Press Releases
Maryland Delegation Members Urge State Dept. of Education to Expedite Distribution of Federal Child Care Relief Funds
This afternoon, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, and Representatives Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) sent a letter to the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury urging the state to expedite distribution of American Rescue Plan funds to child care providers. Of the $502 million in federal relief funds that were delivered to the state in April, to … Continue Reading
October 01, 2021
Van Hollen, Menendez, and Colleagues Call to Expand Sanctions on Nicaragua to Include Daniel Ortega Himself
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, drew attention to the Ortega regime's harassment and jailing of more than 150 opposition leaders, including presidential candidates, and its ongoing authoritarian crackdown in advance of the country's November 2021 presidential election. In a bipartisan letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the senators call for increased efforts to secure the immediate … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Van Hollen, Padilla, Nadler, and Colleagues Urge Labor Department, Biden Administration to Improve Access to Paid Time Off for Vaccinations
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) in sending a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Martin Walsh and White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients, urging them to work with Congress, companies, and governments to ensure that employees are offered pay for any time off needed to get vaccinated and recover from any side-effects of vaccination. Voluntary payroll tax credits … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Van Hollen, Lankford Lead Bipartisan Push, Urging President Biden to Hold Erdogan Accountable for Crackdown on Turkey’s Democracy
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and James Lankford (R-Okla.) led Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in a letter urging President Biden to hold Turkey's President Erdogan accountable for his recent efforts to disenfranchise Turkey's Kurdish population, undercut political … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Maryland Delegation Calls for Federal Emergency Declaration After Ida Storm Damage
The full Maryland congressional delegation, including 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 B. Raskin and David Trone, is urging President Joe Biden to approve the State of Maryland's request for a presidential disaster declaration due to damage from the Sept. 1 tornadoes and flash flooding from Tropical Depression Ida. Anne Arundel County, Cecil County, and the … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $7.5 Million to Establish Center of Excellence for 2D Materials Research to Support DOD at Morgan State University
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $7,500,000 in federal funding for Morgan State University, in partnership with Adelphi Laboratory Center and Aberdeen Proving Ground research centers of the U.S. Army and John's Hopkins University, to establish the Center for Advanced Electro-Photonics with 2D materials, the first of its kind at any Historically Black College or University (HBCU), that … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Applaud Senate Confirmation of Delegate Erek Barron to be U.S. Attorney for District of Maryland
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) applauded the Senate's confirmation of Delegate Erek Barron to be the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Barron will be the first Black U.S. Attorney in Maryland's history. "We are proud that the Senate has quickly confirmed Erek Barron to be the new United States Attorney for the District of Maryland," the senators said. "We recommended Erek to President Biden because we knew he would bring exceptional skills to this … Continue Reading
September 29, 2021
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $1 Million in American Rescue Plan Funding to Support Cultural Institutions in their Economic Recovery from COVID-19
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced $1,048,475 in American Rescue Plan funding to assist educational institutions across Maryland in their COVID-19 economic recovery. "Our local museums, colleges, and universities play a critical role in showcasing Maryland's culture, history, and art - serving as an essential education resources … Continue Reading
September 29, 2021
Maryland Delegation Announces More Than $18.2 Million to Support Community-Based Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Services
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced more than $18.2 million in COVID-19 relief funding to increase access to mental health services and substance use disorder treatment programs across the state. "The severe lack of affordable and accessible health care and crisis intervention services can have a devastating impact on Marylanders, … Continue Reading
September 27, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin, Call On FAA to Reopen Funding Consideration for Salisbury Airport Runway Expansion
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (Both D-Md.) are urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase support for a critical runway expansion at Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY). The senators wrote to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson Monday, detailing the urgency of the project and its role in "the airport's ability to maintain its important relationship with Piedmont Airlines, and to build on this relationship in pursuit of further economic … Continue Reading
September 24, 2021
Van Hollen, Brown, Capito Resolution To Designate Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week Passes Senate
