Press Releases
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
February 06, 2023
Maryland Delegation Announces Nearly $43 Million for Statewide Road Safety 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 $42,882,024 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding, through the Safe Streets for All grant program, for Maryland localities to upgrade outdated roadway infrastructure and improve safety. Statewide recipients include: $21,253,985 for Prince George's County to implement seven … Continue Reading
February 06, 2023
Van Hollen Announces Prince George’s County Executive Alsobrooks as State of the Union Guest
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced that Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks will be his guest for President Biden's State of the Union Address tomorrow evening. Prior to the State of the Union, the Senator and County Executive Alsobrooks will meet to discuss their shared priorities for expanding opportunity and growing prosperity in Prince George's County and Maryland. The Senator and County Executive will discuss the many ways they are already working … Continue Reading
February 06, 2023
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Schumer, Klobuchar and Booker Announce the Removal of the Bust of Dred Scott Author Roger Taney from Display in the U.S. Capitol
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer (all D-Md.), and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced Monday that the bust of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney that was on display in the Old Supreme Court Chamber, has been removed permanently. The action comes weeks after enactment of their legislation, S. 5229, that ordered the removal. A bust of Thurgood … Continue Reading
February 02, 2023
Van Hollen, Carper, Norton Reintroduce Bills to Grant D.C. Full Control Over Its National Guard, Police
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) reintroduced their legislation to grant the District of Columbia full control over the D.C. National Guard and the Metropolitan Police Department. These measures have proven all the more necessary after the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, when Mayor Bowser's request for additional support from the D.C. National Guard took nearly three hours to be fully approved by the … Continue Reading
February 02, 2023
Van Hollen, Menendez, Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Expressing Solidarity with the Brazilian People in Aftermath of Insurrection
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) alongside Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and their Democratic Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution condemning the January 8 siege on Brazil's Congress, presidential palace, and Supreme Court by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Against the backdrop of the insurrection's parallels to the January 6, 2021 siege on the U.S. Capitol, the resolution expresses steadfast support for the country's … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
To Fight Climate and Road Safety Crises, Van Hollen, Markey, Pappas, Huffman Call on DOT to Fully Fund Active Transportation Program
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representatives Chris Pappas (N.H.-01) and Jared Huffman (Calif.-02) sent a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg requesting the Biden administration fully fund DOT's Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) in its fiscal 2024 and 2025 budgets. The ATIIP, which provides grants to states and localities to develop and connect active transportation … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce More Than $1.8 Million for Maryland Coastal Bays, Wetlands Restoration
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced $1,819,600 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for the Maryland Coastal Bays Foundation to help the Atlantic Coast and Eastern Shore become more resilient. The funding comes through the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program. The award will be used to implement 52 actions on the Maryland Coastal Bay Foundation's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, which in part include … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
VIDEO: Van Hollen Delivers Floor Speech on the Debt Limit
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate urging immediate action to raise the debt ceiling in order to honor the federal government's financial obligations and prevent unnecessary economic devastation for Americans. Below are Senator Van Hollen's remarks, which can also be viewed here. U.S. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.): Mr. President, let me begin with a simple statement which I hope every Senator in this body agrees with: that the United States … Continue Reading
January 31, 2023
Van Hollen, Shaheen, Bipartisan Colleagues Meet with Bosnia and Herzegovina Tripartite Presidency in Washington
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) alongside a bipartisan group of Senators in a bilateral meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) tripartite presidency. Senators Tillis (R-N.C.), Murphy (D-Conn.), Wicker (R-Miss.), and Durbin (D-Ill.) also participated in the meeting with the BiH Presidency members: President Željka Cvijanović, President Željko Komšić and President Denis … Continue Reading
January 31, 2023
Maryland Congressional Delegation Members Urge Biden Administration to Boost Offshore Wind in Central Atlantic
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.) urged the Biden Administration to maximize the leasing space available for offshore wind energy in the Central Atlantic Ocean, and particularly off of Maryland's coast. In their letter to top officials of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National … Continue Reading
January 31, 2023
Maryland Delegation Announces $2.9 Million for Local Foods in School Meal Programs
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie B. Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) announced $2.9 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding for Maryland schools to purchase local foods and beverages for school meal programs. The federal dollars come from the USDA's Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program. Through the program, the Maryland Department of … Continue Reading
January 30, 2023
Van Hollen, Cardin Join in Introducing Bills to Protect Communities, Schools from Assault Weapons
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in introducing a pair of bills to protect communities from assault weapons. The Assault Weapons Ban would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices. This includes the gun used by a shooter on January 22 to kill 11 … Continue Reading
January 27, 2023
Van Hollen, Cardin, Mfume Announce Over $350,000 to Invest in Baltimore Student Success Inside and Outside of the Classroom
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced $385,507 to improve outcomes for high school students in Baltimore City Public Schools. This funding for the University of Maryland, Baltimore through the U.S. Department of Education's Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program will help underserved local high school students at Renaissance Academy and Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts excel in challenging educational … Continue Reading
January 26, 2023
Van Hollen Leads Colleagues in Introduction of Bills to Reduce Gun Violence, Implement Common-Sense Safety Measures
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led several of his Democratic colleagues in reintroducing two bills to help curb gun violence and strengthen gun safety. The Senator's ATF Improvement and Modernization (AIM) Act - led by Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va.) in the House - would improve and modernize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to better equip the Bureau to crack down on gun violence and the illegal use of firearms. The Handgun Permit to Purchase Act - … Continue Reading
January 26, 2023
Van Hollen, Menendez, Blackburn, Coons, Risch, Lankford, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Resolution in Support of Anti-Regime Protests in Iran
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) alongside their Senate colleagues in reintroducing a bipartisan resolution reaffirming the United States' support for the Iranian citizens who have taken to the streets in peaceful protest and condemning Iranian security forces for human rights abuses. In addition to calling on the international community to … Continue Reading
January 25, 2023
Van Hollen, Booker, Barragán Call on EPA to Further Strengthen Safety Standards to Prevent Chemical Disasters and Protect Workers
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (Calif.-44) alongside their colleagues in urging U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to strengthen the Agency's proposed Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule to ensure the strongest possible safeguards at high-risk chemical facilities and protections for workers, environmental justice communities, and first responders. EPA's RMP … Continue Reading
