Press Releases
Van Hollen, Whitehouse Introduce Conflicts from Political Fundraising Act
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) to unveil legislation to close a glaring ethics loophole that allows executive branch appointees to avoid disclosing their ties to shadowy political spending groups and other interests they may oversee as federal officials. The Conflicts from Political Fundraising Act would require presidentially appointed executive branch officials to disclose whether they have solicited donations … Continue Reading
May 18, 2017
Van Hollen Signs Letter to Trump Organization Requesting Answers on President’s Compliance With Constitution
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollenand 16 of his Senate colleagues have sent a letter pressing the Trump Organization and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust for answers about each entity's financial relationship to the President, and about the President's compliance with the Constitution. The letter comes as President Trump is set to leave on Friday for his first foreign trip, which includes stops in two countries -SaudiArabiaandIsrael- where there have been questions of possible conflicts of … Continue Reading
May 17, 2017
Van Hollen, Bipartisan Coalition of Senators Call for Continued Funding of Land and Water Conservation Program
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined a bipartisan coalition of senators urging the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and Forest Legacy Program, the nation's federal conservation program, as they begin considerations for the upcoming fiscal year. The LWCF and Forest Legacy Program has funded more than 40,000 state and local outdoor recreation … Continue Reading
May 17, 2017
Senators to Trump Administration: Do Not Hurt Workforce by Cutting NASA Education Funding
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI a group of 31 Senators in a letter urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to support NASA's Office of Education in the coming fiscal year. President Trump's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) would eliminate NASA's Office of Education, which works to inspire and educate students across the country to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). "Given the importance of STEM … Continue Reading
May 17, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Appointment of a Special Counsel in the Russia Investigation
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on the appointment of a special counsel in the Russia investigation: "Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made the right decision by appointing a special counsel. He determined that the law and circumstances demanded this action despite White House opposition. Thanks to all who called upon him to do the right thing for the country. Now, we need to make sure the special counsel has the resources to uncover the truth about … Continue Reading
May 16, 2017
During National Infrastructure Week, Cardin, Van Hollen Deliver $200,000 for New Eastern Shore Sewage Lines
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $200,000 in federal funding for new Eastern Shore sewage lines and expansions. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), a program both Senators Cardin and Van Hollen have fought to continue after it was targeted for elimination in the President's recent budget outline. The new federal funds for Maryland will be used to replace and upgrade the existing well and … Continue Reading
May 16, 2017
Ahead of Erdogan’s Visit, Van Hollen, Menendez, Rubio Urge Trump to Raise Worsening Human Rights in Turkey
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and a group of 16 senators have sent a letter to President Donald Trump ahead of his meeting Tuesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Citing the weakening of democratic institutions, stifling of fundamental human rights, and mass arrests and civil society restrictions, the Senators raise concerns over the worsening situation in Turkey under President Edrogan's authoritarian policies after the … Continue Reading
May 16, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin, Kaine, Warner Applaud Senate Passage of Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Resolution
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Mark Warner (D-VA) applauded passage of a joint resolution to establish the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. The Commission will be empowered to adopt and enforce tough rules to improve Metro safety. The resolution now heads to the House of Representatives for final passage. "Safety must be WMATA's first priority as the public transit system for the National Capital region. The Metro Safety … Continue Reading
May 11, 2017
Van Hollen, Brown, Warren, Senate Banking Democrats Raise Concerns about Apparent Political Power Grab at OCC
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 6 members of the Senate Banking Committee - Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) - in a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin about the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC, which oversees over 2,000 national banks and is charged with protecting consumers and ensuring the safety and soundness of … Continue Reading
May 11, 2017
Cardin, Van Hollen Celebrate Public Service Recognition Week
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen honored the vital work of federal, state, county, and local government employees and members of the uniformed services across the nation this week by passing a bipartisan resolution to designate May 7-13, 2017, as Public Service Recognition Week. "Maryland is home to roughly 136,000 federal civilian workers and countless more public service professionals - each of whom works tirelessly to better our communities and our country," said Senator … Continue Reading
