Press Releases
Van Hollen Presses Pai on Using E-Rate Funds to Connect Students to the Internet Amid Distance Learning
Today, during a Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government subcommittee Hearing, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) pressed Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on using the FCC's existing authority to connect millions of students to the internet so that they can participate in distance learning. A full transcript of the Senator’s exchange is below.SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.): Chairman Pai, welcome. I want to, first of all, thank you … Continue Reading
June 16, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Commends General Assembly Leaders for Examining Problems with June 2 Primary
The Maryland Congressional Delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today applauded Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) and Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones (D) for holding joint hearings about Maryland’s June 2 primary election. The hearings will examine the election’s shortcomings and outline steps … Continue Reading
June 15, 2020
Van Hollen, Hirono Call for DOJ Inspector General Investigation into Attorney General Barr’s Conduct in Suppressing Peaceful Protests around Lafayette Square on June 1
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with 19 Senate Democrats, requested that Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz open an investigation into the conduct of Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice in directing the use of force against peaceful protestors around Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020. The Senators also called on the Inspector General to probe the deployment of federal law enforcement to suppress protests … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Join Maryland Attorney General Frosh’s COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force
Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin, and David Trone have joined Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and the Maryland Access to Justice Commission in launching the COVID-19 Access to Justice Taskforce. “Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of George Floyd have shone a light on the racism and many … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Van Hollen Urges Senate Negotiators to Include COVID-19 Relief for Amtrak in Next Package
This week, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include Amtrak funding relief in any upcoming COVID-19 legislative package or emergency appropriations measure. Specifically, Van Hollen requested that they approve Amtrak’s supplemental FY21 funding request for an additional $1.475 billion. “The funds provided to Amtrak in the CARES Act were enough to cover Amtrak’s expenses through the end … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Senators Van Hollen and Cardin, Rep. Harris Announce More Than $50,000 to Expand Telehealth at Atlantic General Hospital
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and U.S. Representative Andy Harris, M.D., announced the award of $51,425 to expand telehealth services at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, Maryland. This award will allow Atlantic General to purchase a telehealth platform subscription and equipment to safely deliver health care, screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms, and connect patients with 45 additional primary and specialty providers. “Expanding telehealth services has been a … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Colleagues Urge Senate Leadership to Give Higher Education Students and Institutions Much-Needed Relief in Upcoming COVID-19 Legislation
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined colleagues in urging Senate leadership to include $47 billion in financial support for students and institutions of higher learning in the upcoming coronavirus relief package. "Higher education provides a ladder of economic opportunity to our nation’s students while also building a globally competitive workforce. Colleges and universities are also pillars of communities,” the senators wrote in their letter to Senate Majority … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Van Hollen, Warner, Colleagues Press for Expanded Access to Affordable Health Care in Any Upcoming COVID-19 Relief Bill
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Doug Jones (D-AL), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and 34 of their Senate colleagues urged House and Senate leaders to ensure that any upcoming COVID-19 relief bill include strong provisions to expand access to quality and affordable health care coverage in the wake of this public health crisis. In their letter, the Senators called for a bipartisan effort to increase the federal government’s share of Medicaid … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Nearly $2.4 Million in Federal Support for Renters and Homeowners Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic
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, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone today announced $2,377,692 in federal funding for Maryland renters and homeowners struggling with the economic impact of COVID-19.Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) FY20 Comprehensive Housing … Continue Reading
June 11, 2020
Van Hollen, Sasse Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Punish Companies, Individuals Who Steal U.S. Technology
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) introduced bipartisan legislation to mandate strong economic penalties on firms and individuals involved in stealing American intellectual property. The Senators’ legislation, the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, would require sanctions on individuals and firms found to engage in, benefit from, or enable the significant and serial theft of U.S. intellectual property. “For too long foreign companies - often … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Nearly $19 Million in New Federal Emergency Public Health Funding to Support UMMS’ Response to COVID-19
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, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today announced $18,711,424 in federal funds to help the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) cover the costs of responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Blumenthal, Colleagues Call on Appropriations Committee to Block Use of Military Against Peaceful Demonstrations
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) today urged the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to include protections in upcoming appropriations legislation that would put key limitations on the Trump administration’s ability to initiate military deployments under the Insurrection Act.The Senators are urging Congress to prohibit any use of taxpayer funds for … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Blumenthal, Colleagues Call on Appropriations Committee to Block Use of Military Against Peaceful Demonstrations
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) today urged the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to include protections in upcoming appropriations legislation that would put key limitations on the Trump administration’s ability to initiate military deployments under the Insurrection Act.The Senators are urging Congress to prohibit any use of taxpayer funds for … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $445,000 for Infrastructure Investments on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced $445,000 for improvements to water infrastructure on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. These federal funds are awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants. Through upgrades to water infrastructure facilities that are located within the floodplain and at risk during flooding events, this federal investment will support positive stormwater … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Van Hollen, Klobuchar, Brown Urge Department of Agriculture to Minimize Food Deserts and Support Programs to Help Americans Access Healthy, Affordable Food
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to express concerns about how a lack of access to healthy, affordable food is hurting low-income communities and communities of color during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To help address the disproportionate impact of the virus on these communities, the senators are urging Secretary Perdue to identify and prioritize programs at … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Baltimore Federal Delegation Members Announce More Than $2.3 Million for STEM Education
Today, members of Baltimore’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.), announced $2,360,998 in federal funding for Johns Hopkins University’s (JHU) Baltimore Online Algebra for High School Students in Technology program.The program partners JHU with Baltimore City Public Schools to help 9th- and 10th-grade students strengthen their algebra skills. Research shows algebra … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Van Hollen, Paul, Schatz Reintroduce the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced the bipartisan Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act (S. 3931) to establish limitations and create greater transparency on the federal transfer of surplus military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies. This prohibition only applies to offensive equipment and does not prohibit the transfer of defensive equipment, such as body armor. “Our police are meant to protect and … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Presses Hogan to Fix Unemployment Insurance System and Deliver Urgently Needed Economic Relief Due to Marylanders
The Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin, and David Trone are calling on Governor Larry Hogan to fix Maryland’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim system and improve delivery of critical financial insurance benefits to Marylanders still struggling during this public health emergency.“We have previously … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Brown Join Bicameral Request for an Investigation into HUD’s Policy Changes to Deny DACA Recipients FHA-Backed Mortgage Loans
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined a bicameral group of colleagues in requesting the Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to open an investigation into whether the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in its decision to change the agency’s policy to deny Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured loans to Deferred Action … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Duckworth Demand GAO Immediately Review Safety of Rubber Bullets Being Used on Peaceful Protesters
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) immediately conduct a review to examine the safety of rubber bullets being used during civil rights protests. The Senators' request comes on the heels of public reporting that indicates there have been serious injuries resulting from law enforcement’s use of these projectiles to control and disperse protests occurring across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death. … Continue Reading
