Press Releases
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
June 09, 2020
Senators Van Hollen and Cardin, Rep. Trone Announce $200,000 in Federal Funding for Allegany County Makerspace
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and U.S. Representative David Trone (all D-Md.) announced the award of $200,000 for the Western Maryland Works (WMW) Allegany County Makerspace from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). In September, Van Hollen, Cardin, and Trone announced the initial $395,000 award to create the WMW Allegany County Makerspace.These new funds will allow the Board of Commissioners of Allegany County and the Allegany College of Maryland to equip and … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez Request in Bicameral Letter Investigation into HUD’s Policy Changes to Deny DACA Recipients FHA-Backed Mortgage Loans
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) along with U.S. Representatives Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-51) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.-31), sent a bicameral letter 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 for … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Cortez Masto Introduce Legislation to Protect Consumers Holding Corporations Accountable in the Courts
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the End Double Taxation of Successful Consumer Claims Act to protect American consumers’ right to sue corporations for fraud. The legislation will help ensure that consumers who win fraud causes are not liable for taxes on funds awarded to their attorney. In addition to Senators Van Hollen and Cortez Masto, this legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Kaine, Gillibrand Call on Senate Leadership to Support Digital News Outlets
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) sent a letter urging Senate leadership to include support for digital-native news outlets in future COVID-19 response legislation. During this pandemic, these outlets have provided information to Americans on health and safety measures and reopening protocols in communities across the country. Digital-native outlets rely primarily on advertising revenue, yet the pandemic has caused a severe drop in this … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez, Senators Blast USAID Head for Attacking Sexual and Reproductive Health Provisions in UN’s COVID-19 Response Plan
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and a group of leading Democratic Senators in condemning the Trump Administration’s demand for the United Nations to remove all references to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) from the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for COVID-19.Citing a May 18, 2020 letter from United States Agency for International Development Acting Administrator John Barsa to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Senators … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Van Hollen Joins Booker, Harris in Introducing Justice in Policing Act
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Representative Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, in addition to members of Senate, House, and Congressional Black Caucus leadership in introducing the Justice in Policing Act. This legislation aims to end police brutality, hold police accountable, improve transparency in policing and create meaningful, structural change that safeguards every … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Van Hollen, Wyden, Foster Warn Against Trump Administration Resuming Explosive Nuclear Testing
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., joined Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Bill Foster, D-Ill., today led a bicameral group of 80 other colleagues in urging Donald Trump not to resume explosive nuclear testing after a 28-year hiatus. This letter comes in response to reports indicating the administration is considering taking this step. In a letter to Donald Trump, the legislators wrote, “We are deeply concerned by recent reports that you are considering a resumption of … Continue Reading
June 05, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Nearly $35 Million in COVID-19 Relief for Marylanders Experiencing Homelessness
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 $34,985,870 in COVID-19 relief through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV) for jurisdictions in Maryland. These funds will be used to address the impact of COVID-19 among individuals … Continue Reading
June 05, 2020
Senators Van Hollen and Cardin, Rep. Harris Announce $1.6 Million to Support University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Center of Excellence
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representative Andy Harris (all Md.) announced $1.6 million in federal funding to support the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s (UMES) Center of Excellence for International Engagement and Development (CEIED). CEIED aims to meet the challenges of globalization through skills training at home and abroad, international trade and development, and research and education.“UMES plays a vital role in educating, training, and developing a … Continue Reading
June 05, 2020
Van Hollen, Stabenow, Wicker Push in Bipartisan Letter for Community Health Center Funding to Help American Families
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), along with 38 of their colleagues, urged Congress to support community health centers that provide Americans with critical health care, including testing and treatment of COVID-19. “We write to express our support for additional emergency funding for community health centers in the next COVID-19 relief package. Community health centers are vital to our response to the coronavirus pandemic and need … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Van Hollen Urges Senate Action on Bipartisan Legislation Sanctioning China for Interference in Hong Kong’s Autonomy
In today’s Senate Banking Committee Hearing, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) spoke on the need for swift congressional action on his and Senator Toomey’s Hong Kong Autonomy Act, bipartisan legislation to sanction individuals, firms, and banks eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy. During the hearing, which was held on the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Senator also underscored how the President’s recent actions against peaceful American protestors has undermined our … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Members of Maryland Congressional Delegation Announce More Than $600,000 to Expand Telehealth Services in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, John P. Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced $618,628 to expand telehealth services for residents in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.Funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It will be delivered to CCI Health and Wellness Services in Silver Spring to ensure the continuation of high-quality primary, pediatric, and … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Van Hollen Leads Democratic Senators in Demand for Details, Cost of Staging Active Duty Troops in the National Capital Region
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) led a letter demanding answers from Defense Secretary Mark Esper about this week’s haphazard decision-making around the transfer of 1,600 active duty troops to the National Capital Region. The Senators begin, “Earlier this week, the country watched in horror as U.S. military personnel and federal … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Democratic Senators Urge DeVos to Rescind Harmful Title IX Rule and Focus on Student Safety
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.), joined 34 Democratic senators in slamming Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ final Title IX rule, which will weaken protections for student survivors of sexual harassment and assault. In a letter to Secretary DeVos, the senators stressed that it was inappropriate to ask schools to implement this new rule within 100 days amid the COVID-19 crisis and urged her to rescind the rule and focus on school safety—whether the threat is sexual … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Van Hollen Presses FBI for National Law Enforcement Use-of-Force Data
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Christopher Wray seeking data on the national use of force by law enforcement officials. The Senator originally requested this data from the FBI following a hearing last year in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science. The FBI has still not responded to the Senator’s questions, despite the Committee’s repeated attempts to follow up for responses to these … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Van Hollen, Markey, Colleagues Announce Legislation to Prohibit Restart of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing
Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) announced introduction of the Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives Testing (PLANET) Act, which would prevent the Trump administration from restarting explosive nuclear weapons testing by restricting funds for fiscal year 2021 and all previous years from being used for such a purpose. The Washington Post recently reported that senior Trump administration officials advocated for a demonstration nuclear test in an effort … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Calls for Comprehensive Review of State’s June 2 Primary Elections
Members of the Maryland Congressional Delegation, including Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.), issued the following statement today after Maryland’s June 2 primary election, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests against police brutality and racial inequality:“The primary election in Maryland on Tuesday was conducted … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Senate Passage of PPP Fixes
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on the Senate passage of legislation to make important fixes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).“As our economy reopens, many of our small businesses and nonprofits are still barely hanging on. They need help they can use - and they need it now. But many have struggled to use the relief that the PPP was originally intended to provide. These fixes are crucial to making relief funds more accessible and workable … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Van Hollen, Leahy Introduce Legislation to Defend Congress’s Power of the Purse
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and others introduced the Congressional Power of the Purse Act, legislation to increase fiscal transparency, protect Congress’s central role in spending decisions, and increase enforcement of budget laws. A one-pager on the legislation is available here, and bill text is available here. “The Trump Administration has blatantly disregarded the Constitution - and with it, Congress’s power of the purse. This legislation would … Continue Reading
