Press Releases
Van Hollen, Durbin Introduce Legislation to Preserve American Leadership in Biomedical and Scientific Research
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reintroduced The American Cures Act to preserve America's standing as a leader in scientific discovery and innovation. The bill would steadily increase funding for biomedical and scientific research conducted at the nation's premier federal research agencies. "Investing in biomedical and scientific research keeps jobs and innovation in America - but our nation's leadership is at risk by the dangerous budget cuts proposed by … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to the Resolution to Disapprove of the DOL Drug Testing Rule
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record in opposition to the Resolution to Disapprove of the DOL Drug Testing Rule: "MR. PRESIDENT, I rise in opposition to H.J.Res.42 today, a bill in search of a problem. Back in 2012, Congress passed legislation to extend temporary unemployment insurance as our country worked to recover from the recession. That legislation included a bipartisan compromise that allowed states to drug test people applying for … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Trump Budget
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees, released the following statement on President Trump's FY 2018 budget: "The President's budget is great if you're a person like Donald Trump who flies to Mar-a-Lago every weekend at taxpayer expense - but it betrays the Americans who feel left behind and forgotten. And for the people who supported him, especially in rural areas of our country, they are hit particularly hard. "This plan denies millions … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Van Hollen Calls for Partnership with Europe to Fight Russian Cyberattacks
Today at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Russian sanctions, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen called for partnership with our European allies to fight Russian cyberattacks on democratic elections. The hearing comes on the same day as the Netherlands' general election for Prime Minister. Russia reportedly hacked into the accounts of dozens of Dutch government officials to undermine the candidacy of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who ran against the extreme right-wing candidate Geert … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
After State’s Failure to Act, Van Hollen and Berliner Seek Update on Dangerous River Road Intersection
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner and local leaders in sending a letter to the State Highway Administration requesting an update on safety improvements at the intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway at Walt Whitman High School. "More than a year has passed since three members of a Bethesda family were killed while turning across River Road (MD 190) onto Braeburn Parkway to access Walt Whitman High School," they wrote. "Despite … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Van Hollen, Murray Introduce Healthy Families Act to Allow Workers to Earn Paid Sick Days
Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and 28 Senate Democrats introduced the Healthy Families Act. The legislation would allow workers to earn paid sick leave to use when they are sick, to care for a loved one, to obtain preventive care, or to address the impacts of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault. "Right now more than 40 million private sector workers don't have … Continue Reading
March 13, 2017
Cardin, Van Hollen Announce $250,000 in Funding for Johns Hopkins University Agricultural Conservation Research
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) have announced $250,000 in federal funding for Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The grant - which comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) - will be used to research what motivates Maryland farmers to adopt conservation practices and to identify the barriers that prevent farmers from adopting them. Specifically, the funding will allow Johns Hopkins to investigate … Continue Reading
March 13, 2017
Bipartisan Maryland Delegation Writes to Secretary Chao about Investing in Critical State Infrastructure Projects
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md) led the full Maryland Congressional Delegation in urging Department of Transportation Secretary Chao to consider critical state infrastructure projects as part of the FASTLANE grant system. The lawmakers highlighted three projects, making clear that each are vital to improving the economy and transportation across the state: Howard Street Tunnel project, which is aimed at improving freight movement out of the Port of … Continue Reading
March 13, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on Maryland Infrastructure Report Card
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on the American Society for Civil Engineers infrastructure report card, which gives Maryland a grade of D+: "Maryland's infrastructure impacts everyone in our state and is in urgent need of repair. With 24 percent of our roads in poor condition, 1,620 of our bridges in need of repair, and more than 220,000 Maryland students lacking basic access to broadband, it is clear we must take action. That is why I have joined Senate … Continue Reading
March 13, 2017
Van Hollen Statement on CBO’s Score of Trumpcare
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) analysis of Trumpcare: "This CBO report should be the final nail in the coffin for Trumpcare. The plan is a total betrayal of Donald Trump's promise that 'everybody's going to be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now.' Instead, in just a few years, Trumpcare will cause of over 21 million Americans to lose their coverage and premiums in the individual market will … Continue Reading
