Press Releases
Van Hollen, Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Support Young Scientists By Preventing the Loss of Research Talent During & Beyond the Pandemic
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of their Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to support early-career researchers whose employment opportunities have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act would create a new postdoctoral fellowship program at the National Science Foundation (NSF), prioritizing researchers from underrepresented groups and Minority-Serving Institutions … Continue Reading
March 09, 2021
Van Hollen, Rounds, Lynch Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Provide Financial Security for Federal Infrastructure Projects
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Congressmen Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) reintroduced the Promoting Infrastructure by Protecting Our Subcontractors and Taxpayers Act of 2021. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure public-private partnership (P3) projects using Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) financing have appropriate payment and … Continue Reading
March 09, 2021
Van Hollen, Warren, Castro, Booker, and Colleagues Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Require COVID-19 Data Collection in Immigration Detention Facilities
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) reintroduced the bicameral COVID-19 in Immigration Detention Data Transparency Act, which would require immigration-detention facilities to collect and publicly report data about COVID-19 cases, vaccine distribution, and the preventative measures in place in these facilities.COVID-19 presents serious risks to individuals in group settings, including in immigration … Continue Reading
March 09, 2021
Van Hollen Statement on Interior Action to Rescind Dangerous Trump-era Migratory Bird Policy Legal Opinion
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement applauding the Biden Administration’s decision to rescind the Trump Administration’s Department of Interior (DOI) legal opinion weakening the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The legal opinion undermined a longstanding interpretation of the MBTA that holds companies responsible for oil spills that kill migratory birds and had been previously vacated by the courts. The Biden Administration DOI also announced they … Continue Reading
March 09, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce $50,000 to Support Safe Housing for Women Recovering from Substance Use Disorder
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $50,000 in federal funding for Archway Station, Inc.’s Allegany Oxford House, which will serve as a safe housing option for women recovering from substance use disorder and their children. The funding will be used to renovate the Allegany Oxford House in Cumberland into apartment-style residences for those receiving treatment.“Safe, stable housing is a critical component of recovery from … Continue Reading
March 08, 2021
Van Hollen, Hassan, Murphy Secure Dedicated Funding to Support Students with Disabilities in COVID-19 Relief Package
Following a push from U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), the American Rescue Plan that the Senate passed Saturday includes specific funding to support students who experience disabilities.As part of the tens of billions of dollars for K-12 education, the package includes more than $2.5 billion in state grants to support K-12 students with disabilities, $200 million to support preschoolers with disabilities, and $250 million for infants and … Continue Reading
March 08, 2021
Van Hollen, Hassan Call for Improved Vaccine Access for Individuals with Disabilities
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), along with a number of their colleagues,have written to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights urging them to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process is accessible for individuals with disabilities.“In order to make sure that everyone in the United States is able to access these vaccines, we must attend to sectors of the population that have … Continue Reading
March 06, 2021
Van Hollen, Colleagues Applaud Senate Passage of More Than $7 Billion in Funding to Help Close the Digital Divide in Coronavirus Relief Package
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06) applauded inclusion of their legislation, the Emergency Educational Connections Act, and more than $7 billion in funding for the E-Rate (Education-Rate) program in the coronavirus rescue package that passed the Senate today. The lawmakers’ legislation funds elementary and secondary schools and libraries, including … Continue Reading
March 06, 2021
Van Hollen Statement on Senate Passage of the American Rescue Plan
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the Senate passage of the American Rescue Plan: “The American Rescue Plan provides an urgent lifeline to Marylanders facing the hardships brought on by COVID-19. This bold package will help us beat this virus by investing in crucial resources to deploy vaccines more quickly and equitably, support those hit hardest by the downturn in our economy, get kids back to school safely, and put us squarely on the … Continue Reading
March 05, 2021
Van Hollen, Colleagues Press CFPB to Prevent Tenant Screening Technologies from Hurting Renters of Color
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have sent a letter requesting information from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) about its oversight authority and regulatory history with regard to tenant screening technology companies, which approximately 90% of landlords use for reviewing income and employment history, eviction history, and criminal … Continue Reading
March 05, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin, Warner, Kaine Urge Biden Administration To Ensure That Seafood Processors Are Able To Hire The Seasonal Workforce They Need
