Press Releases
Van Hollen, Senators Send Message to Big Tech: Close Your Gun-Shopping Loopholes
Despite policies banning their sales, gun accessory listings available on Google, Amazon and eBay in days following mass shootings U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined his Senate colleagues today in calling on the CEOs of Google, Amazon and eBay to close the gun shopping loopholes which, in the days following mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, reportedly allowed listings for the purchase of shotgun rounds, ammunition clips, assault weapon components and a drum magazine nearly … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Nearly $130,000 in USDA Rural Business Development Grants for the Eastern Shore
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced the recent award of nearly $130,000 in federal funds for jurisdictions on Maryland's Eastern Shore through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant (RDBG) Program. Grants are as follows: $30,000 to Kent County for the development of job training programs to equip adult students with marketable fiber optics and cyber security skills. The County will contribute an additional $17,581, … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Nearly $500,000 for Eastern Shore Airport Improvements
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced more than $488,000 in federal funds for two airports on Maryland's Eastern Shore through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Both grants fund phases of tree obstruction removal projects. Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB) will receive more than $173,500 to acquire land for that purpose, while Cambridge-Dorchester Regional Airport (CGE) will receive more than $315,000 for … Continue Reading
August 08, 2019
Van Hollen, Democratic Senators Urge Trump Administration to Reject $100 Billion Tax Cut for Wealthy
Democratic Senators warn against unilateral action to cut capital gains taxes Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined the Senate Democrats in urging Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin against unilaterally cutting capital gains taxes for the wealthiest Americans by an additional $100 billion over 10 years, an illegal action that would defy longstanding Justice Department policy. The request follows a letter signed by 21 Republican senators urging Secretary Mnuchin to circumvent … Continue Reading
August 08, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Sarbanes Announce Nearly $10 Million for BWI Airport
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) today announced $9.94 million in federal funds for the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These funds will be used to reconstruct a portion of Taxiway Z which has reached the end of its useful life. "BWI is a huge asset to our state and our nation. So much of our region's commerce … Continue Reading
August 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Brown, and Raskin Announce $296,041 for Partnership to Train STEM Educators
Funding Will Support Joint UMD-College Park, Montgomery College, Prince George's Community College Effort U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Steny Hoyer, Anthony Brown, and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) issued the following statement announcing $296,041 in funding for a collaborative project between the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park, Montgomery College, and Prince George's Community College from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The joint project … Continue Reading
August 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Join Letter to EPA: Reverse Course and Ban Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos Now
Senators cite EPA's own studies that found chlorpyrifos harms children's brains and poses a serious threat to farmworkers even with protective equipment and engineering controls U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined Senate colleagues in calling on EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to ban chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide linked to brain damage in children and known to cause serious harm to human health. The letter comes in response to a recent EPA decision to reject a … Continue Reading
August 06, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Raise Concerns about Eliminating Refugee Cap
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) along with Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Thune (R-SD), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Rob Portman (R-OH), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote a bipartisan letter to the administration to express concern … Continue Reading
August 06, 2019
Van Hollen Secures Maryland Priorities in Infrastructure Package Passed by Key Senate Committee
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has announced the inclusion of several Maryland priorities within the bipartisan America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019. This legislation, which passed the key Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week, is the most significant investment in America's highways introduced in history. The bill authorizes $287 billion in federal funding over five years, including $259 … Continue Reading
August 05, 2019
Van Hollen, Warren, Pressley, García Applaud Fed Decision on Faster Payments
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.) applauded the Federal Reserve's decision to move forward on building a real-time payments system. Currently, Americans lose billions of dollars each year in overdraft fees, driving consumers to turn to more costly financial products because of our inefficient payments system. Taxpayers deserve a public utility that allows them … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $1.9 Million for Community College of Baltimore County
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) issued the following statement announcing $1.9 million in federal funding for Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) from the U.S. Department of Labor's Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grant program. This funding will go towards the training of CCBC students in healthcare-related apprenticeship programs in conjunction with other … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Announces $1.1 Million for Canton Railroad Company
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) issued the following statement announcing $1.1 million in federal funding for the Canton Railroad Company from the Department of Transportation (DOT). These funds will go towards the Canton Railroad Company's Switch Replacement Project which will benefit the surrounding communities by bringing about safer and more reliable freight rail service. The Canton … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Urge VA Secretary to End Anti-worker, Anti-union Negotiation Tactics
VA has Gone around Workers & Employed Delay Tactics; Brown Says Failing to Negotiate in Good Faith Threatens Quality of VA Services Provided to Veterans U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today joined a group of his Democratic colleagues urging Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to abandon the Department's current destructive approach to ongoing negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Despite VA and AFGE's history of engaging … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Van Hollen, Democrats Request Data from Trump Administration on Consequences of Texas V. United States Prevailing
Letter to Azar, Mnuchin Stresses Risk in Upending Health Care System, Need to Understand Ramifications if Obamacare is Gutted U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md, on Thursday joined a group of Senators in requesting data from the Trump administration to help states and Congress better understand the potential consequences if the Texas v. United States Affordable Care Act (ACA) lawsuit prevails in courts. In a letter to U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Department … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Van Hollen Statement on Bipartisan Budget Agreement
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his support for the bipartisan budget agreement passed by the Senate today: "Today's bipartisan budget agreement will allow the Senate to get to work investing in the priorities of the American people. With this compromise, we can move forward on appropriating funds to the many crucial federal programs that serve our country - including those necessary to modernize our infrastructure, support education and … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Van Hollen, Young Introduce Legislation to Preserve Limits on Russia’s Strategic Nuclear Arsenal
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) have introduced bipartisan legislation urging the Trump Administration to maintain limits on Russia's strategic nuclear arms. The Senators' legislation calls for extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) until 2026, which would preserve crucial caps on Russia's nuclear capabilities, unless Russia violates the Treaty or until a sufficient new agreement is in place. The New START Treaty was signed in 2010, and has … Continue Reading
July 31, 2019
Van-Hollen, Velázquez Want Answers on TPS Immigration Program
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) have written to the Acting Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, expressing concerns with how the Administration is handling Temporary Protected Status (TPS) with regards to Guatemala, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Nicaragua has previously received the TPS designation, but the Administration has attempted to revoke it. Guatemala and Venezuela … Continue Reading
July 31, 2019
Senate Passes Van Hollen Bill to Authorize Honorary Promotion of Bethesda Veteran Charles McGee
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced the Senate passage of his legislation to authorize the honorary promotion of Colonel (Ret.) Charles E. McGee, United States Air Force to Brigadier General. Col. McGee, a resident of Bethesda, Md., served with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, completing 136 combat missions. He completed an additional 100 combat missions in the Korean Conflict and 173 combat missions in the Vietnam War, amassing a record three-war total of combat … Continue Reading
July 31, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Native Plant Species
Today, U.S Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and several of his Senate colleagues introduced legislation that would promote native plant use, research, and protection. The Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act would encourage federal land management agencies to hire botanists, establish a collaborative grant program to support efforts to keep rare plant species from becoming endangered and help endangered plant species recover, and proactively … Continue Reading
July 31, 2019
Van Hollen, Scott Introduce Landmark Legislation to Address Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Costs
We PAID Act Would Ensure Drugs Based on Taxpayer Funded Research are Fairly Priced Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced first-of-its-kind legislation to address skyrocketing prescription drug costs. The We PAID (Protect American Investment in Drugs) Act of 2019 will ensure that the prices of drugs developed using federally funded research (like NIH or CDC grants) are set at reasonable levels. Taxpayer-funded research plays a critical role in the … Continue Reading
