Press Releases
Van Hollen Statement in Support of the Countering America’s Adversaries Act
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record in support ofthe Countering America's Adversaries Act: "Mr. President, I am strong supporter of H.R. 3364, the Countering America's Adversaries Act, which sanctions Russia, Iran, and North Korea. I call on President Trump to sign this package into law, without delay. "This Act imposes tough sanctions Russia for its interference in our elections, its attempts to undermine faith in the democratic … Continue Reading
July 26, 2017
Van Hollen Fights for Maryland in Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted to support the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. It will invest in national security, law enforcement, and American scientific innovation. It also provides funding for three agencies with a major presence in Maryland: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Oceanic … Continue Reading
July 25, 2017
Van Hollen, Senators Call for Reopening of U.S. Poultry Exports to China
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a bipartisan group of 36 senators in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to push the Chinese government to end its ban on the sale of American poultry products. The ban was instituted by China in 2015 due to the detection of a wild duck with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influence and continues to be enforced today, in contradiction of World Health Organization for Animal Health standards. "Poultry is produced in almost every state. For … Continue Reading
July 25, 2017
Van Hollen: Republicans Just Lit the Fuse to Blow Up Our Health Care System
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on Senate Republicans voting to begin debate on repealing the Affordable Care Act: "Senate Republicans just embarked on a very dangerous journey. If we don't stop them, the end of this journey will do incredible damage and harm to our health care system. What they've done is light the fuse, and now we need to make sure that the fire doesn't travel down and blow up the health care system - denying health care to tens of … Continue Reading
July 24, 2017
Van Hollen, Toomey Encourage Adoption of BRINK Act
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), members of the Senate Banking Committee, released the following statement on the importance of including secondary sanctions: "Our response to North Korea's recent ICBM test must be bold, decisive, and comprehensive. The Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act falls short of the aggressive sanctions needed to sever North Korea's ties to the international financial system and create the leverage necessary for successful nuclear … Continue Reading
July 24, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Statement on Kent Island Tornado
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin(both D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the tornado that touched down on Kent Island overnight: "Our thoughts are with the people of Stevensville on Kent Island today as they recover from last night's storm and possible tornado. We appreciate the speed and skill of the first responders and all those working to return the community to a sense of normalcy in the aftermath of such sudden destruction. Our offices already have been in … Continue Reading
July 21, 2017
Van Hollen: Chaos in the White House Taking Attention Away from Important Issues Like Health Care & the Economy
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined CNN's Brianna Keilar to discuss President Trump's chaotic West Wing and his inability to focus on issues important to the American public. A transcript of the exchange is below, and video is available here: BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN: Sir, what is your reaction to this breaking news? U.S. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Brianna, it'simpossible being the PressSecretary or the CommunicationsDirector in this Administration,because the chaos starts at thevery top.It … Continue Reading
July 21, 2017
Van Hollen Fights for Maryland in Agriculture Appropriations Bill
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted to support the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which passed unanimously yesterday in the Committee. It will support American agriculture, conservation, and nutrition programs. Through his work on the Appropriations Committee and as the first Maryland Senator in nearly 100 years to serve on the Senate Agriculture … Continue Reading
July 21, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $499,970 National Science Foundation Grant to University of Maryland Baltimore County to Advance Understanding of Earth’s Climate
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced that University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) will receive a $499,970 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to train graduate students, postdocs, as well as junior faculty in disciplines to advance knowledge of atmospheric radiation and the Earth's climate system. "This National Science Foundation grant will help UMBC scientists and researchers to unlock the secrets of our Earth's atmosphere,"said … Continue Reading
July 20, 2017
Van Hollen: Chaos in the White House Taking Attention Away from Important Issues Like Health Care & the Economy
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined CNN's Brianna Keilar to discuss President Trump's chaotic West Wing and his inability to focus on issues important to the American public. A transcript of the exchange is below, and video is available here: BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN: Sir, what is your reaction to this breaking news? U.S. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Brianna, it'simpossible being the PressSecretary or the CommunicationsDirector in this Administration,because the chaos starts at thevery top.It … Continue Reading
