Press Releases
Van Hollen, Shaheen Call for GAO Assessment of Census Count
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and the other Democratic members of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies subcommittee, which is charged with funding the Census Bureau and Census operations, in calling for the Government Accountability Office to thoroughly assess and compile a report on the “completeness and quality” of the 2020 Census.The letter, also signed by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jack Reed … Continue Reading
August 17, 2020
Maryland Delegation Announces Nearly $954,000 to Improve Readiness, Response for Hazardous Materials Spills
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Andy Harris, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Kweisi Mfume (all Md.) today announced $953,854 in new federal funds for Maryland to further invest in emergency preparedness plans, inspecting pipelines and training for managing bulk transportation of petroleum products and other hazardous materials. $622,776 was awarded to the Maryland Public Service Commission. This … Continue Reading
August 17, 2020
Van Hollen, Coons, Murray Urge HHS, CDC to Offer COVID-19 Guidance to Childcare Providers
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) along with House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and Representative Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) sent a letter to the Office of Child Care at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting more detailed public health guidance to support the child care sector during and following the COVID-19 public health … Continue Reading
August 17, 2020
Members of Maryland Delegation Urge USDA Secretary Perdue to Extend School Nutrition Waivers for Children and Families During COVID-19 Pandemic
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and U.S. Representatives Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue urging the extension of school nutrition waivers for the 2020-2021 school year to ensure children have access to healthy meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.For the upcoming school year, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to transition to online or … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020
Baltimore Congressional Delegation Presses Postmaster General to Develop Plan to Fix Mail Delays in Baltimore Region and Across Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume today asked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to address the widespread mail delays affecting residents across the Baltimore region and take immediate steps to deliver mail on time.In a letter to DeJoy, the delegation described complaints from constituents who have not received mail for weeks, including seniors who have been waiting for prescriptions and small businesses … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce More Than $2.5 Million in Federal Funding for the National Association of Community Health Centers
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Jamie B. Raskin (all D-Md.), announced $2,565,447 in federal funding for the National Association of Community Health Centers headquartered in Bethesda, Md.“Community health centers are a vital component of our health care safety net and are on the front lines of our nation’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These federal funds will help provide high-quality, community-based health services to families and … Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Stop Blocking International Students from Entering the Country
Today, U.S Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ed Markey (D-MA) and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) joined 75 of their colleagues in the Senate and House in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of the Department ofHomeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf calling on him to revise recent guidance that would prohibit new international college and university students with a full-time online course load from entering the U.S.. The letter follows a … Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Menendez, Van Hollen Call for Sanctions in Response to Turkish Aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean
Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, today sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in advance of his meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias scheduled for Friday. Citing Turkey’s recent deployment of naval vessels to shadow a drilling ship into Greece’s exclusive economic zone … Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
As Methane Emissions Continue to Rise, Van Hollen and Markey Introduce Legislation to Hold Fossil Fuel Industry Accountable for Natural Gas Blowouts
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), both members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, announced introduction of the Natural Gas Blowout Prevention, Oversight, and Liability Act, legislation that would regulate large-scale emissions of natural gas - both flared and uncombusted - and its central component, methane. While oil well operators are held liable for oil spills, there are no federal restrictions or liability for large-scale natural gas … Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s State of the Blueprint Report
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the release of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 2020 State of the Blueprint Report, showing that Maryland is on track to meet its goals for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, but that Pennsylvania continues to lag behind. Senator Van Hollen has repeatedly pressed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on enforcing these pollution reduction goals for all Bay States, including in a hearing and via a … Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Booker, Senators Announce College Athletes Bill of Rights
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), today announced the framework for a new college athletes bill of rights that will advance justice and opportunity for college athletes. The proposal willguarantee fair and equitable compensation, enforceable health and safety standards, and improved … Continue Reading
August 13, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Urge USPS to Fix Delays and Avoid Cost Increases for Election Mail
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, requesting answers regarding reports of recent changes to long-standing practices at USPS that would result in increased delivery times and costs for election mail, and urging him not take any further action that makes it harder and more expensive for states and election jurisdictions to mail ballots. Despite numerous reports from across the country of slow delivery, mail left … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Van Hollen Hails Legal Decision Upending Trump Administration’s Rollback of Migratory Bird Protections
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement in response to the ruling from the Southern District of New York that the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) M-Opinion is unlawful. The ruling vacates a Trump Administration legal interpretation of the MBTA that freed companies of any liability for oil spills that kill migratory birds. Senator Van Hollen has repeatedly fought DOI on this issue, including in a letter to then-Acting … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Talbot County Council Decision on Talbot Boys Statue
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) issued the following statement after the Talbot County Council voted 3-2 to allow the Talbot Boys statue to remain outside the Talbot County Circuit Courthouse. The statue, completed in 1916, memorializes the names of 84 Confederate soldiers and is topped with a soldier holding the Confederate battle flag.“I am deeply disappointed in the Talbot County Council’s vote to allow the Talbot Boys statue to remain in place. The monument - which was erected … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
As Methane Emissions Continue to Rise, Van Hollen, Markey Introduce Legislation to Hold the Fossil Fuel Industry Accountable for Natural Gas Blowouts
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), both members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today announced introduction of the Natural Gas Blowout Prevention, Oversight, and Liability Act, legislation that would regulate large-scale emissions of natural gas - both flared and uncombusted - and its central component, methane. While oil well operators are held liable for oil spills, there are no federal restrictions or liability for large-scale natural gas … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Push for Census Deadline Extension to Ensure Full and Accurate Count
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in sending a bipartisan letter calling for the extension of the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 Census. The Senators urged House and Senate leaders to include the extension in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package.“Extending the deadlines for the delivery of these files in the next COVID-19 relief … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Maryland Delegation Announces Nearly $3,000 to Supply PPE for Frederick County Firefighters
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) announced $2,700 in new federal funding for the New Mark District Volunteer Fire Rescue Company in Frederick County, Md. through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant - COVID-19 Supplemental Program (AFG-S) program. The funding will be used to purchase new personal protective equipment (PPE) and related supplies to the fire service community to prevent, prepare for, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Maryland Delegation Announces More Than $40,000 to Supply PPE for Owings Mills Volunteer Firefighters
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) announced $40,087.55 in new federal funding for the Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company in Owings Mills, Maryland through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant - COVID-19 Supplemental Program (AFG-S) program. The funding will be used to purchase new personal protective equipment (PPE) and related supplies for the Company’s volunteer firefighters as they continue … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Maryland Delegation Announces More Than $103,000 to Supply PPE for Eastern Shore Firefighters
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) and Congressman Andy Harris (R-Md.) today announced $103,582.81 in new federal funding to the through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant - COVID-19 Supplemental Program (AFG-S) program. The funding will be used to purchase new personal protective equipment (PPE) and related supplies to the fire service community to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant awards … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Oppose Bureau Of Land Management Director Nominee William Perry Pendley
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent a letter to President Trump opposing Bureau of Land Management Director nominee William Perry Pendley."We write to express opposition to Mr. Pendley's nomination to the position of Director of the Bureau of Land Management," the Senators wrote. "Mr. Pendley’s public record, including his … Continue Reading