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) and Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.) today urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to quickly make available the maximum number of Congressionally-authorized H-2B visas in order to ensure that seafood processors in Maryland and Virginia have the seasonal workforce they need ahead of the seasonal start date on April 1.“In the rural and remote coastal regions in our states, even in a time of high unemployment, … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Prince George’s County Congressional Delegation Announces $1.2 Million in Emergency Funding for COVID-19 Response
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) today announced $1.2 million in federal funding to strengthen Prince George’s County’s vaccination plan.“As Prince George’s County ramps up its COVID-19 vaccination levels, this new emergency federal funding will help ensure vaccine distribution is more efficient, easier to navigate, and reaches as many county residents as possible with the new COVID-19 Vaccine Management … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin, Senators Introduce “No Check, No Sale” Bill To Close The Charleston Loophole
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) introduced legislation with twenty-four of their Senate colleagues to close a current loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun. The gap in existing law has allowed thousands of gun sales to prohibited buyers, including the sale of the firearm used by the shooter in the deadly attack at Charleston’s Emanuel AME … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Van Hollen, Courtney Introduce Bicameral Bill to Halt Costly and Redundant Trump-Era Nuclear Program
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) introduced the Nuclear SLCM Ban Act, legislation to prohibit research and development, production, and deployment of the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (N-SLCM) and its associated nuclear warhead. This program, which was reinstated by President Trump after its initial withdrawal by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and retirement by President Obama in 2013, has been shown to be both redundant and … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Baltimore Delegation Announces More Than $420,000 for Critical COVID-19 Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $424,875 in federal funding for the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to research the lasting effects of COVID-19 on the brain.“There’s much we don’t know about the long-term effects of COVID-19. With this new round of federal funding, scientists and researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore will be able to better understand the impacts … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
Van Hollen on White House Meeting: It’s Time to Invest in a Quantum Leap Forward to Cure Cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Other Diseases that Plague American Families
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and a bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers to discuss the future of fighting cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases in the United States:“Even as we battle COVID-19, families are still facing the pain and loss that cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other devastating diseases leave in their wake. It’s time that we take a quantum leap forward … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce More Than $3.5 Million for Western Maryland Community Health Center
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (D-Md.) today announced $3,565,694 in federal funding to support Tri-State Community Health Center in Hancock, Md.“This new federal funding will help support frontline health workers in Western Maryland as they continue to fight COVID-19 and provide affordable, high-quality health care to residents. Community Health Centers, like the Tri-State Community Health Center, are critical partners in our efforts to beat this … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
Van Hollen, Cardin, Murphy, Senators Reintroduce Legislation to Require Universal Background Checks to Reduce Gun Violence
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and a number of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to all gun sales. Under current federal law, unlicensed or private sellers are not required to conduct a background check prior to transferring a firearm. Research indicates that, due to these exceptions, as many as a quarter of all gun sales in the United States may occur … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Van Hollen Statement in Support of Cecilia Rouse to Serve as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his vote to confirm Cecilia Rouse to serve as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors:“I strongly support the nomination of Cecilia Rouse to chair the Council of Economic Advisors. Dr. Rouse’s career has focused on strengthening labor markets for American workers, improving our education system, and addressing the structural inequities that stand in the way of making the economy work for all Americans. … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Van Hollen Statement in Support of Gina Raimondo to Serve as Commerce Secretary
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his vote to confirm Gina Raimondo to serve as Secretary of the Department of Commerce: “As Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo will take on challenges that directly affect my home state of Maryland, including fighting for an inclusive economy with shared prosperity that truly works for everyone. The struggles of low income and minority communities’ hardest-hit by the pandemic have shone a harsh light on … Continue Reading
