Press Releases
Van Hollen Introduces Legislation to Support Federal Infrastructure and Reduce Wasteful Spending
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced new legislation to improve the funding process for large federal building projects and reduce wasteful spending on expensive leases. Over the long-term, it is often less expensive for the federal government to construct or purchase a building rather than leasing it. However, since budget scorekeeping rules charge the purchase price as a lump sum within a single year, Congress and federal agencies sometimes opt for leases that spread a … Continue Reading
May 27, 2021
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $796,000 in American Rescue Plan Funding to Support Mental Health Training Across State
Today, 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.) announced more than $796,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to expand mental and behavioral health training across the state. “This new funding from the American Rescue Plan will aid our public health workforce and higher education institutions in meeting the increased demand for mental health … Continue Reading
May 25, 2021
Van Hollen, Senators Introduce Bipartisan ‘Bridge Investment Act’ to Provide Significant Federal Investment In Bridge Repair
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rob Portman (R-OH), John Boozman (R-AR), Ed Markey (D-MA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced their bipartisan Bridge Investment Act ahead of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee highway markup this week. This bill would establish a competitive … Continue Reading
May 25, 2021
Van Hollen, Menendez, Rubio, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Calling for Freedom of the Press around the World
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and a group of 10 Senate colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution in recognition of burgeoning threats to freedoms of the press and expression around the world. The bipartisan resolution maintains the centrality of an independent press to the health of democracy and reaffirms freedom of the press as a … Continue Reading
May 25, 2021
Van Hollen, Warner Introduce Bicameral, Bipartisan Bill to Assist Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) along with Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today introduced the Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and Ecosystem Enhancement (SEEE) Act, which aims to restore the health of the Bay Watershed, strengthen fisheries management, and expand environmental education programs for residents across the Bay Watershed. Companion legislation was introduced in the House of … Continue Reading
May 25, 2021
Van Hollen Joins Blumenthal, Jayapal & Murphy In Introducing The Safe Gun Storage Act
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.) and Chris Murphy (D-Ct.) and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in introducing legislation directing the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to establish safety standards for firearm locks and firearm safes.An estimated 4.6 million American minors live in a household with a firearm. According to a 2018 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey, 54 percent of gun owners report … Continue Reading
May 24, 2021
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $36 Million in American Rescue Plan Funding to Support Statewide COVID-19 Response Efforts
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 $36,358,851 in American Rescue Plan funding to support our state’s pandemic response. This funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a part of the Public Health Crisis Response program, launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to expand lab … Continue Reading
May 24, 2021
Van Hollen, Schatz Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Census and Ensure Any Future Proposed Changes Are Studied and Tested
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) in reintroducing the Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy (Census IDEA) Act, legislation that would protect the accuracy of future censuses and ensure any proposed changes to the count are properly studied, researched, and tested.Under the last administration, then-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross proposed a new addition to the census that would have likely influenced the accuracy of the survey. Without proper … Continue Reading
May 21, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Applaud Deployment of Peace Corps Volunteers to Maryland to Bolster COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) applauded the Federal Emergency Manage Agency’s (FEMA) announcement that 65 Peace Corps Response volunteers will be deployed to Maryland to help with COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The volunteers, who will serve three-month assignments, will be organized by FEMA in mobile teams focusing on urgent needs and engaging in logistics, outreach, education, and language support for under-served communities across the state, removing barriers to … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Seek Clarity to Ensure Agencies are Fully Implementing Biden Executive Order Restoring Federal Employees’ Collective Bargaining Rights
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) sent a letter to Kathleen McGettigan, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regarding President Biden’s directive in an Executive Order to expand obligations for federal agencies to bargain with unions representing their workforce. The Senators’ letter requests clarity on this provision in response to concerns they’ve received from constituents who were refused the opportunity to bargain over a new … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin Call for Increased Federal Investments in HBCUs
