Press Releases
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
June 03, 2020
Van Hollen, Klobuchar, Eshoo Urge Congressional Leaders to Ensure College Students in Need Have Access to High-Speed Internet
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) sent a bicameral letter to Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McCarthy urging the leaders to include dedicated funding in future legislation to help ensure that college and university students with the greatest financial need can access high-speed internet during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.“Even before the pandemic, only 66 percent … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Van Hollen, Markey, Booker, and Harris Introduce Senate Resolution to Abolish Qualified Immunity for Law Enforcement, Hold Officers Accountable for Police Brutality
Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) today announced a new Senate resolution that calls for the elimination of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. Qualified immunity is a judge-made doctrine that protects law enforcement officers from being sued in their personal capacity and being held personally liable for their excessive use of force or brutality. In its passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Introduce Bill to Install Statue of Justice Thurgood Marshall in U.S. Capitol
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today introduced legislation, S.3863, to replace the statue of Roger Brooke Taney, author of the infamous Dred Scott decision that ruled that African-Americans were not U.S. citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery, with a bust of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to serve on the nation’s highest court. “As our country continues to grapple with the past and future of civil rights and … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Van Hollen, Senators Urge Defense Department to Refrain from Using U.S. Military to Suppress Nationwide Protests
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and 15 of their colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley voicing grave concerns over President Donald Trump’s recent threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to nationwide protests calling for … Continue Reading
June 02, 2020
Van Hollen Delivers Floor Speech on the Murder of George Floyd, Need for Justice & Action on Systemic Racism
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen delivered the following speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate:Thank you, Madam President. Let me start by saying to our colleague, the Senator from New Jersey, who just spoke on the floor - that we're all thankful for his passion to make sure that this country lives up to its promise and for sharing with this body his personal testimony about the sting of racism and the need for all of us to move urgently to address the fundamental inequities at … Continue Reading
June 02, 2020
Van Hollen, Heinrich, Tonko Call for Inclusion of Clean Energy Workforce Support in COVID-19 Economic Recovery Packages
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) are urging congressional leaders to prioritize a clean energy recovery plan in upcoming economic relief and recovery packages to deal with the impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The lawmakers, along with 57 members, sent a bicameral letter calling on Congress to take action to support the clean energy industry to both address the climate crisis and revitalize the American … Continue Reading
June 02, 2020
Sens. Van Hollen, Casey and Reps. Sarbanes, Scott Lead Bay Members in Bipartisan Letter Urging USDA to Prioritize Bay Health, Support Farmers in Reducing Pollution
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), along with Representatives John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), led members representing the Chesapeake Bay region in a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging continued investment in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The letter, sent to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Matthew Lohr, underscores the importance of supporting the region’s farmers in their efforts to … Continue Reading
May 29, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Brown Announce $4.1 Million for Zero-Emission Metrobuses
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) announced $4,162,472 for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for the expansion of its zero-emission bus fleet.Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) FY 2020 Low- or No-Emission Vehicle Program (Low-No). These funds, which are the first WMATA has received through this competitive program, will support the purchase of two electric buses and related … Continue Reading
May 29, 2020
Van Hollen, Hassan, Heinrich, Whitehouse, Colleagues Call on FERC to Reject Petition Aimed at Upending States’ Net Metering Programs
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject a petition by the New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) that aims to upend states’ net metering programs. Net metering allows consumers and businesses who generate some or all of their own electricity, particularly through wind and solar energy technology, to be compensated for the excess energy that they … Continue Reading
