Press Releases
Van Hollen, Sullivan Ask Tillerson for Details of State Department and USAID Staff Changes
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), co-chairs of the Senate Foreign Service Caucus, sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressing concerns about plans for potential staffing cuts at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and seeking information on how those cuts would impact our national security. "We support reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for … Continue Reading
June 01, 2017
Van Hollen Pushes to Fund Homeless Veteran Support Programs
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and a bipartisan group of 27 Senators urging robust funding for the Supporting Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), Grant and Per Diem (GPD), and Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) programs for Fiscal Year 2018. These important federal programs provide critical services and housing for veterans and … Continue Reading
May 31, 2017
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats to President Trump: Don’t Cut Assistance to Rural Development
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, joined 28 Senate Democrats in sending a letter to President Trump expressing strong concerns over recent actions that would have negative impacts on families in rural Maryland and across the country. Last week, President Trump issued a budget proposal calling for drastic cuts that would undermine the important rural development mission at the U.S. Department of Agriculture … Continue Reading
May 31, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce More Than $3.8 Million in Federal Funding for College Preparation Program
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin(both D-Md.) have announced $3,877,768 in federal funding for colleges across the state of Maryland to help underrepresented communities successfully enter and complete higher education degrees. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Education's Upward Bound Program, which provides preparation and encouragement for students to pursue education beyond high school. In total, nine Maryland colleges will receive grants. No. Recipient … Continue Reading
May 30, 2017
Van Hollen Signs Bipartisan Letter Demanding Investigation into Turkish Security Detail’s Involvement in Attack on Washington, D.C. Protesters
After protesters outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. were violently attacked earlier this month, leaving nine hospitalized, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md) joined Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Ranking Member and Chairman of U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, and a bipartisan group of 17 other Senators in calling on the U.S. State Department to determine whether members of Turkey … Continue Reading
May 30, 2017
Van Hollen Joins Effort to Restore Medicare Program Eliminated in Trump’s Budget
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined SenatorChris Murphy (D-Conn.) and agroup of 21 senators on Thursday in demanding that the FY 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill include $52.1 million for the critical State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). President Trump's budget proposal would eliminate the program. In a letter to HELP Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the group of nearly … Continue Reading
May 29, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Memorial Day
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement in recognition of Memorial Day: "As we gather with family and friends this Memorial Day, withsome people heading to the beach and others having their backyard barbeque, it's important for us to reflect on what Memorial Day is all about. It's a time for us to thank and to honor the men and women who have served us and who have given their lives in defense of our country -- people whose sacrifices make our freedom possible. It's not … Continue Reading
May 26, 2017
Chesapeake Bay Senators Urge Robust Funding for Gateways and Watertrails Grants
U.S. Senators representing Maryland, Virginia and Delaware are calling on appropriators to fully fund the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Program, which supports public education about and access to the Chesapeake Bay.The letter was signed by SenatorsChris Van Hollen andBen Cardin (both D-Md.), Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.), andMark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.). The senators shared with Senators Lisa Murkowski and Tom Udall, chair and ranking member of the … Continue Reading
May 26, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce More Than $1 Million in Funding for Maryland Department of Natural Resources
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $1.09 million in federal funding for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. The funding comes from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and will be used to improve water quality monitoring throughout the Chesapeake Bay, including greater data analysis capabilities. Sediment and nutrient monitoring programs like the Chesapeake Bay Program's will be notable beneficiaries. "A healthy Bay is essential to the … Continue Reading
May 26, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $1,515,105 for Affordable Housing and Community Development
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen andBen Cardin (both D-Md.) announced that the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation has awarded NeighborWorks America grants totaling $1,515,105 to organizations dedicated to developing and preserving affordable housing, revitalizing and sustaining neighborhoods, and creating jobs in Maryland. "These grants will directly help organizations working to support and revitalize Maryland communities," said Senator Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations … Continue Reading
May 25, 2017