This week, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Shelley Moore Capito's (R-Wa.V.) resolution to designate the week of September 20 through September 24, 2021, as "Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week" passed the U.S. Senate. Community schools are public schools that provide integrated student supports, well-designed and expanded learning opportunities, active family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership and practices. The resolution … Continue Reading
September 23, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Applaud Judiciary Committee Approval of Delegate Erek Barron to be U.S. Attorney for District of Maryland
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) applauded the Judiciary Committee's approval of Delegate ErekBarron to be the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. "Maryland needs a U.S. Attorney with integrity, independence, and a passion for delivering equal justice under the law to Marylanders. Erek Barron's background as both a prosecutor and state legislator committed to criminal justice reform measures makes him uniquely qualified for this position. We are … Continue Reading
September 22, 2021
Van Hollen, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Assist First-Generation Homebuyers, Close The Racial Wealth Gap
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, along with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Low-Income First Time Homebuyers (LIFT) Act to establish a new program to help first-time, first-generation homebuyers - predominately Americans of color - build wealth much more rapidly. By offering new homeowners a 20-year mortgage for roughly the … Continue Reading
September 22, 2021
Van Hollen, Warren, Brown, and Smith Request Information from SPAC Creators Amid “Astonishing” Reports of Abuse and Market Dysfunction
Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) sent letters to six creators of prominent Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs, publicly traded shell companies that raise money to buy private companies and take them public. Their letters raise concerns about abuses by the creators and operators of SPACs, including reports that insiders are taking advantage of legislative and regulatory gaps at the expense of … Continue Reading
September 21, 2021
Van Hollen, Baltimore Lawmakers Call on DOJ to Prevent Return to Prison for Individuals Posing No Danger to Public Safety, Released Due to COVID-19
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Kweisi Mfume, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) recently wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal urging them to continue home confinement or compassionate release for individuals who were released to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "These individuals were transferred from correctional facilities to home confinement to stem the spread of COVID-19 after the … Continue Reading
September 21, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Join Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Protect Reproductive Rights by Upholding Roe & Rejecting Mississippi’s Blatantly Unconstitutional Law
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have joined their colleagues in filing bicameral amicus brief in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, urging the Supreme Court to uphold nearly 50 years of precedent in Roe v. Wade and protect the constitutional right to abortion care. After the Court refused to block the dangerous, cruel abortion ban in Texas from going into effect, Dobbs represents yet another case that could undermine nearly 50 years of … Continue Reading
September 21, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Help Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Honor 13 American Heroes Killed in Afghanistan with Congressional Gold Medals
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) along with Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have introduced bipartisan legislation to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 13 American servicemembers who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26th. "These 13 servicemembers risked their own lives to save others in the face of terrorist attacks in Kabul. To honor that ultimate sacrifice and ensure that their courage … Continue Reading
September 20, 2021
Van Hollen Statement on Parliamentarian Ruling on Addressing Immigration in Reconciliation
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding ruling on Senate Democrats' proposal to allow Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers to apply for lawful permanent resident status via reconciliation: "The Parliamentarian's decision is deeply disappointing, but our fight isn't over. We must strengthen our resolve and push forward. It's time to make protections for Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status holders the law of the land, and we will not … Continue Reading
September 20, 2021
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces More than $6.5 Million in Federal Funding to Support the City of Baltimore’s COVID-19 Response Efforts
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced $6,898,433 in federal funding to reimburse Baltimore City for the distribution of food and water to vulnerable city residents during the pandemic. "As food insecurity spiked during the pandemic, the City of Baltimore and its frontline workers stepped up to meet the needs of underserved residents and support those with a higher risk of contracting … Continue Reading
September 17, 2021
Van Hollen, Davis Applaud Inclusion of American Opportunity Tax Credit Fix in House Reconciliation Proposal
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Danny Davis (D-Ill.) applauded the House Ways & Means Committee's passage of their bipartisan proposal to repeal the lifetime ban preventing students with felony drug convictions from receiving the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). The AOTC is the primary tax credit available to students seeking a higher education; however, students with a felony drug conviction are permanently ineligible from using the credit. This backwards … Continue Reading
