Press Releases
Van Hollen, Peters, Menendez Push to Waive Cost-Sharing Requirements for States Battling COVID-19 Amid Growing Calls for Administration Action
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), along with a number of their colleagues, called on President Trump to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to waive all cost-share requirements for states responding to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. On March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency related to the outbreak, authorizing federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts. Despite continued … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Van Hollen Presses GSA for Information on Trump Organization’s Attempt to Seek Loan Relief from Trump Administration
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent a letter to Administrator Emily Murphy of the General Services Administration (GSA) pressing for more information on the Trump Organization's efforts to obtain relief from the Trump Administration on required lease payments for the Trump International Hotel. In addition to Administrator Murray, the Senator also copied GSA Inspector General Carol Ochoa on his request. GSA currently leases the Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C. to the … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Express Concern Over Recent Reports of Veterans’ Mortgage Forbearance Issues and Retaliation During COVID-19 Crisis
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Anthony G. Brown, Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, David Trone and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) wrote to United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie to express concerns that loan servicers are not allowing veterans with VA Home Loans to access forbearance relief during the COVID-19 crisis. The CARES Act included protection for borrowers with federally backed mortgage loans who are experiencing … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $422,000 in COVID-19 Relief Funding for Legal Aid Services
The full Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today announced $422,690 in federal funding for Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) to provide legal services to low-income Marylanders. Funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which authorized $50 million nationwide to the … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Durbin, Colleagues Push Treasury to Ensure Americans Without Broadband Can Receive Economic Impact Payments
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 21 of their Senate colleagues, in urging the Department of Treasury to increase its efforts to make Economic Impact Payments available to the most vulnerable populations-including those without access to the internet who cannot file a tax return electronically. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Durbin and the Senators highlighted that at least 21 million Americans are without high-speed internet … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer Announce Nearly $90,000 for COVID-19 Public Health Research at University of Maryland, College Park
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced $89,240 in federal funding for the University of Maryland, College Park to conduct public health research related to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through the National Science Foundation (NSF). This project will use data on individuals' mobility and the spread of COVID-19 to help improve our ability to understand and respond to rapidly spreading pandemics. "Gathering real-time … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Markey Continue Efforts to Mobilize Americans in Fight Against Coronavirus
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ed Markey (D-MA) joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) in announcing legislation to mobilize and recruit Americans in the response to COVID-19. The Senators’ legislation would create both a Health Force and a Resilience Force to recruit, train, and employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in order to provide public health capacity for the surge in COVID-19 patients, prepare for future public health care needs, and … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Gardner, Colleagues Make Bipartisan Push to Increase Critical Funds for Suicide Prevention Amid Pandemic
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Jerry Moran (R-KS), along with 9 of their colleagues, in a bipartisan push to provide the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) with $80 million to support critical suicide prevention activities amid a public health crisis that is upending the social and financial stability of countless Americans. The letter, which was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Discusses Skyrocketing Demand for Unemployment Assistance with State Labor Secretary
The Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today discussed with Maryland Secretary of Labor Tiffany P. Robinson the unprecedented challenges to the state’s unemployment insurance program. The conversation followed up on a letter the delegation sent last week to Secretary Robinson offering support and … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Warren, Democratic Senators Call for Broad Investigations of the Trump Administration's COVID-19 Response
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for investigations into the Trump Administration's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, including whether political expediency rather than the country's urgent public health needs has driven the Trump Administration's distribution of life-saving medical supplies and equipment and other key public health and economic decisions. They, along with eight of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter today to the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Wyden, Colleagues Push for Access to Digital Resources for State and Local Governments Managing COVID-19 Crisis
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with 14 of their colleagues, wrote a letter urging Congressional leadership to provide additional digital resources for state and local governments managing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on local communities.In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Coons, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Significantly Expand National Service Programs to Respond to COVID-19
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced the introduction of legislation to expand national service programs as the country works to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would fund 750,000 national service … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Bipartisan Interim COVID-19 Relief Package
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement in response to the bipartisan agreement reached on the interim COVID-19 relief package:“As the coronavirus wreaks havoc on public health and our economy, it’s crucial that we act quickly to address challenges as they arise. While this interim measure falls short on many fronts, it is a major improvement over the shortsighted proposal initially offered by Leader Mitch McConnell. It not only replenishes both the … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez, Colleagues Call on Big Pharma to Prioritize Diversity in COVID-19 Clinical Trials
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), along with a group of their colleagues, in urging 15 pharmaceutical companies engaged in COVID-19 related work and their trade organization to prioritize diversity in any coronavirus vaccine or trial. Given the disproportionate impact of the outbreak on communities of color and other minority groups, the senators underscored the critical need for comprehensive demographic and racial data to ensure new treatments work … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Urge State, Retailers to Ensure SNAP Recipients Can Access Grocery Delivery and Pick-Up Services in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Jamie Raskin, Anthony G. Brown, and David Trone (all D-Md.) wrote a letter to Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Lourdes R. Padilla and the President of the Maryland Retailers Association (MRA) Cailey Locklair urging them to ensure Maryland Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients are able to access grocery delivery and pick-up … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Blumenthal, Colleagues Push for Urgent Workforce Development Investment
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with a group of their colleagues, wrote a letter pressing Senate leadership to include critical workforce development and career and technical education (CTE) funding in the next coronavirus relief bill.In their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators echoed the concerns of 38 labor and education advocacy groups calling for immediate … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Urge Trump, GM to Reopen White Marsh Plant to Manufacture Ventilators, Reduce National Shortage
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, John P. Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, and Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) sent letters to President Trump and General Motors (GM) Chairman and CEO Mary Barra urging them to reopen the GM plant in White Marsh, Maryland. In their letter, the Members stress that the plant should be reopened to help fulfill GM’s recent contract to produce thousands of ventilators under the Defense … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Senators to Trump: ‘Make clear that the enemy is not the Asian or Asian-American community, but rather a virus that endangers us all’
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with 24 of their Senate Democratic colleagues, in sounding the alarm about the increased harassment and violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to President Donald Trump, the Senators reiterated the responsibility … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Durbin, Warren, Colleagues Urge Senate to Protect Covid-19 Relief Funds From Predatory For-Profit College Industry
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with 14 of their Senate colleagues, today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), to explicitly direct any additional emergency funding specifically for institutions of higher education to public and private, nonprofit … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Brown, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Plan to Boost Contact Tracing, Testing Efforts
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and eight of their Senate colleagues in pushing the Trump administration to immediately craft, release, and implement a plan that includes robust testing for the coronavirus and expanded contact tracing. Contract tracing is a decades-old process used to limit the transmission of infectious diseases by identifying and contacting individuals who recently interacted with infected people, and … Continue Reading