Van Hollen, Booker, Castro Introduce Legislation to Improve Public and Police Safety through Increased Law Enforcement Transparency
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation to bring transparency and accountability to law enforcement agencies across the nation with the aim of reducing the use of force by and against police officers. The Police Reporting Information, Data and Evidence (PRIDE) Act of 2017 would require states and Indian tribes to provide quarterly reports to the U.S. Justice Department regarding any incident during which a civilian is shot or seriously injured … Continue Reading
May 25, 2017
Van Hollen, Menendez, Merkley Lead Senators in Call to Reject Efforts to Block Corporate Political Spending Disclosure
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, Bob Menendez, and Jeff Merkley, along with 33 Democratic and Independent Senators, called on the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee to reject any effort to prevent the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring public companies to disclose political spending to their shareholders as part of the fiscal year 2018 funding bill. "For seven long years, companies have had free rein to solidify their … Continue Reading
May 25, 2017
Cardin, Van Hollen Announce $67,300 Grant for Allegany College for STEM Enhancement Project
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced a $67,300 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant for the Allegany College of Maryland's STEM Enhancement project. The federal funding will be matched by $67,300 in local funds for a project total of $134,600. "Maryland's success depends on the strength of every region of our state, and the Appalachian Regional Commission has been a vital source of job-creating investments in Western Maryland,"said Senator Van … Continue Reading
May 25, 2017
Van Hollen Honors Second Lieutenant Collins on the Senate Floor
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke on the Senate floor to honor the life of Second Lieutenant Richard Wilbur Collins III, who was murdered this past weekend in an incident that the FBI is investigating as a hate crime. Click here for video of the Senator's remarks. A transcript of his remarks is below: "I stand to pay tribute to a distinguished young man from the State of Maryland, Second Lieutenant Richard Wilbur Collins III - a brave, brilliant, passionate, selfless, and kind … Continue Reading
May 24, 2017
Ahead Of G-7 Meeting, Van Hollen, Shaheen, Hassan Join 37 Senate Democrats in Urging President Trump Not to Withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement
Ahead of this week's G-7 meeting, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined 37 Senate Democrats in a letter that urged President Trump to keep the United States party to the Paris Climate Agreement. In the new letter to the President, they argued that backing out of the agreement now, after the years of negotiations and strong U.S. leadership on the issue, would be a self-inflicted injury to America's economy and leave U.S. interests … Continue Reading
May 24, 2017
As Newly Released Transcript Details Trump Praise for Philippines President Duterte, Senator Van Hollen Markey Calls on President Trump to Delay Visit of Philippine Leader, Denounce Human Rights Abuses
With release of a transcript of an April telephone call between President Donald Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during which President Trump praised his Philippine counterpart for doing an "unbelievable job on the drug problem", U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) and a group of Democratic Senators in calling on President Trump to denounce President Duterte's murderous anti-drug campaign and delay any visit from the Filipino leader … Continue Reading
May 24, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Updated CBO Score of Trumpcare
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on the latest Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the Republican health care repeal bill: "Today's CBO report confirms what families in Maryland and across the country already knew - this bill is rotten to the core. Congressional Republicans went back to the drawing board, but what they came up with still leaves 23 million more Americans uninsured and cuts Medicaid by $834 billion. Millions more will be left with … Continue Reading
May 23, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Trump Budget Proposal
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 budget request: "This budget represents a total betrayal of President Trump's campaign promises. It afflicts the vulnerable and comforts the powerful. In short, it screams 'Millionaires First, Working People Last.' "As we learn more details about the Trump Budget, things get worse for working Americans but better for the super wealthy. The Trump budget … Continue Reading
May 22, 2017
Cardin, Van Hollen Statement on Murder of Bowie State Student
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) released the following statement on the murder of Bowie State University student Richard Collins III: "Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Richard Collins III, along with the entire Bowie State University community. By all accounts, Second Lieutenant Collins had distinguished himself academically and would have done the same in his forthcoming military service. The senselessness of this loss is deeply … Continue Reading
May 22, 2017
Van Hollen: President Trump is Increasing Health Care Costs for Hardworking Americans
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's request for another delay in the cost-sharing reduction payments lawsuit: "Families in Maryland and across the country deserve certainty about the stability and cost of their health insurance. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans refuse to provide it. Cost-sharing subsidies lower the deductibles, co-pays, and other out-of-pocket costs for those who purchase plans … Continue Reading