May 09, 2017
Van Hollen, Casey, Senate Democrats to Administration: Stop Sabotaging our Health Care System
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Bob Casey (D-PA), joined by 11 Democratic Senators, demanded that the Trump Administration end its sabotage of the U.S. health care system. In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney, the Senators demanded that the Administration commit to making vital payments to ensure the viability of the health care system and to turn over documents, which the Administration … Continue Reading
May 09, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Firing of FBI Director Comey
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey: "Firing FBI Director Comey has the foul stench of an attempt to stop an ongoing investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. We know that the Russians interfered in our election. We know that every intelligence agency concluded that Russia interfered on behalf of Donald Trump. And we know that Director Comey was investigating potential collusion … Continue Reading
May 08, 2017
Van Hollen, Maryland Leaders Urge FAA to Measure Noise Impacts from Altered DCA Air Traffic Patterns
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, Congressmen John Delaney and Jamie Raskin, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, and Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner have written to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting that the agency measure noise levels from incoming and departing flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The officials request a timeline by June 5, 2017 of its review of the impact of changes made to air traffic … Continue Reading
May 08, 2017
Van Hollen: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Progress Threatened by Trump
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's 2016 Chesapeake Bay Report Card: "Today a new report from the University of Maryland showed the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay is improving for the second straight year. While there's still much more work to do, this demonstrates the importance of sustained federal funding for our Bay cleanup efforts. I'm pleased … Continue Reading
May 08, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce More Than $280,000 for Salisbury University Mathematics Education Program
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $287,871 in federal funding for Salisbury University's PATHWAYS program. The funding comes from the National Science Foundation and will support a Salisbury PATHWAYS project aimed at understanding how students effectively learn mathematics in the K-12 setting, as well as inspiring undergraduate students to pursue a career in mathematics education. "As I travel across Maryland, I hear the same thing from business owners, … Continue Reading
May 04, 2017
Van Hollen Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Overmedication and Combat Suicide Among Veterans
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce legislation aimed at combating veteran suicide. The Veterans Overmedication Prevention Act would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct an independent expert study on the deaths of all veterans being treated at the VA who died by suicide or from a drug overdose in the last five years. This review would ensure that the VA has accurate information about the … Continue Reading
May 03, 2017
Van Hollen Calls on President Trump to Reverse Course on Anti-Women’s Agenda
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee, and 30 Senate Democrats in sending a letter calling on President Trump to reverse his harmful anti-women agenda and prioritize women's access to health care, employment opportunities, and education domestically and around the world. The senators reminded President Trump that the ongoing threat his Administration poses to reproductive rights and economic security has motivated … Continue Reading
May 03, 2017
Team Maryland Works to Expand Affordable College Education Opportunities for Maryland Families
Members of Maryland's congressional delegation gathered Wednesday to hear from leaders in Maryland's higher education community on how to best serve Maryland colleges and the students they educate. Members held an in-depth discussion with University System of Maryland Chancellor Dr. Robert Caret, McDaniel College President and Chair of the Maryland Independent Colleges and University Association (MICUA) Board of Trustees Dr. Roger Casey, Morgan State University President Dr. David Wilson, and … Continue Reading
May 02, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Join Colleagues in Re-Introducing Historic, Comprehensive LGBT Non-Discrimination Legislation
Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined 44 of their colleagues in re-introducing historic, comprehensive federal legislation to ban discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) Americans. The Equality Act of 2017 would ensure full federal non-discrimination equality by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to other protected classes, such as race or religion, in existing federal laws. The legislation was filed simultaneously in the … Continue Reading
May 02, 2017
Cardin, Van Hollen Announce Funding for the Chesapeake Bay
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations and Agriculture Committees, and Ben Cardin, senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, have announced $73 million in funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program in the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus Funding bill. The House and Senate are both scheduled to vote on the legislation this week. "President Trump's efforts to eliminate funding to clean up the Chesapeake Bay … Continue Reading
