Cardin, Hoyer, Van Hollen, Brown Announce Provision in NDAA Conference Report for the Family of Lt. Richard W. Collins, III

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) announced that they secured provisions in the NDAA Conference Report to provide the family of Lt. Richard W. Collins, III with the benefits they are due following his death. Lt. Collins was a Bowie State University ROTC Graduate when he was murdered in May 2017. Both the House and Senate are expected to pass the NDAA Conference Report in… Continue Reading

Cardin, Van Hollen Urge Congress to Invest $6 Billion To Meet Growing Nutrition Needs

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) called on Congress to invest $6 billion in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in next year's spending bill. Nationwide, 1 in 5 parents do not have enough to feed their children. Millions of Americans, especially women, continue to be affected by widespread business closures and subsequent job loss and more low-income households are relying on social safety nets to feed th… Continue Reading

Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $8 Million to Support Community Health Centers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin, and David Trone (all Md.) today announced nearly $8.2 million in federal funding to bolster Community Health Centers (CHC) across Maryland. "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, community health centers in Maryland and across the country have played a vital role in providing quality and affordable care to Ame… Continue Reading

Cardin, Portman, Thune, Menendez Introduce Legislation to Fund COVID-19 Vaccine Public Advocacy Campaign

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced bipartisan legislation to fund a science-driven public advocacy campaign to ensure that when an effective COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Americans are ready to get it. According to recent polling, just over half of Americans are willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine when it is authorized and made available to the pub… Continue Reading

Baltimore Congressional Delegation Applauds $150,000 for Light Rail Technology Enhancements

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today applauded the award of $150,000 for the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) to improve the state's light rail system with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. The federal funding will allow MDOT MTA to monitor light rail infrastructure in real-time by using LiDAR to identify potential rail defect… Continue Reading

Maryland Delegation Members Announce More Than $1.4 Million to Support Baltimore County’s COVID-19 Emergency Response

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $1,407,882 in federal funding to support Baltimore County's COVID-19 emergency response efforts at schools. The funding, authorized under Section 403 of the Stafford Act, comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will help disinfect buses and facilities at 175 schools countywide. "Our delegation remains committed to supportin… Continue Reading

Cardin, Portman Laud U.S. Senate Approval of a National Memorial to Fallen Journalists

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the House version of a measure Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced that authorizes the development and construction of a national monument to fallen journalists. The privately funded memorial would be constructed on federal lands within the District of Columbia and would honor journalists, photographers, and broadcasters killed in the line of duty. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is an original cosponsor of the Se… Continue Reading

Cardin Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency on December 2, 2020. "The EPA was established on December 2, 1970, to consolidate into one agency a variety of federal environmental responsibilities including research, monitoring, standard setting, and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection while … Continue Reading

Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces More Than $10 Million to Expand Mercy Medical Center’s COVID-19 Treatment Capability

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone today announced more than $10.4 million in emergency federal funding to help Mercy Health Services treat more COVID-19 patients. "We are forever indebted to the devoted healthcare workers who have risked and given their lives - including Mercy Medical Center's Dr. Joseph Costa - in th… Continue Reading

On World AIDS Day, Cardin Says We Must Apply the Lessons Learned Fighting HIV/AIDS to the Current Pandemic

"Ultimately, it became clear that the only way we could one day see a world free from HIV was if the United States led and heavily invested in the global response to HIV." "We must also apply the lessons of the fight against HIV to our current battle against the COVID-19 pandemic so we can begin saving lives and get the global economy back on track." WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement for the … Continue Reading

Cardin, Van Hollen Urge Senate Leadership to Extend Pandemic Unemployment Programs Set to Expire During Holiday Season

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) joined more than two dozen of their colleagues in urging Senate leaders to include in the next COVID-19 relief package an extension of two critical financial lifelines for Americans affected by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. Currently, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program - which provides unemployment assistance to domestic workers, freelance workers, contractors, and other workers in alt… Continue Reading

Maryland Delegation Members Announce More Than $140,000 for Housing Assistance for Low-Income Families in Maryland

WASHINGTON - Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Andy Harris (all Md.) today announced $143,158 in federal housing assistance for low-income residents in Maryland. Funding comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. "Ensuring Marylanders have access to affordable housing is always essential. But as many continue to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandem… Continue Reading

Baltimore Delegation Announces More Than $650,000 for Johns Hopkins University Research on COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maryland

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $654,592 in federal funding for Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to research COVID-19 testing and health disparities among women suffering from substance use disorders. "The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a harsh light on the racial and ethnic disparities that plague our communities and institutions. These disparities are especially pervasive in o… Continue Reading

Cardin Statement on Biden-Harris Foreign Policy and National Security Team

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Ranking Senate Member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, issued the following statement today in response to President-elect Joe Biden's announcement of key members of his national security and foreign policy team. "I am delighted by the President-elect Biden's decision to nominate an experienced, qualified, time-tested, and diverse group to lead his national security efforts. With t… Continue Reading

Cardin, Van Hollen, Harris Applaud Over $1.4 Million for Coastal Infrastructure Improvements in Talbot County

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (all Md.) today applauded $1,436,701 in federal funds to support coastal infrastructure projects in Talbot County. The County will provide $1,437,959 in matching funds, bringing the project total to $2,874,660. "The Town of Oxford in Talbot County is a special place, and the Tred Avon River that runs beside it has already played host to several innovative restoration measures that will enhance the healt… Continue Reading

Federal Delegation Members Call on Trump to Overturn Denial of Maryland Disaster Funding for Tropical Storm Isaias

WASHINGTON - The members of the Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone, today called upon President Donald Trump to overturn the Oct. 14 decision to deny federal disaster funding to Maryland for the impacts of Tropical Storm Isaias. "On August 3 and 4, 2020, Tropical Storm Isaias impacted Mar… Continue Reading

Maryland Delegation Members Applaud $500,000 Award to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences for Sustainable Agriculture Research

WASHINGTON - Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Andy Harris (all Md.) today applauded the announcement of a $500,000 award for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences (UMCES) to conduct research on sustainable agriculture in order to improve innovation in crop and livestock production. "Sustainable farming is the key to expanding food security, creating jobs and protecting our natural resources for our future," said the lawmakers. "UMCES scientists and… Continue Reading

Cardin: Republicans Must Insist the Transition to President-elect Joe Biden Move Forward Immediately

We are a democracy and not an autocracy. We cannot allow President Trump undermine legitimate election results. BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump's attempts to delay and overturn the presidential ele… Continue Reading

Cardin, Senate Democrats Call for Universal Analysis of How Federal Proposals Impact Health Outcomes

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), as part of his ongoing commitment to eliminating race-related health disparities, has introduced legislation that would inform how Congress could address social, economic, and environmental factors that have a significant and/or direct influence on health care outcomes. The Assimilating Health and Equity Assessments into Decision-making (AHEAD) Act (S. 4919) is cosponsored by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tina Smith (D-Min… Continue Reading

Cardin, Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Press Pompeo on Conflict in Ethiopia

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen led over fifteen of his Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressing their alarm at the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and urging Pompeo to directly engage with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. "We write to express our alarm at the deteriorating political and humanitarian situation in Ethiopia. The conflict in Tigray poses serious risks to Ethiopia and the broader region. We urge you to engage directly with … Continue Reading