July 20, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $53,226 AmeriCorps Grant to Combat Opioid Epidemic on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced that Salisbury University has been awarded a $53,226 AmeriCorps Grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to fund the ShoreCorps/Partnership for Adolescents on the Lower Shore (PALS) program to help combat the opioid epidemic on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. "We must use every tool at our disposal to fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating so many communities in our state. This … Continue Reading
July 20, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $37,203 AmeriCorps Grant to Combat Opioid Epidemic in Western Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced that Frostburg State University has been awarded a $37,203 AmeriCorps Grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to fund the Conquering Opiate Abuse Together (COAT) program to help combat the opioid epidemic in Western Maryland. "We must use every tool at our disposal to fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating so many communities in our state. This funding will expand education and … Continue Reading
July 19, 2017
Van Hollen Calls on President Trump’s Opioid Commission to End Delays and Act to Stop Addiction Crisis
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and a group of Democratic Senators sent a letter to the acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy expressing concern that the White House's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis - chaired by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie - is wasting valuable time by delaying steps that could provide immediate solutions to address the opioid crisis. Despite an abundance of actionable information, the commission has announced … Continue Reading
July 19, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Latest CBO Score of Republican Health Care Repeal Plan
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which would reduce the number of Americans with insurance by 32 million over the next ten years: "President Trump called the House 'health care' bill mean, and the Republican plans keep getting meaner by the day. The non-partisan CBO reports that the latest Senate proposal to repeal the ACA would double the cost of … Continue Reading
July 19, 2017
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Press EPA, Army Corps to Extend Comment Period for Clean Water Rule Rewrite
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined 21 Senate Democrats in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt and Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Assistant Secretary Douglas Lamont urging them to extend the 30-day public comment period for EPA's proposal to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule. In total, the Obama Administration allowed the public to comment on the original rule for 180 days in 2014 and responded to over one million public … Continue Reading
July 19, 2017
Van Hollen: Even Those Who Supported Trump See Trumpcare as a Betrayal
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined MSNBC's Craig Melvin to discuss continued attempts by President Trump and Senate Republicans to pass legislation that would cause turmoil in our health care system. A transcript of the exchange is below, and video is available here: CRAIG MELVIN, MSNBC:I want to bring in Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat from Maryland. Senator, were you able to hear the President's comments there? U.S. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I was, and it's very clear the … Continue Reading
July 18, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $140,000 for Eastern Shore Economic Development
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin(both D-Md.) have announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will award $140,000 to the Eastern Shore for the development and implementation of a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS). Both the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore and the Mid-Shore Regional Council for the Eastern Shore will receive $70,000, benefiting Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester, Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties. Each CEDS plan … Continue Reading
July 18, 2017
Van Hollen Introduces Legislation to Honor Frederick Douglass
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen will introduce the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act. The legislation would establish a commission to honor and celebrate Frederick Douglass in 2018 as we mark the 200th anniversary of his birth. It is the companion bill to legislation introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD). "Two hundred years after Douglass' birth, it is important to reflect upon his great … Continue Reading
July 18, 2017
Van Hollen Joins 25 Senate Colleagues to Urge State Department and DHS to Extend Temporary Protected Status for Individuals from 10 TPS-Designated Countries
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined 25 Senate colleagues in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging Secretaries Rex Tillerson and John Kelly to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of nationals currently residing in the United States. The TPS designation is a temporary benefit aimed at providing relief to foreign nationals in the United States and countries devastated by natural disasters, armed conflict, … Continue Reading
July 18, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $143,888 Grant for Bay Bridge Airport
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced a $143,888 Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for the Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville, Md. The funding will help repair lighting and approach surfaces on the runway. "Regional airports serve as an important resource to communities in our state and are vital to maintaining a strong economy - we must ensure their safety," said Senator Van Hollen. "I'm committed to making sure Maryland has the funding it needs to … Continue Reading
