Sen. Chris Van Hollen visits Port of Baltimore

Congress is in recess this week. House and Senate members are back in their home districts, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen. He stopped at the Port of Baltimore Tuesday for the first time as a U.S. senator.

Van Hollen's visit comes on the heels of a record-setting year for the Port of Baltimore, surpassed 10 million tons of cargo for the first time and handled a record number of containers.

"The Port of Baltimore is a huge job engine for the state of Maryland. It is growing. It is breaking records," Van Hollen said.

It's generating 140,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to state estimates, $3 billion in wages, more than $310 million in tax revenue and could do even more, officials said, with an infusion of federal funds.

"Senate Democrats have put together a blueprint, and we've asked the administration and Republicans to join us in that effort. So far, we haven't heard from them, but we will continue to press," Van Hollen said.

There is no response yet from President Donald Trump and no details on a plan despite his campaign promise of $1 trillion investment in infrastructure projects.

WBAL-TV 11 News asked the senator if hope had turned to uncertainty.

"We're going to continue to press, and I hope that we will get beyond some of the craziness in Washington, and be able to focus on this issue going forward," Van Hollen said.

Infrastructure may be a unifying issue for both parties in Washington, D.C., right now, but historically, Democrats and Republicans have had very different ideas on how to pay for it.

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