Press Releases
Van Hollen, Duckworth, Schumer Demand Opportunity to Review Any Relevant President’s Daily Briefs and Other Key NSC Materials Related to Reports on Russia’s Operation to Offer Bounties for Killing American Troops
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding information related to the intelligence that Russia has been covertly offering bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. servicemembers deployed to Afghanistan. The Senators are requesting that the Administration immediately make available any relevant President’s Daily Briefs and all related materials from National Security Council meetings. They are also calling for … Continue Reading
July 10, 2020
Van Hollen, Smith Urge Secretary Carson to Extend Critical Deadline for Housing Counseling Organizations Who Risk Losing Funding
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pressed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson to extend the upcoming August 1, 2020 deadline for housing counselor certification for HUD’s Housing Counseling Assistance Program by at least one year. While counseling agencies have been working hard to get members of their organization certified, many agencies will be unable to complete this process before August 1 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) … Continue Reading
July 10, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce More Than $6 Million for Early Childhood Education in Baltimore Area
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced $6,008,317 in federal funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs at the Y of Central Maryland. “Early childhood education not only puts students on a successful path inside and outside of the classroom, but also helps close the academic achievement gaps - driven by racial and socioeconomic inequities - that have long plagued America’s … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Warren, Senate and House Democrats Urge ICE and DHS to Immediately Withdraw New Guidance that Threatens International Students with Deportation
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with more than 90 other Senate and House Democrats, sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), urging the agencies to withdraw new guidance issued by ICE that imperils the status of international students who would be studying online at U.S. institutions this coming academic year. The guidance threatens international students with … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Maryland Congressional Delegation Writes to Governor Hogan Expressing Concern with His Plan for the November 3 Election
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-MD), and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02), John P. Sarbanes (MD-03), Anthony G. Brown (MD-04), Jamie B. Raskin (MD-08), David Trone (MD-06), and Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) wrote to Governor Larry Hogan today to express their concern with his plan to proceed with in-person voting for the November 3 general election. The lawmakers called on Governor Hogan to rescind his directive and issue new guidance to maximize … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Urge USCIS to Eliminate Harmful Policies that Have Undermined the Agency’s Budget, Threatened Employees’ Livelihoods, and Hurt U.S. Immigration Services
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have sent a letter to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) outlining their deep concerns around reports that USCIS has sent furlough notices to over 13,000 federal employees in light of a budget shortage, caused in large part by the USCIS’s self-imposed harmful policies. In their letter, the Senators urge USCIS to reconsider these policies and to provide Congress with more information on how they intend to utilize any … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
Maryland, Virginia Senators Urge Administration to Halt Haphazard Plans to Bring Thousands of Federal Employees into Offices as Nationwide COVID-19 Cases Spike
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell T. Vought and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director Michael J. Rigas, urging them to reverse course on plans by several agencies to bring federal employees back to their worksites prematurely, by issuing clear guidance to extend maximum telework throughout the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The … Continue Reading
July 08, 2020
Van Hollen, Hirono, Colleagues to Secretary Ross: Release IG Report on “Sharpiegate”
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) wrote to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to demand he complete the necessary steps to make public Commerce Department Inspector General (IG) Peggy Gustafson’s report into the politicization of science … Continue Reading
July 08, 2020
Van Hollen, Menendez Call for $32B in Transit Funding in Next COVID-19 Stimulus Package
Today,U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) urged Senate leadership to provide an additional $32 billion in emergency supplemental funding for public transit agencies in the next COVID-19 stimulus package. Transit agencies have been hit hard ever since stay-at-home orders were first announced in states across the country back in March, resulting in plummeting ridership and fare revenues needed to keep trains and buses running safely and on time.“Through the depths of … Continue Reading
July 08, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Brown, Hoyer Secure Provision for Family of Slain ROTC Graduate Lt. Richard Collins in House and Senate NDAA