March 13, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to Confirmation of Seema Verma to Lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record in opposition to the confirmation of Seema Verma to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "Mr. President, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, is a major part of the Department of Health and Human Services. A third of the Nation - more than 100 million Americans - get access to quality health care through CMS's programs - Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health … Continue Reading
March 10, 2017
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Brown Statement on an Update on the Fully Consolidated FBI Headquarters
Today, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced that the decision on the selection of a site and developer for the new consolidated Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters would be postponed until the full funding of the project is provided by Congress. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, along with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), and Congressman Anthony Brown (MD-04) released the following … Continue Reading
March 10, 2017
As a Result of Recent Threats to Jewish Community Centers and Other Religious and Cultural Institutions, Cardin and Van Hollen Urge Department of Homeland Security to Increase Critical Federal Security Funds in Fiscal Year ‘18
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have signed a bipartisan letter tothe Department of Homeland Security urging Secretary John Kelly to increase federal funds programmed to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) for Fiscal Year 2018 and fully fund the program at $50 million. The Senators cited recent threats to Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) and cultural and religious institutions across the country for the need for increased funding. The funds would help cover … Continue Reading
March 09, 2017
Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to Resolution to Disapprove of the Education Accountability Rule
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen submitted the following statement to the congressional record in opposition to the Resolution to Disapprove of the Education Accountability Rule: "Mr. President, one of the most significant bipartisan accomplishments of the last Congress was the Every Student Succeeds Act, the long-overdue reauthorization of K-12 education law. The Every Student Succeeds Act returned more flexibility to states while ensuring accountability to ensure that every child gets a … Continue Reading
March 08, 2017
Van Hollen Calls on Ryan, Price to Stop House Republican Attacks on Nonpartisan CBO
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on Republican efforts to discredit the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as they rush their Trumpcare bill to committee before its impact has been fully evaluated: "For four decades, the CBO has provided nonpartisan, expert analysis of legislation so that the American people understand the impact of the proposals being debated in Congress. When we passed the ACA, we held hundreds of hours … Continue Reading
March 08, 2017
Van Hollen, Murphy Introduce Bill to Block President Trump’s Re-Issued Travel Ban
After President Donald Trump re-issued his harmful restriction on refugees and immigrants from sixMuslim-majority nations in Africa and the Middle East, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), both members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, joined 14 Senators in introducing legislation to reverse the executive order and block its implementation. Specifically, the bill - which is similar to legislation they introduced in January to block the first iteration … Continue Reading
March 08, 2017
Van Hollen, Brown Introduce Bill to Get Wells Fargo’s Victims Their Day in Court
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, has joined Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) to introduce legislation that will give Wells Fargo customers who were victims of a fraudulent account scheme their day in court. From at least 2011 to 2015 Wells Fargo opened millions of fraudulent accounts - two million bank accounts and 565,000 credit card accounts - in its customers' names. Now Wells Fargo is using the … Continue Reading
March 07, 2017
Van Hollen Calls on DHS and DOJ to Address Threats to Jewish Institutions Across the Country
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen joined Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) in urging the Trump Administration to take action in response to the recent anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCC's), Jewish Day Schools, and Synagogues. In a bipartisan letter signed by all 100 U.S. Senators that will be sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and FBI Director James … Continue Reading
March 07, 2017
Van Hollen Calls on Trump Administration to Protect Strong Auto Emissions Standards
In response to media reports that the Trump administration plans to roll-back vehicle emissions standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2022-2025, today Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and a group of Senators in calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect the strong standards that enhance national security, benefit consumers and help reduce carbon pollution. In the letter the senators point to EPA analysis that the auto … Continue Reading
March 07, 2017
Van Hollen Statement at the Nomination Hearing of Rod Rosenstein
Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen introduced Rod Rosenstein at his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing for Deputy Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery: "Thank you Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Feinstein for the opportunity to join Senator Cardin in supporting Rod Rosenstein's nomination to become Deputy Attorney General. Throughout his 27-year career, Rod has earned a reputation as a fair and focused … Continue Reading
