Press Releases
Van Hollen, Members of Congress Demand Bank Regulators Strengthen, Not Weaken the Community Reinvestment Act
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, along with 28 members of Congress sent a letter to the heads of the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC demanding that the three banking agencies not issue a proposed rule unless it has the support of the community development and civil rights groups that represent the communities the Community Reinvestment Act was designed to serve. "Policies that restrict access to credit and banking, such as those that result in redlining, have perpetuated a long legacy of … Continue Reading
October 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer Announce over $1 Million to Prevent Opioid Abuse in Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced $1,099,865 in federal funding for the University of Maryland, College Park for their Strengthening the Capacity of Rural Maryland to Address Opioid Misuse project. The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), will go toward preventing opioid misuse in rural Maryland. This project aims to increase the number of trained … Continue Reading
October 07, 2019
Van Hollen, Congressional Leaders File Bipartisan Amicus Brief in Support of DACA in the Supreme Court
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (Both D-Md.), together with 49 senators and 123 U.S. Representatives and former lawmakers have filed a bipartisan amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on DACA on November 12, 2019. President Trump terminated the DACA program on September 5, 2017, throwing the lives of nearly 800,000 Dreamers into chaos. "Dreamers were brought to America as … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Senate Colleagues Urge HHS to Act to Stop Youth E-cigarette Epidemic
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a group of 12 senators to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take long overdue steps to stop the youth e-cigarette epidemic. In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the Senators called on HHS to “advance policies to help prevent more adolescents from getting hooked on e-cigarettes, and prioritize solutions to help America’s youth quit e-cigarettes, by expediting and focusing on the development of effective cessation … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Urge Trump Administration To Protect Health Coverage For People With Preexisting Conditions
Letter requests HHS and CMS to limit push of "junk" health insurance plans that cover less and cost more U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-MD) joined Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and 37 others in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to protect individuals with preexisting conditions by limiting the proliferation of "junk plans" - short-term insurance plans that can exclude coverage for … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce $1 Million for Frederick Community College Emergency Management Training
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $1,000,000 in federal funding for the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management and Public Safety at Frederick Community College in Frederick, Md. The funds were awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Homeland Security National Training Program/Continuing Training Grants, which supports training to prepare communities to prevent, respond to, and recover from hazardous … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, Brown Announce more than $8.5 Million for Anne Arundel County Firefighters
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) are applauding the recent award of more than $8,549,000 in federal funds for Anne Arundel County through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. These funds will enable the county to hire additional career firefighters. Odenton … Continue Reading
October 03, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Press Hogan on Census Concerns
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) sent a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to press for an update on the status of Maryland's census preparations. The letter underlines a number of concerns the Senators have regarding Maryland's preparedness to ensure that all residents are counted. The Senators begin, "We are writing to request an update on the status of Maryland's plans to achieve a complete count in the 2020 census. As you know, the census is a … Continue Reading
October 03, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce Nearly $1 Million for Garrett County First Responders
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $996,348 in federal funding for Garrett County and the Bittinger Volunteer Fire Department to purchase new equipment. The funding, awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, includes: $89,286 for the Bittinger Volunteer Fire Department to purchase 15 Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) units and 15 spare air cylinders. … Continue Reading
October 02, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Hail $150,000 Federal Grant for Forest Industry to Support Economic Development Across Maryland
Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) hailed the announcement of a $150,000 federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to the Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Council. The grant would support the development of the Forestry Economic Strategy, an action plan for countering the economic impact of mill closures across the state of Maryland including the closure of Verso's mill in Luke, Maryland earlier this … Continue Reading
October 02, 2019
Van Hollen, Hoyer, Brown Announce more than $1.1 Million for Prince George’s County Firefighters
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) today announced more than $1.1 million in federal funds for Prince George's County firefighters through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. The West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department will receive $625,450 and the Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue … Continue Reading
October 02, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer Announce more than $8 Million for Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative Steny Hoyer (all D-Md.) applaud the recent award of more than $8 million in federal funding for a significant expansion of the Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA). These federal funds will support the construction of 6,000 pre-placed crypts, 500 standard burial plots, roads, irrigation, landscaping, and supporting infrastructure. "We owe a deep … Continue Reading
October 01, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce $1.5 Million for National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Emmitsburg
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced $1.5 million in federal funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) in Emmitsburg through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fire Prevention & Safety Grants program. The NFFF will use this funding to support a study on firefighter safety. "Firefighters put their lives on the line every day, and they deserve not only our … Continue Reading
October 01, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Raskin Announce more than $270,000 for Firefighter Staffing in Westminster
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative Jaime Raskin (all D-Md.) today announced $273,670 in federal funds through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. 1 will use the funding to improve recruitment of new firefighters and retention of existing members. "The men and women of the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose … Continue Reading
September 30, 2019
Van Hollen, Democratic Senators Urge Greater Transparency in Tax Disclosures
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led a letter signed by 12 of his colleagues to Russell Golden, Chair of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), urging the Board to require companies to publicly disclose their income, assets, number of employees, and taxes paid on a country-by-country basis. FASB's current proposal does not require companies to break down their foreign taxes on a country-by-country basis, providing insufficient insight into the company's foreign operations … Continue Reading
September 27, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Hail $945 Million in Funding from NIH to Tackle the National Opioid Crisis
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative David Trone (All D-Md.) hailed the announcement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award $945 million to reverse the opioid crisis through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative. The funds include a $6,354,906 grant for Gaithersburg-based company Emergent BioSolutions to develop a long-acting injectable treatment of opioid use disorder. The HEAL Initiative provided funding … Continue Reading
September 27, 2019
Van Hollen, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Resources for Chesapeake Bay Conservation
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) introduced legislation to provide more resources to Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts. The Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (Chesapeake WILD) Act will create a new grant program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support habitat restoration in the Bay region. It is modeled after the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act, which is funded at $5 million annually, and would provide … Continue Reading
September 27, 2019
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Nearly $600,000 for Conowingo Dam Plan Implementation through the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announce the award of more than $599,000 in competitive funding for grantees to carry out planning, financing strategy, and monitoring projects for Conowingo Dam reservoir through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP). These resources will help develop a roadmap to address the reservoir's reduced capacity, which has resulted in increased pollutants making their way through the Susquehanna and into … Continue Reading
September 27, 2019
Van Hollen, Senators Oppose Cruel and Devastating Cuts to Refugee Admissions
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined a group of Senators in opposing the Trump Administration's reported plans to slash the U.S.'s refugee cap to admit only 18,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2020-a cap which, if not reversed, would represent the lowest level of refugee admittances in American history. Denying admittance to refugees beyond this cap could put tens of thousands of lives at risk, lead to greater instability, and detract from U.S. global influence. Van Hollen was joined … Continue Reading
September 26, 2019
Van Hollen Secures Appropriations Measure Prohibiting US Visas for Foreign Officials of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt Responsible for Wrongful Detention of Americans
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee passed his amendment to deny U.S. visas to foreign officials from the governments of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt who are determined to be responsible for the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals abroad and locally employed staff at American diplomatic missions. The Senator's amendment comes in response to the continued wrongful detentions of Americans and locally employed staff in … Continue Reading