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin joined Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) in a bipartisan effort calling for increased support for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the upcoming spending bill. In the bipartisan letter, which was also signed by 20 of their colleagues, the lawmakers stressed the importance of investing in the nation’s HBCUs to our economy—highlighting data that illustrates how HBCUs generate more than $14 … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Van Hollen, Warner, Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Work With States to Prioritize Foster Youth Outcomes in Covid-19 Recovery Efforts
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and a group of 11 colleagues in urging the Biden administration to work with states, tribes, and territories to prioritize young people in the foster care system, who have been particularly afflicted by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. In a letter to the Administration for Children and Families at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the senators stressed the disparate outcomes faced by young … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Van Hollen, Schatz, Foster, Bennet, Introduce Legislation to Repeal Debt Ceiling
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-Ill.) introduced legislation to repeal the national debt ceiling, an arbitrary limit set by Congress on the amount of funding that the United States Treasury may borrow.“When partisan politics raises the specter of defaulting on Treasury bonds, the United States needlessly jeopardizes our financial standing and credibility across the globe. The debt limit does … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Van Hollen, Welch Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Cut Energy Costs for Homeowners, Invest in Clean Energy Jobs & Technology
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.), along with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Representative David McKinley (R-W.Va.) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to help homeowners retrofit their homes to cut their monthly energy costs, stimulate the energy efficiency market for jobs and suppliers, invest in workforce training for this crucial industry, and combat the climate crisis by promoting clean, … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Van Hollen, Blunt Announce Inclusion of National SEAL Act in Broader China Competition Bill
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) announced the inclusion of their bipartisan proposal to ensure U.S. leadership in discovery and innovation and to strengthen the United States’ competitive edge against China and across the global economy within the Endless Frontier Act. Their original legislation, the National Strategy to Ensure American Leadership (SEAL) Act, called on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to identify the top emerging … Continue Reading
May 19, 2021
Van Hollen Joins Shaheen, Ernst in Bipartisan Letter to President in Support of Afghan SIV Program
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committe, joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and a group of Senate Colleagues in expressing a widespread support in the Senate for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for Afghans, and to urge continued support from the administration to uphold the integrity of the program. The SIV program is the only path to ensuring the safety of Afghan allies that aided U.S. service members … Continue Reading
May 19, 2021
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Nearly $55.4 Million in American Rescue Plan Funding to Expand Mental Health Services and Combat the Opioid Epidemic
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 nearly $55.4 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan to expand access to mental health services and substance use disorder treatment programs across the state. There has been an 18.7% increase in unintentional overdoses, with opioid detection in 90% of cases, in Maryland. This is … Continue Reading
May 19, 2021
Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Senate Colleagues Call on FDA to Set Limits on PFAS in Bottled Water
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined a bipartisan group of 11 senators calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set standards on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in bottled water to ensure bottled water products are safe for drinking. PFAS are pervasive and persistent chemicals that accumulate in people’s bodies over time, and exposure to these chemicals has been linked to cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and other serious health … Continue Reading
May 19, 2021
Van Hollen and Toomey Statement on Treasury’s Hong Kong Sanctions Report
U.S. Senate Banking Committee Members Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) issued the following statement in response to the Department of Treasury’s report pursuant to Van Hollen’s and Toomey's Hong Kong Autonomy Act: “The Hong Kong Autonomy Act mandates secondary sanctions on banks that service individuals and entities responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s freedom and autonomy. Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing crackdown, and the State Department … Continue Reading
May 18, 2021
Van Hollen, Schatz, Booker Introduce Bill to Harden Our Infrastructure Against Impacts of Climate Change
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced their Federal Flood Risk Management Act, legislation to ensure that federally-funded infrastructure projects are built to withstand the impacts of climate change and flooding.Understanding the dangerous and costly consequences of flooding, the Obama Administration set standards in 2015 to make sure that federal projects were able to stand up to these risks. The order also took into … Continue Reading
