Press Releases
Van Hollen, Bennet, Gardner, and Bipartisan Group of 125 Members of Congress Call on Administration to Ensure National Guard Receives Benefits Earned on COVID-19 Front Lines
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), along with a bipartisan group of 125 Members of Congress in a letter to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor calling on the administration to ensure National Guard personnel who are serving on the front lines of … Continue Reading
May 22, 2020
Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Release Plan to Expand Health Care Coverage & Affordability During COVID-19
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tina Smith (D-MN) alongside Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), today released a Senate Democratic plan to expand health care coverage and affordability during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a white paper, the senators outline a series of common sense legislative priorities that the Senate should take up … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Passage of Resolution Recognizing National Foreign Service Day
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on the passage of his and Senator Dan Sullivan’s (R-Alaska) bipartisan resolution honoring American foreign service members and commemorating Foreign Service Day.“Our Foreign Service Officers are dedicated to protecting and pursuing America’s best interests across the globe. They are committed to representing democratic values and promoting the rule of law. We’ve faced new challenges brought on by the coronavirus, … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Warren, Markey, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Prepare for Simultaneous Peaks of 2020 Flu Season, COVID-19 Outbreak
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, regarding the Trump Administration's efforts to prepare for a resurgence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during this year's seasonal influenza, which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield warned could create unprecedented strain on our health care system. The … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Cornyn, Carper Urge Support for Independent Music Venues During Pandemic
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Tom Carper (D-DE), along with a number of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter today to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) asking them to include funding for independent live music venues in any upcoming coronavirus relief legislation.They wrote: “Live event venues were among the first to close as COVID-19 spread across the country, and they are likely to be among the last to reopen. … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Durbin, Duckworth, Kelly Introduce Resolution Establishing “national Gun Violence Awareness Day"
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a resolution in the Senate establishing June 5, 2020, as “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” and designating June as “National Gun Violence Awareness Month.” U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) will introduce a companion resolution in the House. Every day in America, an average of around 300 men, women, and children are shot, nearly one-third of them fatally. Designating a day to … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Toomey Introduce Sanctions Bill to Defend Hong Kong’s Autonomy
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) have introduced bipartisan legislation to defend Hong Kong’s autonomy against increasingly brazen interference from the Chinese Community Party.READ: China Signals Plan to Take Full Control of Hong Kong, Realigning City’s StatusThe Van Hollen/Toomey measure would impose mandatory sanctions on entities that violate China’s obligations to Hong Kong under the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. The legislation would also impose … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer Announce Nearly $366,000 for COVID-19 Research at University of Maryland, College Park
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) today announced three additional Rapid Research Response (RAPID) awards for the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) to conduct research related to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The funding was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the National Science Foundation (NSF). Projects include:$187,871 for a project to accelerate research into … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Murphy, Kaine, Senate Democrats Caution Israel Against Unilateral Annexation of West Bank Territory
On Thursday, 19 Senate Democrats, led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), expressed grave concern regarding unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory potentially as early as July. In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the senators warned that such a move would mark a dramatic reversal of decades of shared understandings between the United States, Israel, the Palestinians and the … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Duckworth Introduce Legislation to Ensure National Guard Troops Activated In Response to COVID-19 Get the Benefits They Earned During the Public Health Emergency
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with 17 of their Senate colleagues, introduced the National Guard COVID-19 Response Stability Act to ensure that all National Guard troops activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic receive additional benefits and provide states with greater certainty.The Senators’ legislation would extend Title 32 authority for all troops activated in response to the crisis until the end of the public health emergency (PHE). By doing … Continue Reading
May 20, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Press State for Plans to Address COVID-19 Racial Disparities, Expand Testing
Today, members of the Maryland congressional delegation, led by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Anthony G. Brown, and including Senator Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie B. Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) sent a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan urging him to use race and ethnicity data to develop a plan to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in Maryland. In their … Continue Reading
May 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Hirono Introduce Resolution to Honor May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with more than 20 of their Senate colleagues, introduced a resolution in honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this May, noting the significant contributions to our nation made by generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.The resolution recognizes noteworthy milestones for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in 2020, including:The … Continue Reading
May 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Brown, Murray, Colleagues Demand Answers from CFPB Director on Agency’s Oversight Plans for the Student Loan Market
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), both member sof the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Tina Smith (D-MN) in sending a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Kathy Kraninger requesting information from the agency regarding its examinations of the companies that service federally-held … Continue Reading
May 20, 2020
Senate Passes Van Hollen and Kennedy's Bill to Kick Deceitful Chinese Companies Off U.S. Exchanges
Today, the Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act by unanimous consent. U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced the legislation to protect American investors and their retirement savings from foreign companies that have been operating on U.S. stock exchanges while flouting Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight.“As we continue to experience the economic fallout and volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to … Continue Reading
May 19, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce $876 Million in Federal Funding to Support WMATA During COVID-19 Crisis
Today, 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.) announced that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and local transit partners will receive $876 million in federal funding through the CARES Act. Of that total, $41.1 million will be distributed to Montgomery and Prince George’s County local transit providers. “Metro is an essential service, central to the … Continue Reading
May 19, 2020
Cardin, Van Hollen, Trone Announce More Than $343,000 For Cumberland Pump Station Improvements
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced a USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal grant of $343,500 to Allegany County for updates to the North Branch Pump Station outside of Cumberland, Maryland. The efficient and functional operations of this pump station are critical to the local residents and industrial users it serves. These funds will be used for modernization of equipment which has not undergone any major improvements … Continue Reading
May 19, 2020
Van Hollen, Wyden, Rounds and Eshoo Call for Securing U.S. Capitol Phone Networks in Bipartisan Letter
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), along with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and 20 members of the House and Senate requested to encrypt phone calls between the chambers to protect communications against foreign surveillance.“Congress must secure itself from the serious threat posed by foreign spies,” the members wrote. “Please take immediate action to encrypt, in bulk, all internal calls and other electronic communications between the Senate, … Continue Reading
May 19, 2020
Van Hollen, Coons, Collins Push for First Responders Support in Next Relief Package
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine), along with a number of their colleagues, sent a bipartisan letter to Senate Leadership encouraging additional support for first responders in the next COVID-19 relief package.The lawmakers detailed the following priorities for first responders:Bolster Assistance to Firefighter Grant, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER), and Department of Justice grant funding, including for the … Continue Reading
May 18, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on Decision by Bay States, Advocacy Groups to Sue EPA
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the decision by Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia as well as Chesapeake Bay advocacy groups to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their lack of enforcement of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) pollution reduction targets. “The Chesapeake Bay is not only a national treasure but a vital economic driver in our region. To protect and restore it, the EPA should use … Continue Reading
May 15, 2020
Van Hollen Statement on the House Passage of the Heroes Act
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on the House of Representatives passage of the Heroes Act, legislation to provide more funds to support coronavirus relief and response:“The House has done its job, and now the Senate must act. Despite what Mitch McConnell thinks, our families, front-line workers, small businesses, and state and local governments have urgent needs now as our economy teeters on the brink. The Heroes Act focuses on the immediate … Continue Reading
