Press Releases
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $180,953 to Barton Hose Company to Purchase New Fire Engine
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.)have announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under the Department of Homeland Security, has awarded a $180,953 grant to the Barton Hose Company in Barton, Allegany County. The grant will be used to purchase a new vehicle designed for fighting brush, grass and forest fires. The vehicle's unique setup will allow firefighters to drive and pump water simultaneously. The Department is responsible for covering a large portion of … Continue Reading
August 01, 2017
Van Hollen Introduces Bill to Stop Wage Theft, Boost Workers’ Financial Security
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Al Franken (D-MN), as well as U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Bobby Scott (D-VA), to introduce the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act. The legislation cracks down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. This bill would give workers the right to receive full compensation for all of the work they perform, as well as the right to receive regular paystubs … Continue Reading
August 01, 2017
Van Hollen, Banking Dems Demands Answers from Wells Fargo on Latest Auto Insurance Fraud Scandal
Following a request from Democratic members of the Senate Banking Committee for a September hearing with Wells Fargo leaders, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen today sent a letter to the bank's CEO Tim Sloan and Board of Directors Chairman Stephen Sanger, demanding responses to specific questions regarding reports the bank engaged in another scandal to rip off its customers - charging hundreds of thousands of auto loan customers for insurance they did not need, authorize, and that many were not … Continue Reading
August 01, 2017
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Send Letter to President Trump & Senate GOP Leaders Urging Open & Bipartisan Process to Modernize Tax System to Prioritize Working Families
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined Senate Democrats in sending a letter to President Trump, Leader McConnell, and Chairman Hatch, urging Republicans to come to the table and work with Democrats in a bipartisan way on the Senate's next critical item - tax reform. Senator Van Hollen and 44 Senate Democrats laid out their three main tenants ahead of any negotiations, and said they hope to work with the GOP to craft legislation that prioritizes working families over the wealthiest few and … Continue Reading
August 01, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $2.35 Million for Assateague State Park Restoration
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has been awarded $2,353,373 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund repairs to sand dunes, campgrounds, and roads in Assateague Beach State Park. Repairs will focus on areas damaged or destroyed in the severe winter storm that impacted Maryland on January 22 and 23, 2016. "Assateague Beach State Park is one of the many natural treasures that draw tourists … Continue Reading
August 01, 2017
Van Hollen, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Ensure a Better Deal for Seniors on Prescription Drug Costs
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in introducing legislation to unleash the bargaining power of seniors for a better deal on prescription drug costs. The legislation would allow for Medicare to negotiate the best possible price of prescription drugs to cut costs for nearly 41 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies and bans Medicare from doing so. "Seniors in Maryland and … Continue Reading
July 31, 2017
Van Hollen Introduces Bill to Stop Wage Theft, Boost Workers’ Financial Security
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Al Franken (D-MN), as well as U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Bobby Scott (D-VA), to introduce the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act. The legislation cracks down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. This bill would give workers the right to receive full compensation for all of the work they perform, as well as the right to receive regular paystubs … Continue Reading
July 31, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $338,292 for Maryland Opioid Surveillance System Improvement Program
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $338,292 to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to establish the Maryland Opioid Surveillance System Improvement Program. The program will address the rising rate of opioid-related overdoses, with a specific focus on heroin and synthetic opioids such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The Maryland DHMH will establish an early … Continue Reading
July 28, 2017
Van Hollen Urges Senate Leadership to Protect Federal Employee Retirement Benefits
Today United States Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a group of Senators in calling on Senate leadership to protect federal employee retirement benefits from further cuts, as proposed by the Trump Administration's FY 18 budget request. The President's proposal calls for $149 billion in cuts from federal employees and retirees, including a raise in Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) contributions from employees and the reduction or elimination of cost-of-living-adjustments. Nearly … Continue Reading
July 27, 2017
Van Hollen Fights for Maryland in Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted to support the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. It will provide funding for transportation infrastructure development, housing assistance, and community development. "This legislation invests in our national infrastructure, affordable housing for families and seniors, and programs that strengthen our economy and help people … Continue Reading
