Press Releases
Van Hollen, Cardin, Colleagues Send Letter to Azar: Trump Administration’s Health Care Sabotage Undermines Coronavirus Response
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-MD) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with 35 other Democratic Senators in demanding that Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar take immediate action to address the many ways the Trump Administration’s health care sabotage has undermined our preparedness for and ability to respond to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Specifically, the Senators asked Secretary Azar to commit to making any … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Sign Bipartisan Letter Calling for UK to Reconsider Huawei Decision
Ahead of the House of Commons’ debate on Huawei, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), along with a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues, in urging Parliament to reconsider the Johnson government’s decision to allow Huawei to supply some of the United Kingdom’s 5G telecommunications structure. “Given the significant security, privacy, and economic threats posed by Huawei, we strongly urge the United … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
Van Hollen Joins Colleagues in Demanding Answers about Trump Administration's Practice of Sharing Immigrant Children’s Confidential Psychotherapy Notes with ICE
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and ten other colleagues in decrying the reported practice of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) sharing the confidential therapy notes of unaccompanied immigrant children in its custody with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who then uses the information against the minors in removal proceedings. At a recent Senate hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar acknowledged that the … Continue Reading
March 02, 2020
Van Hollen, Schumer, Cotton, and Young Urge Secretary Pompeo and President Trump to Oppose China’s Bid to Lead U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Todd Young (R-IN) today in sending a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the Secretary to vigorously oppose China’s leadership in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), given China’s persistent violations of intellectual property protections, including through trade secret theft, corporate espionage, and forced transfer of technology. … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Urge FDA to Provide Answers on Coronavirus Impact on Inspections, Employees
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn seeking information on the FDA’s plans for inspections in China, in light of the coronavirus outbreak. The FDA conducts a number of inspections in China to ensure the quality and safety of food, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices entering the United … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Join Senate Dems to Introduce Bill to Reverse & Restore Military Funding After President Trump Repeatedly Raids Defense Department for His Border Wall
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have joined 31 Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce the Restoring Military Priorities Act of 2020. The bill would reverse and restore the Department of Defense’s (DoD) recent short sighted and dangerous transfer of $3.8 billion to be used to build part of President Donald Trump’s ineffective border wall. The bill also reduces DoD’s transfer authority so that DoD cannot turn around and try to divert additional funding … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
Van Hollen, Colleagues Ask FDA About Potential Drug Shortages Related to Coronavirus
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter Friday to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn questioning the FDA’s plans to address potential drug shortages due to the outbreak of COVID-19, or Novel Human Coronavirus, first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Many manufacturers in China are the primary producers of ingredients found in hundreds of common generic drugs, … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
Van Hollen Introduces Legislation to Address the Homework Gap
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has announced the introduction of the Homework Gap Trust Fund Act, legislation to eliminate the homework gap and ensure children have access to the internet at home. According to the Senate Joint Economic Committee, as many as 12 million students do not have access to the internet at home. Data also suggests that while 70 percent of teachers assign homework that requires internet access, almost 20 percent of students don’t have home internet access to … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Brown Applaud $300,000 in Federal Funding for Tipton Airport
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) today applauded the recent award of $300,000 for the Tipton Airport (FME) through the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This federal grant will fund the second phase of a project to expand the airport’s apron, increasing the capacity for aircraft parking. Tipton Airport is a 350-acre facility located close to Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County. “Tipton Airport … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Van Hollen, Sanders Push to End CEO Tax Breaks to Protect 1.7 Million Workers’ Pensions
Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation to end tax advantages that allow CEOs to contribute unlimited amounts to special executive retirement plans, which are subject to almost no reporting requirements or oversight from the Department of Labor or Internal Revenue Service.Their bill, the CEO and Worker Pension Fairness Act, uses the estimated $15 billion in federal tax revenue recovered from eliminating these tax breaks for executive … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin Urge DHS to Provide Immediate Relief for Maryland Seafood Industry
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have joined with bipartisan colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the additional H-2B visas needed to support local seafood businesses in Maryland and states like Virginia, Alaska and North Carolina. The letter, also signed by Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), urges the DHS to quickly authorize … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Van Hollen, Warren, Whitehouse, Booker Call On BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to Endorse the Climate Risk Disclosure Act in Light of His Public Climate Commitments
United States Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.) sent a letter to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink urging him to endorse the Climate Risk Disclosure Act after Mr. Fink publicly announced that BlackRock will "make investment decisions with environmental sustainability as a core goal" and committed to release climate disclosures for the investment firm's mutual funds. In recent letters to BlackRock's clients and … Continue Reading
February 21, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Warner Urge Administration Officials To Release Additional H-2B Visas
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) released the following statement today regarding a bipartisan call the Senators participated in last night with the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf: "The release of additional H-2B visas to allow our local businesses to hire seasonal workers is of vital and urgent importance to Maryland and Virginia’s seafood industries. Last night, on a call with the Department of Homeland … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Merkley, Colleagues Press Interior Secretary to Protect the Arctic from New Oil and Gas Drilling
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with five other lawmakers—Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ)—in pressing Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to reverse course on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) reckless plans to sell off America’s Arctic for oil and gas development.The BLM decision, which was announced in a rewritten Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce More than $13 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, John Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced the award of $13,187,737 for 32 projects to counter homelessness in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. This competitive grant program awards nonprofits, state and local governments and their agents for initiatives that … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Maryland Delegation Members Announce Nearly $30 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Central Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Anthony G. Brown, and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) today announced the recent award of $29,859,429 for 83 projects to counter homelessness in central Maryland through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. These projects are spread throughout Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Carroll, and Anne Arundel Counties. This … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, and Hoyer Announce Nearly $5 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (all D-Md.) announced the award of $4,878,428 for 25 projects to counter homelessness through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. These funds will be used throughout Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset Counties. This competitive grant program awards nonprofits, state and … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce Nearly $2 Million in Renewed Funding to Combat Homelessness in Western Maryland
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced the award of $1,935,715 for 17 projects to counter homelessness in Western Maryland through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. These funds will be used throughout Allegany, Garrett, Washington, and Frederick Counties. This competitive grant program awards nonprofits, state and local governments and their agents for initiatives that … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
Van Hollen, Cardin, Young Introduce Bill to Ensure Lifesaving Organs Reach Patients
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) have announced bipartisan legislation to help prevent lifesaving organs from getting lost in transport. The Lost Opportunities to Supply Transplantable Organs (LOST Organs) Act would require the U.S. organ donation system, managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), to better track organs and publicly report when logistics errors result in a lost, damaged or delayed organ. A recent investigation, … Continue Reading
February 19, 2020
Van Hollen, Murray, Democrats Push Departments of Education and Labor to Withdraw Rules Allowing for Federally Sanctioned Discrimination
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Patty Murray (D-WA) and other Democratic senators in urging the Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia to withdraw proposed rules that would expand federally funded discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community and women. The Senators sent two separate letters to the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Both rules would eliminate crucial protections that would leave eligible people at risk of … Continue Reading
