Press Releases
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
May 18, 2021
Federal and Local Lawmakers in Baltimore Join Forces to Demand Equitable Infrastructure Investments and End Shameful Legacy of Highway to Nowhere
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin gathered with Representatives Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.), Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, and local leaders to discuss the Reconnecting Communities Act, a bill to reform outdated and inequitable infrastructure, like Baltimore’s Highway to Nowhere, and help end the legacy of highway construction projects that divide neighborhoods and undermine economic opportunity. The lawmakers also discussed the American … Continue Reading
May 17, 2021
Federal and Local Lawmakers in Baltimore Join Forces to Demand Equitable Infrastructure Investments and End Shameful Legacy of Highway to Nowhere
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin gathered with Representatives Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.), Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, and local leaders to discuss the Reconnecting Communities Act, a bill to reform outdated and inequitable infrastructure, like Baltimore’s Highway to Nowhere, and help end the legacy of highway construction projects that divide neighborhoods and undermine economic opportunity. The lawmakers also discussed the American … Continue Reading
May 17, 2021
Van Hollen, Murkowski, Foster, Young Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Spur Innovation through National Network of Fab Labs
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-Ill.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) reintroduced the National Fab Lab Network Act, legislation to expand Fab Labs across the country. Fab Labs are facilities equipped with digitally-controlled tools - such as laser cutters, 3D printers, and automated knives - that provide training and enable individuals to create and innovate new products. To encourage the growth and expansion of new … Continue Reading
May 16, 2021
Van Hollen Joins Ossoff And Senate Colleagues In Urging Immediate Ceasefire in Middle East
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and a group of 27 Senate Colleagues in calling for an immediate ceasefire agreement in Israel and the Palestinian territories to prevent further loss of life and further escalation of violence.The letter is also signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono … Continue Reading
May 14, 2021
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Nearly $22.9 Million to Upgrade Airports Statewide
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen John Sarbanes, Andy Harris, M.D. and David Trone (all Md.) today announced $22,857,386 in federal funding to expand and renovate airports across Maryland.“Maryland’s airports are essential hubs for our economy, tourism and public safety,” the lawmakers said. “This new federal funding will upgrade airport facilities and runways, create and maintain jobs and ensure that day-to-day operations continue to run safely and … Continue Reading
May 14, 2021
Van Hollen, Sasse Announce Inclusion of their Bipartisan Proposal to Curb IP Theft in Banking Amendment to China Competition Bill
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) announced the inclusion of their bipartisan Protecting American Intellectual Property Act - legislation to mandate strong economic penalties on firms and individuals involved in stealing American intellectual property - within the Banking Committee’s Meeting the China Challenge Act of 2021. Committee leadership has announced they will work to include this amendment in the China competition bill, the Endless Frontier Act, … Continue Reading
May 12, 2021
Van Hollen Statement on Escalating Violence in Israel and Gaza
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza:“I am deeply concerned about the violence that has engulfed the Israeli and Palestinian people in recent days and the tragic loss of innocent life. This week, escalating tensions in Jerusalem erupted into a full-scale conflict.“I endorse Secretary of State Blinken’s call for the immediate de-escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas to protect the lives of … Continue Reading
May 12, 2021
Van Hollen, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Empower Nurses, Improve Patient Care on International Nurses Day
Today, on International Nurses Day, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), in reintroducing the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act. Nurses have been on the front lines of this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and they deserve more support to ensure they have dignity in the workplace and can put the safety of their patients … Continue Reading