Van Hollen Statement on Appropriations Package

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the FY 2020 appropriations package: 

“I’m pleased that today the Senate was able to pass legislation to fund important investments throughout our state and our country. These bills include a number of key provisions for Maryland – including a historic increase in funds to protect and preserve the Chesapeake Bay. They also provide increased resources to the NIH to achieve their mission of discovering and developing life-saving cures and medical treatments for diseases that impact every American family. Additionally, this package includes critical support for Maryland’s many top-notch federal agencies and military installations, such as NASA Goddard, Fort Detrick, Fort Meade, NIST, and NOAA. And it invests in important projects within our state, including oyster restoration, dredging the Port of Baltimore, and WMATA. 

“That being said, I was deeply disappointed that this package failed to curb or address one of the President’s most egregious abuses of power – his actions to steal funding from Congressionally-approved projects to build his inefficient, unnecessary border wall and support his inhumane immigration policy. He has stolen funding from projects at Joint Base Andrews, Fort Meade, and other military installations across our country and transferred funds within the Department of Homeland Security. These losses will have tangible impacts on our military bases, communities, and national security. The Congress’s inability to sure up its power of the purse, and address this issue, is unacceptable.”

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