Press Releases
Van Hollen, Coons, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Significantly Expand National Service Programs to Respond to COVID-19
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced the introduction of legislation to expand national service programs as the country works to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would fund 750,000 national service … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Bipartisan Interim COVID-19 Relief Package
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement in response to the bipartisan agreement reached on the interim COVID-19 relief package:“As the coronavirus wreaks havoc on public health and our economy, it’s crucial that we act quickly to address challenges as they arise. While this interim measure falls short on many fronts, it is a major improvement over the shortsighted proposal initially offered by Leader Mitch McConnell. It not only replenishes both the … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez, Colleagues Call on Big Pharma to Prioritize Diversity in COVID-19 Clinical Trials
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), along with a group of their colleagues, in urging 15 pharmaceutical companies engaged in COVID-19 related work and their trade organization to prioritize diversity in any coronavirus vaccine or trial. Given the disproportionate impact of the outbreak on communities of color and other minority groups, the senators underscored the critical need for comprehensive demographic and racial data to ensure new treatments work … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Urge State, Retailers to Ensure SNAP Recipients Can Access Grocery Delivery and Pick-Up Services in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Jamie Raskin, Anthony G. Brown, and David Trone (all D-Md.) wrote a letter to Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Lourdes R. Padilla and the President of the Maryland Retailers Association (MRA) Cailey Locklair urging them to ensure Maryland Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients are able to access grocery delivery and pick-up … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Blumenthal, Colleagues Push for Urgent Workforce Development Investment
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with a group of their colleagues, wrote a letter pressing Senate leadership to include critical workforce development and career and technical education (CTE) funding in the next coronavirus relief bill.In their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators echoed the concerns of 38 labor and education advocacy groups calling for immediate … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Urge Trump, GM to Reopen White Marsh Plant to Manufacture Ventilators, Reduce National Shortage
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, John P. Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, and Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) sent letters to President Trump and General Motors (GM) Chairman and CEO Mary Barra urging them to reopen the GM plant in White Marsh, Maryland. In their letter, the Members stress that the plant should be reopened to help fulfill GM’s recent contract to produce thousands of ventilators under the Defense … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Senators to Trump: ‘Make clear that the enemy is not the Asian or Asian-American community, but rather a virus that endangers us all’
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with 24 of their Senate Democratic colleagues, in sounding the alarm about the increased harassment and violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to President Donald Trump, the Senators reiterated the responsibility … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Durbin, Warren, Colleagues Urge Senate to Protect Covid-19 Relief Funds From Predatory For-Profit College Industry
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with 14 of their Senate colleagues, today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), to explicitly direct any additional emergency funding specifically for institutions of higher education to public and private, nonprofit … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Brown, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Plan to Boost Contact Tracing, Testing Efforts
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and eight of their Senate colleagues in pushing the Trump administration to immediately craft, release, and implement a plan that includes robust testing for the coronavirus and expanded contact tracing. Contract tracing is a decades-old process used to limit the transmission of infectious diseases by identifying and contacting individuals who recently interacted with infected people, and … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration against Upending U.S. Relationship with WHO Amid Global Fight Against COVID-19
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and a group of Democratic senators in urging the Trump Administration to reconsider its treatment of the World Health Organization (WHO) during the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the senators raised concerns about the consequences of further withdrawing the United States from multilateral cooperation to confront the coronavirus pandemic. The letter … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $1.6 Million to Create Disaster Relief Jobs for Dislocated Workers in Maryland
The full Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today announced $1,665,000 in federal grants to help create temporary disaster relief jobs for laid off workers in Maryland. Funding comes through the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic … Continue Reading
April 18, 2020
Van Hollen, Warren, Schumer, Brown Urge Fed to Fix Rules That Block City, County Governments from Receiving DIRECT COVID-19 Relief
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) have sent a letter to Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell expressing serious concern with the arbitrary population thresholds used to determine eligibility for cities and counties to receive relief under the newly created Municipal Liquidity Facility program. The Senators urged Chairman Powell to expand eligibility for the program, which was authorized by the … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Ruppersberger, Pittman Announce $113 Million in Federal Funding to Re-Build Meade High
Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, today announced a $113.7 million federal grant to modernize and construct new facilities at Meade High School. Anne Arundel County is contributing $28.5 million in matching grant funding for a total investment of $142.2 million.The federal funding, provided by the Department of Defense’ Office of Economic Adjustment and awarded to the Anne Arundel … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces more than $45 Million in COVID-19 Relief for Child Care Centers
The full Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today announced $45,821,890 in funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Van Hollen Calls on Administration to Ensure Minority-Owned Small Businesses are Not Shut Out of Paycheck Protection Program Funding
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) as well as Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) in calling for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury Department to ensure that minority-owned businesses are not shut out of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The lawmakers also called for the Administration to amend guidance on PPP, to reaffirm lending institutions’ obligation to comply with fair … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Van Hollen, Manchin, Colleagues Press for Dedicated, Flexible State and Local Government Emergency Funding
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and 31 Senators in advocating for state, local, and tribal governments to receive dedicated, flexible funding in the next COVID-19 emergency funding package. While Maryland has received some funding for state and local governments to support their COVID-19 pandemic response, state and local governments need more flexible, dedicated funding in the next emergency funding package.The Senators said in part, “On behalf of … Continue Reading
April 16, 2020
Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Senators Press Navy for Answers About COVID-19 Outbreak & Sailors’ Safety as More Test Positive
With more than 600 USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT Sailors testing positive for COVID-19 and outbreaks on four aircraft carriers, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of 18 Senators in calling on the Navy to protect its personnel and to answer urgent questions about safety protocols in place to prevent further spread of the virus among others in its fleet. “[T]he Navy must reconsider its current assumption that servicemembers are at low-risk for serious … Continue Reading
April 16, 2020
Van Hollen Calls For Immediate Funding, Fixes to Small Business Relief Programs
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement calling for increased funding and legislative fixes to address the needs of small businesses impacted by the coronavirus:“Small businesses need relief and fast. I hear daily from local businesses across Maryland about roadblocks to loans and delays in receiving funds. That’s why we need to fix the problems with the Paycheck Protection Program now. Both the Congress and the Administration must immediately take … Continue Reading
April 16, 2020
Van Hollen, Raskin, Trone Press Administration for Urgent Fixes to PPP to Help Maryland Small Businesses
Today, U.S Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representatives Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, pressing them to immediately update guidance to address urgent concerns expressed to the Members by Maryland small business owners. As noted in their letter, small businesses continue to face serious challenges with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), including the disbursement and use of the PPP … Continue Reading
April 16, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Urge Governor to Address Rapidly Spreading COVID-19 Outbreak at State Prisons
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Jamie B. Raskin, Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, and David Trone (all D-Md.) sent a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, urging him to take steps to address the outbreak of COVID-19 within the State’s prisons. As the Members note, an outbreak within Maryland’s prison system threatens not only those incarcerated, but also corrections employees and the surrounding communities. … Continue Reading
