Press Releases
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $9.4 Million for Regional Railway Improvements
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $9.4 million in federal funding for the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to upgrade railway infrastructure in Martin’s Yard and Baltimore Penn Station. “Reliable rail networks are critical to connecting Maryland commuters with jobs and businesses with opportunities throughout the region,” said the lawmakers. “These federal funds will help MTA … Continue Reading
October 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Raskin, Trone Demand Better Protection of African-American Historic Sites in Capital Beltway Widening
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) recently urged federal officials to avoid possible physical impacts to the Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Hall and Cemetery, in the historical African-American community of Gibson Grove, which was bisected by the original construction of the Capital Beltway (I-495), as Beltway widening is planned. In a new letter to the heads of the Federal Highway Administration and the Advisory Council … Continue Reading
October 28, 2020
As Domestic Violence Awareness Month Comes to a Close, Maryland Delegation Highlights Over $40 Million in Federal Funding to Support Survivors and Combat Violence Against Women
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone applauded awards totaling $40,037,526 to support survivors of domestic violence and prevent violence against women. “The uptick in violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic is both disturbing and unacceptable. With October marking National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we must … Continue Reading
October 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Halt Deportation of Cameroonian Asylum-Seekers
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in sending a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, urging the Administration to halt deportations of Cameroonian asylum-seekers. The Senators’ letter follows a recent legal complaint filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and others calling the Administration’s recent actions against Cameroonians “tantamount to torture.” The Senators … Continue Reading
October 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Raskin Announce More Than $2.8 Million to Upgrade Wastewater Infrastructure in Frederick County
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) today announced $2,820,000 in federal funding to replace the expired sewage pumping station in Emmitsburg, Md., to prevent future contamination of Tom’s Creek and the Monocacy River.“Providing access to clean water is essential, and modernizing our wastewater infrastructure is a key part of that effort,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations and Environment and Public Works … Continue Reading
October 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Maryland Delegation Press Governor Hogan on Purple Line Issues
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen led members of the Maryland delegation, including Senator Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) in expressing their serious concerns to Governor Hogan on the Purple Line Project, as construction delays and legal disputes continue to cause significant disruptions to Maryland businesses and communities. In their letter, the lawmakers pressed … Continue Reading
October 27, 2020
Van Hollen Blasts Trump Administration Decision to Support Predatory Lenders Over Consumers
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement regarding the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) decision to finalize the proposed “true lender” rule. This rule will serve as a boon to predatory lenders across the nation, harming vulnerable consumers who will face skyrocketing interest rates during an already volatile financial time. Senator Van Hollen recently led a letter … Continue Reading
October 27, 2020
Van Hollen, Klobuchar, Colleagues Urge State Department to Bolster Efforts to Protect Journalists
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and a number of their colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the Administration to increase its efforts to protect journalists around the world and hold foreign leaders accountable for suppressing freedom of the press. The letter to the State Department marks the recent anniversary of the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi. It is widely believed that Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and … Continue Reading
October 27, 2020
Van Hollen, Brown, Gillibrand Introduce Legislation to Expand Community Schools and Support Students, Families, and Communities
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have introduced the Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2020, legislation to help schools and districts expand services for students, families, and communities. The bill would provide new resources for public schools to be community hubs through integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning opportunities, collaborative leadership, and family and community engagement - … Continue Reading
October 27, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce More Than $90,000 to Upgrade Town Maintenance Vehicles in Western Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced $93,900 in federal funding to purchase new town maintenance trucks in Garrett and Allegany County. Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development as a part of the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. “When roads are snowed in, Marylanders can’t travel safely to work, grocery stores, or other places in the community. With this new federal funding, Garrett … Continue Reading
October 26, 2020
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to Senate’s Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his vote in opposition to the Senate’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court: “Today is a bleak day for the United States Senate and the country. This day will long be remembered as the moment when Republicans tore up their own rules to ignore the will of the American people and pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues who will compromise Americans’ rights and civil … Continue Reading
October 26, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Call for USDA to Reverse Devastating Food Aid Cuts Hurting Thousands of Marylanders
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen led members of the Maryland delegation, including Senator Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to immediately implement fixes to the Farmers to Families Food Box program, as recent changes to the program are leaving Maryland families and food vendors … Continue Reading
October 26, 2020
Van Hollen Delivers Floor Speech Fighting Against Unprecedented, Rushed Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to start by thanking my friend and colleague, the Senator from Pennsylvania, for talking this evening about what's at stake for so many of his constituents with this Supreme Court nomination and the very real possibility that the Affordable Care Act will be struck down, and what that means to so many of his constituents.And I do think this is a moment where we need to reflect and take stock of where we are as a country on many fronts. We are in the middle of a … Continue Reading
October 23, 2020
Van Hollen, Booker, Stabenow, Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Brown, Cardin Unveil New Report on Consequences for Core Civil Rights Protections of Special Interest Campaign to Capture Our Courts
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD) released a new report detailing how special interests’ campaign to capture our courts has tilted the playing field against critical civil rights protections to ensure equality for all Americans. As President Trump and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rush to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the … Continue Reading
October 23, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Almost $800,000 to Expand Housing Counseling Services Across Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced $793,828 in federal funding to expand housing-related counseling, including financial literacy, property maintenance and fiscal management services, across Maryland communities. “The pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis have created significant financial hardship for many across our state. … Continue Reading
October 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Schumer Slam Senate Republican Leadership for Blocking the Bipartisan DETER Act, Legislation to Prevent Foreign Interference in Our Elections
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed Senate Republicans for blocking Senator Van Hollen’s request for Senate passage of his bipartisan DETER Act, legislation to prevent foreign interference in our elections. The Republicans’ decision to block the bill follows yesterday’s deeply disturbing reports from the intelligence community, showing that Russia is actively interfering in our elections. “This is a disgrace. Every American … Continue Reading
October 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Wyden, Davis Introduce Legislation to Improve Federal Programs to Promote Healthy Relationships and Financial Stability for Low-Income Families
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Representative Danny Davis (D-Ill.) introduced legislation to make important improvements to our nation’s child support program to ensure that low-income children and families get the financial support they need. The current child support program aims to ensure that all non-custodial parents contribute financially to their children. However, right now, if families receive Temporary … Continue Reading
October 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Denounce Trump Administration’s Historically Low Refugee Resettlement Goal and Push for Increased Admissions
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) were joined by 21 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to cap refugee admissions at 15,000 for Fiscal Year 2021 - the lowest ceiling in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) - and in urging the administration to increase refugee admissions. “The United States has a long, bipartisan legacy of providing refugees protection through resettlement—prior to … Continue Reading
October 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez, Schumer Applaud Library of Congress Decision to Recognize Armenian Genocide in Its Records
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today released the following statement applauding the Library of Congress (LOC) for making the determination that the Armenian Genocide will be categorized as “Armenian Genocide” rather than “Armenian massacres” in its catalog records. This determination follows a letter from leading Senate Democrats in support of the formal proposal to classify the Ottoman Empire’s systematic … Continue Reading
October 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Murray, Democratic Colleagues Urge DeVos to Help 8.2 Million Federal Student Loan Borrowers Currently Unable to Access Relief
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and 33 Senate Democrats in sending a letter urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to ensure all struggling federal student borrowers can gain access to crucial federal relief. Since March, the CARES Act has provided forbearance, waived interest, and halted collections for borrowers whose student loans were directly held by the … Continue Reading