July 27, 2017
Van Hollen Urges Senate Leadership to Protect Federal Employee Retirement Benefits
Today United States Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a group of Senators in calling on Senate leadership to protect federal employee retirement benefits from further cuts, as proposed by the Trump Administration's FY 18 budget request. The President's proposal calls for $149 billion in cuts from federal employees and retirees, including a raise in Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) contributions from employees and the reduction or elimination of cost-of-living-adjustments. Nearly … Continue Reading
July 27, 2017
Van Hollen, Senators Send Bipartisan Letter Urging Secretary Mattis Not To Implement Transgender Ban
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)joined Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to Secretaryof Defense JamesN. Mattis, urging him to advise the President against implementing the announcement he made via Twitter Wednesday that transgender Americans can no longer serve in the military. This announcement contradicts existing Defense Department policies, undermines our military readiness, … Continue Reading
July 27, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on the Latest Republican Health Care Proposal
Van Hollen Statement on the Latest Republican Health Care Proposal Washington, DC - Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on the latest Republican health care proposal: "We may have started this debate with Republicans refusing to say what their final health care legislation would be, but the result remains the same. Every proposal offered by our Republican colleagues - all of which were hammered out in secret - will result in millions of people losing their … Continue Reading
July 26, 2017
Van Hollen Calls on Federal Reserve to Investigate Deutsche Bank’s Conflicts of Interest with Trump
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Banking Committee, today wrote to Janet Yellen, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and William Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is asking that the Federal Reserve investigate Deutsche Bank and the possible conflicts of interest it faces with the outstanding loans to President Trump and his family. The concern is that President Trump may have undue influence … Continue Reading
July 26, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Support of the Countering America’s Adversaries Act
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record in support ofthe Countering America's Adversaries Act: "Mr. President, I am strong supporter of H.R. 3364, the Countering America's Adversaries Act, which sanctions Russia, Iran, and North Korea. I call on President Trump to sign this package into law, without delay. "This Act imposes tough sanctions Russia for its interference in our elections, its attempts to undermine faith in the democratic … Continue Reading
July 26, 2017
Van Hollen, Democratic Senators Call On President Trump To Protect Dreamers
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and 41 of his Democratic Senate colleagues asked President Donald Trump to use his executive authority to the greatest extent possible to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary relief from deportation to immigrant students who arrived in the United States as children if they register with the government, pay a fee, and pass criminal and national-security background checks. Texas Attorney General Ken … Continue Reading
July 26, 2017
Van Hollen Fights for Maryland in Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted to support the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. It will invest in national security, law enforcement, and American scientific innovation. It also provides funding for three agencies with a major presence in Maryland: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Oceanic … Continue Reading
July 25, 2017
Van Hollen, Senators Call for Reopening of U.S. Poultry Exports to China
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a bipartisan group of 36 senators in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to push the Chinese government to end its ban on the sale of American poultry products. The ban was instituted by China in 2015 due to the detection of a wild duck with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influence and continues to be enforced today, in contradiction of World Health Organization for Animal Health standards. "Poultry is produced in almost every state. For … Continue Reading
July 25, 2017
Van Hollen: Republicans Just Lit the Fuse to Blow Up Our Health Care System
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on Senate Republicans voting to begin debate on repealing the Affordable Care Act: "Senate Republicans just embarked on a very dangerous journey. If we don't stop them, the end of this journey will do incredible damage and harm to our health care system. What they've done is light the fuse, and now we need to make sure that the fire doesn't travel down and blow up the health care system - denying health care to tens of … Continue Reading
July 24, 2017
Van Hollen, Toomey Encourage Adoption of BRINK Act
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), members of the Senate Banking Committee, released the following statement on the importance of including secondary sanctions: "Our response to North Korea's recent ICBM test must be bold, decisive, and comprehensive. The Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act falls short of the aggressive sanctions needed to sever North Korea's ties to the international financial system and create the leverage necessary for successful nuclear … Continue Reading
