also directs the Secretary of State to pursue changing the status of China to "developed nation" in treaties or organizations where a mechanism for change exists. Romney first introduced this legislation at the end of … Continue Reading
February 08, 2023
Van Hollen, Menendez Introduce Bill to Ban High-Capacity Magazines
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in reintroducing the Keep Americans Safe Act, renewing efforts to ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. High-capacity ammunition magazines allow shooters to fire a large number of bullets without stopping to reload. As a result, from 2009-2020, mass shootings where the shooter used high-capacity magazines led to five-times as many … Continue Reading
February 07, 2023
Van Hollen Statement on President Biden’s State of the Union Address
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding President Biden's State of the Union address: "Over the past two years, we have worked alongside President Biden to deliver historic progress to the American people - from making once-in-a-lifetime investments in our infrastructure, to finally taking action on the climate crisis, to addressing the rising costs of health care and prescription drugs, to so much more. With these investments and others, we've … Continue Reading
