Van Hollen Announces Senate Committee Assignments

Will Serve on Appropriations, Banking, Agriculture, and Budget Committees

Washington, DC -Today Maryland Senator-elect Chris Van Hollen issued the following statement oncommitteeassignments. He will be serving on four committees in the U.S. Senate: the AppropriationsCommittee, the Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsCommittee, the Agriculture, Nutrition, and ForestryCommittee, and the BudgetCommittee.

"As Maryland's next U.S. Senator, I will work every day to help the people of our great state achieve our goals of economic and educational opportunity, retirement security, and social justice for all. I'm pleased to announce that I will serve on four committees that will allow me to work with Marylanders to achieve these goals.

"By taking up Senator Mikulski's mantle on the AppropriationsCommittee, I will be able to fight for important investments for Maryland. Our state is home to many federal facilities and critical military installations. From the work being done to keep our nation safe at the Cyber Command and NSA at Fort Meade, to the life-saving research happening at NIH, these facilities are central to America's future and Maryland's economy.

"My work on both the BankingCommitteeand the AgricultureCommitteewill allow me to ensure that the diverse needs of our state are being met. Whether it's the challenges and opportunities facing great cities like Baltimore or the special concerns facing farmers on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland, I look forward to working with all Marylanders to make sure we reach our full potential. A seat on the BankingCommitteewill also allow me to continue my work to ensure that Wall Street is held accountable and that Marylanders never again face the huge financial disruptions that we saw with the Great Recession in 2008.

"And as I've said many times, budgets are not just dollars and cents -- they are a statement of our nation's priorities. I've been honored to serve on the House BudgetCommitteefor the last six years, and I'm pleased to continue that work in the U.S. Senate. Marylanders know how important it is to make investments that fuel our nation's success -- from funding education and job training programs to supporting small business owners and job creators.

"Public service and standing up for what's right has never been more important. As U.S. Senator, I will fight every day to move Maryland -- and America -- forward."

###