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Congressmen Anthony G. Brown and Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced that they have secured provisions within the Senate and House Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to provide the family of slain ROTC Graduate Richard W. Collins III with the benefits they’re owed following his death. The amendments were introduced by Senator Van Hollen and Congressman Brown and cosponsored by Senator Cardin and … Continue Reading
July 07, 2020
Van Hollen, Murphy, Senators to Pompeo: Call for Free & Fair Elections in Bolivia; Criticize Interim Government for Abusive Oversteps
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), urged U.S. State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo to encourage prompt, free, and fair elections in Bolivia later this year. In a letter to Pompeo, the senators expressed their increasing concern for human rights violations and curtailments of civil liberties under the guise of COVID-19 protections that are meant to … Continue Reading
July 07, 2020
Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Senators Demand Full Implementation & Enforcement of the Death in Custody Reporting Act
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with 15 senators, wrote Attorney General William Barr calling for the immediate, full implementation and enforcement of the Death in Custody Reporting Act.“One stark, staggering fact is that there exists no reliable metric on the number of law enforcement-related deaths that occur each year because DOJ has failed to implement and enforce the DCRA,” the senators wrote. “To be clear, the DCRA will not alone solve the … Continue Reading
July 06, 2020
Van Hollen, Klobuchar, Colleagues Urge State Department to Ensure Americans Overseas Can Vote During Pandemic
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and colleagues urged the State Department to take action to ensure that Americans overseas can vote during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senators point out that travel and mail operations remain disrupted in many countries around the globe, threatening the ability of American servicemembers, diplomats, and citizens living abroad to be able to vote in the November 2020 election. They urge the … Continue Reading
July 06, 2020
Van Hollen, Lankford Push DOD Head in Bipartisan Letter on Delay to Remove Turkey from F-35 Technology Supply Chain
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and James Lankford (R-OK) today sent a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on the Department of Defense timeline to remove Turkey from the supply chain of the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter. The senators wrote, “As you know, we have worked together in the Senate on issues of US-Turkey relations for several years and remain concerned about the direction Turkey is taking under the leadership of President Erdogan. From human rights violations in … Continue Reading
July 06, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce $4.6 Million in CARES Act Funds for Affordable Housing and Community Development in Prince George’s County
The Prince George’s County Congressional Delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.), today announced $4.6 million in funding through the CARES Act to address housing and economic impacts of COVID-19 pandemic in Prince George’s County, Md. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) has allocated $3,036,958 through the Community Development Block … Continue Reading
July 06, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Howard County Delegation Announce More Than $1.5 Million for Flooding Recovery and Mitigation
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced a new grant award of $1,515,201 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for flood prevention and recovery efforts in Howard County.“Over a period of only two years, Ellicott City and surrounding communities in Howard County experienced back-to-back 1,000-year floods, which devastated local businesses and homes,” the lawmakers said. “This … Continue Reading
July 02, 2020
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats File NDAA Amendment Prohibiting U.S. Funds from Supporting Israeli Annexation of the West Bank
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prohibit Israel from using U.S. security assistance funds to unilaterally annex … Continue Reading
July 02, 2020
Van Hollen and Toomey’s Hong Kong Autonomy Act Headed to Trump’s Desk for Signature
Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to defend Hong Kong’s autonomy against increasingly brazen interference from the Chinese Community Party. The Hong Kong Autonomy Act now awaits President Trump’s signature. “Today’s passage of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act makes it clear that we will not stand by as China seeks to crush freedom, human rights, and democracy in Hong Kong. The government of … Continue Reading
July 02, 2020
Van Hollen Speaks on Israeli Annexation
On July 2, 2020, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor.Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss what I believe is an important and consequential matter at this moment: the way ahead for U.S. relations with our friend and partner, Israel. The pending legislation before us includes a plan to codify and extend a multiyear commitment of American security assistance to Israel. Specifically, it would codify a memorandum of understanding reached … Continue Reading
July 02, 2020
Van Hollen, Warren, Colleagues Request Funds for the Developmental Disabilities Network
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Tim Kaine (D-VA), in sending a letter to Senate leadership requesting $30 million in financial support for the Developmental Disabilities Network in the next COVID-19 relief package. In the letter, the Senators highlight the critical need to support the Developmental Disabilities Network as they mitigate the health and economic effects of the coronavirus on … Continue Reading
