Press Releases
Van Hollen, Schatz, Gillibrand Introduce Legislation to Provide Working Parents with Paid Leave
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (FEPPLA), legislation that would provide federal employees with six weeks of paid leave, under the Family and Medical Leave Act, for the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child. "As the only industrialized country without paid parental leave, the United States leaves too many mothers and fathers no choice but to return to work mere … Continue Reading
February 10, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $154,574 in ARC Grants, Local Funding for Western Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced $154,574 in Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants and local funding to boost economic development in Western Maryland. ARC will provide $57,287 in funding to Hagerstown Community College's Electronics Laboratory to purchase new equipment, which will be equally matched by the College. The $114,574 investment in new devices will be used by 142 students each year who are studying applied sciences and engineering … Continue Reading
February 09, 2017
Van Hollen, Gillibrand Introduce FAMILY Act to Create Paid Family and Medical Leave Program
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and a group of 26 Senators to reintroduce the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, or FAMILY Act, legislation that would create a universal, gender-neutral paid family and medical leave program. The United States is the only industrialized nation without a national paid leave program, and only 14 percent of American workers have access to paid family leave through their employer. Without a national paid … Continue Reading
February 09, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Ninth Circuit Court Ruling on Trump Immigration Executive Order
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled to continue blocking the enforcement of President Trump's immigration executive order: "No 'so-called' justice here. This ruling is true to our law and values, and it will strengthen our security rather than play into the hands of … Continue Reading
February 09, 2017
Van Hollen Pledges to Fight Unfair Trump Attacks on Federal Workers
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and other Senate Democrats in unveiling "Five Fights for Federal Employees," a proposal to protect current and retired government workers from ideologically motivated attacks from Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration. This resolution is a statement of principles that Senate Democrats intend to use to fight back against Republican attacks on the federal workforce. These principles include a … Continue Reading
February 07, 2017
Van Hollen Speaks Out Against Betsy DeVos on Senate Floor
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke on the Senate floor to oppose the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. An excerpt of his remarks is available below, and video is available here: "Maryland schools and schools throughout the country deserve a champion in their Secretary of Education. When President Trump and congressional Republicans proposed plans to cut and divert federal education funding, we need a Secretary of Education who is going to fight for public … Continue Reading
February 03, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to Confirmation of Rep. Mick Mulvaney for OMB Director
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record in opposition to the confirmation of Congressman Mick Mulvaney as Director of the Office of Management and Budget: "Mr. President, I know Mick Mulvaney. We served together for 6 years in the House of Representatives. I have always found him to be a straight shooter. And he was a champion of budget transparency. I also respect him for taking on some budget fights even when they were not popular with his … Continue Reading
February 03, 2017
Van Hollen to Trump: Don’t Pull the Rug Out From Under States Fighting Opioid Crisis
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today in writing to President Donald Trump warning that repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with no replacement would pull the rug out from under local communities working to combat the opioid epidemic, which could endanger millions of Americans just as they are getting treatment. Repeal threatens to cut $5.5 billion from states battling opioid addiction. A recent … Continue Reading
February 03, 2017
Team Maryland Calls on Hogan to Protect Marylanders from the Repeal of the Affordable Care Act
Members of the Maryland Congressional delegation have written to Governor Larry Hogan (R-Md.) urging him to protect the needs of his constituents by speaking out against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a viable replacement. The letter, signed by Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and Representatives Steny Hoyer, Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, John K. Delaney, Anthony G. Brown and Jamie Raskin, urges the governor to write to the President of … Continue Reading
February 03, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on the SEC Resource Extraction Rule
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record of the SEC Resource Extraction Rule: "Mr. President, with this resolution, the Senate Majority is continuing its rush to overturn Obama Administration consumer and investor protections, this time by targeting a bipartisan anti-corruption measure. "In 2008, under the direction of Senator Richard Lugar, Republican staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee produced a report entitled "The Petroleum … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to Confirmation of Andrew Puzder
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement in opposition to Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder: "The Department of Labor is charged with protecting American workers, job seekers, and retirees. This wide-ranging agency touches the lives of every family in our nation, and its leader must always put the best interests of the workforce first. I listened to heartbreaking testimony from people who had been the victims of Andrew Puzder's predatory labor practices, and it's … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Van Hollen Urges Senate Leaders to Protect the BLM Rule that Prevents Natural Gas Waste, Safeguards Health and Economic Growth
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollenurged Senate leaders to defend the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Methane and Natural Gas Waste Prevention Rule, which protects air quality and prevents the waste of taxpayer-owned natural gas on federal and Tribal lands, by opposing efforts to dismantle it through the rarely used and extremely dangerous process set out in the Congressional Review Act. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Van Hollen Urges President Trump to Include Broadband in Any Infrastructure Initiative
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined 47 Senators in sending a bipartisan letter to President Trump urging him to prioritize policies that will promote deployment of high-speed, reliable broadband for all Americans as part of any infrastructure initiative. From Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, this kind of investment is key to attracting young families and startup businesses to the area. Our state has a high demand for more broadband connectivity across the board, from small businesses to … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Cosponsor Bill to Give Federal Workers a Raise
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen have signed on as original cosponsors to the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, a bill that would provide federal employees with a 3.2 percent pay increase in 2018. The bill is designed to boost the pay of federal workers, who have endured $182 billion in cuts to pay and benefits through pay freezes, substandard pay raises, furloughs and increased pension contributions. Federal employees have sacrificed far more … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Van Hollen Introduces Bipartisan STAR Act to Combat Childhood Cancer
In an effort to help thousands of children who undergo cancer treatment each year, today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to introduce the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act of 2017. This bipartisan legislation will advance pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments, while also improving childhood cancer surveillance and providing resources for … Continue Reading
February 01, 2017
Van Hollen Calls for Answers into Alleged Wells Fargo Fraud Cover-up
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Democratic members of the Senate Banking Committee in sending a letter to Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan demanding answers after revelations that the bank reportedly tried to cover its tracks by shredding and forging documents to conceal the widespread customer fraud. "These latest allegations by Wells Fargo employees raise yet another red flag indicating that top management and the board of directors of Wells Fargo knew or should have known about the … Continue Reading
February 01, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to Confirmation of Rex Tillerson
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record on the vote to confirmRex Tillerson as Secretary of State: "Mr. President, my father served in the Foreign Service at the Department of State, so I spent some of my early years overseas. I was proud to be part of a family that represented our great Country. I learned firsthand the critical role of our Nation's diplomats, the risks that they take to serve our Country, and the part that they play in … Continue Reading
February 01, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Join Maryland Educators in Opposition to Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education
President Trump has nominated billionaire school privatization advocate Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education, a position that has far-reaching consequences for students in Maryland schools. During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee (HELP), Mrs. DeVos displayed a stunning lack of knowledge about basic education policy, and a complete conflict with the core Maryland values of public education, student safety, and the full protection … Continue Reading
February 01, 2017
Van Hollen, Mother of Young Boy Detained Because of Trump’s Immigration Ban Speak Out
From the moment President Trump's executive order on immigrants and refugees was signed, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has been working on behalf of Marylanders who were blindsided by this despicable action. One of the more disturbing cases that came into his office was that of 5-year-old Artiman Jalali. His mother, Shohreh Rahnama, reached out to the office because her son was traveling on his birthday with his cousin after visiting family overseas. Artiman is an American-born citizen and his … Continue Reading
January 31, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Immigration Executive Order
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement: "President Trump's order to suspend America's refugee programs is an attack on everything our country stands for and makes us less safe. It is a de facto Muslim ban that plays right into ISIS's propaganda, casting our fight against terrorism as a fight against an entire religion. It emboldens those who want to do us harm, and harms those who need protections the most. This is not who we are as a nation, and we will fight to … Continue Reading
