Cardin Says Momentum Is Building For Legislation To End Racial Profiling By Law Enforcement

Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today joined Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and leading civil rights groups to urge their colleagues in the Senate and House to come together and pass the End Racial Profiling Act. Senator Cardin is the author of S. 1038, the Senate version of the bill, which has 16 cosponsors including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Assistant Majority Leader/Judiciary Committee Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (… Continue Reading

Cardin, Hoyer Host Healthcare Providers On Progress Of Affordable Care Act And Upcoming Exchanges

Waldorf, MD - Days after rates were announced for Maryland's health exchange, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer (both D-MD) hosted healthcare providers and health partners from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties for a discussion about healthcare reform and the upcoming Maryland Health Exchanges. Health care exchanges that begin in January 2014 are a centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act. Participants in the roundtable will be on the front lines of navigating the Maryland… Continue Reading

Cardin Brings “Made In Maryland” Jobs Tour To Montgomery County With Visit To The Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

Dickerson, MD - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance and Small Business committees, toured the state-of-the-art facilities at the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard today. The visit was the first stop in Montgomery County for his 'Made in Maryland' tour of companies that are making innovative products and reinvesting in our communities to help grow Maryland's economy. Following the tour, Senator Cardin was joined by local businesses, including other Maryland wineries, catering… Continue Reading

Cardin Submits Proposals For A Fairer And More Progressive Tax Code

Washington, DC - As part of the blank-slate process established by the Finance Committee leadership, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has submitted his ideas on how to best reform the U.S. Tax Code. His priorities include enhanced progressivity, encouraging savings, promoting job-creating energy sector investments, and other proposals that would invest in our current and future economy. "It is time we embraced a balanced approach to our budget. This … Continue Reading

Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change Welcomes New Co-Chairs

WASHINGTON, DC- Today the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change welcomed two new House co-chairs - Rep. Bobby L. Rush and Rep. Earl Blumenauer - and the transition of Sen. Ed Markey to his new capacity as a Senate co-chair. "Senator Markey was an invaluable leader on climate change in the House and he brings a unique combination of expertise and drive to our efforts in the Senate. With the addition of Congressmen Rush and Blumenauer, the Bicameral Task Force is in its strongest position… Continue Reading

Cardin Troubled By Deteriorating Security And Humanitarian Crisis In South Sudan

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, and Senate Chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, released the following statement on the recent political crisis, violence and escalating humanitarian emergency in South Sudan: "I am deeply troubled by recent reports on the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Jonglei State in South Sudan. Reports indicate that there are over 100,000 internally displac… Continue Reading

Cardin Calls Student Loan “Compromise” A Short-Term Answer To A Long-Term Problem

Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, made the following remarks after Senate passage of H.R. 1911, the Student Loan Act. Senator Cardin voted against the bill, considering the current 6.8 percent fixed interest rate to be better for Maryland students than the terms included in the bill. "The federal government should not be making a profit off student loans. College is already too expensive. It is short-sighted to do anything that woul… Continue Reading

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Nomination Hearing for EAP Region

Today we are pleased to welcome nominees for Ambassadors to three Asia- Pacific countries: Mr. John Berry, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to Australia; Mr. Dan Clune, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to Laos; and Mr. Joseph Yun, of Oregon, to be Ambassador to Malaysia. We also welcome your friends and families, and understand that the families of our diplomats around the world make tremendous sacrifices every day for our country. So, I want to thank and congratulate them-and all of you- for agreein… Continue Reading

Cardin’s “Made In Maryland” Tour Visits Heavy Seas Brewery Where Jobs Are On Tap For Baltimore

Baltimore, MD - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance and Small Business committees, toured the Heavy Seas Brewery in Baltimore, MD, today as part of his 'Made in Maryland' tour of companies that are supporting quality jobs for Marylanders. Senator Cardin's history with Heavy Seas goes back to its first days as Clipper City Brewing Company, helping founder Hugh Sisson tap some of the first barrels in 1996. During his visit Friday, Senator Cardin used the opportunity to d… Continue Reading

Cardin Praises Confirmation Of Gina McCarthy As The New Administrator Of The Environmental Protection Agency

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and chairman of its Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, released the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Gina McCarthy to succeed Lisa Jackson as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. "As a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I look forward to working with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy as she works to make our country healthi… Continue Reading

Cardin Lauds Confirmation Of Marylander Tom Perez As U.S. Labor Secretary

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) praised the Senate confirmation of Thomas "Tom" Perez today. Perez is a former Secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and a former advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy. He has been serving in the Obama Administration as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. He also previously was President of the Montgomery County Council. "Tom Perez is a decent and hardworking public… Continue Reading

Cardin, McCain Respond To Navalny Verdict

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, along with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and sponsors of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, responded swiftly to news that a Russian court has sentenced activist, blogger and opposition candidate for mayor of Moscow, Alexei Navalny to five years in prison. "Today's political conviction of Alexei Navalny continues … Continue Reading

Cardin Impressed With Samantha Power Experience And Support For U.S. Leadership On Human Rights

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called President Obama's choice of Samantha Power to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations a positive choice for our nation and principled American leadership around the world. If confirmed, Ms. Powers would succeed Ambassador Susan Rice, who now serves as the President's National Security Advisor. In advance of today's committee hearing, Senator Cardin met with Samantha Powe… Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Announce $910,828 To Extend Frederick Municipal Airport Runway

Frederick, MD -- U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (Both D-MD) today announced that the City of Frederick has received a $910,828 Federal Aviation Administration grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) to support plans to extend the airport's primary runway. "Frederick Municipal Airport is a hub for economic development and job creation across the region and I am proud that we can continue to deliver federal grants like this one that will support the City of … Continue Reading

Cardin Calls Cordray Confirmation A Long-Awaited Victory For American Consumers

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance and Small Business Committees, praised the long-awaited Senate confirmation today of Richard Cordray to be the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Three years ago, Congress created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an independent agency focused on protecting consumers - like military families, students, and older Americans - from abusive financial practices. "American consumers de… Continue Reading

Cardin Lauds FDA Commitment To Promoting Health Equity

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) praised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its latest initiative to help eliminate health disparities. As a result of a Cardin Amendment to the 2012 FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), the FDA has released a comprehensive communication plan designed to ensure that physicians and patients are made aware of information identifying particular subpopulations that may experience adverse effects to drugs, biologicals or devices on the … Continue Reading

Cardin Statement on Zimmerman Acquittal

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) issued the following statement in response to a Florida jury finding George Zimmerman not guilty of all charges in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin: "The fact that an unarmed Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman was never in dispute. How and why this young man was shot to death, was left for a jury to determine. Many of us may not agree with the verdict, but we should abide by the wishes of Trayvon's grieving parents and not allow … Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski Colleagues Urge Investigation Of Allegations That “Debt Relief” Firms Are Exploiting Students

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben and Cardin Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today joined with 21 of their Senate colleagues to call on federal officials to investigate allegations that so-called "debt relief" companies have been using deceptive practices to profit from students seeking assistance in repaying their college loans. The federal government provides tools to help students manage their college loans free of charge, but a new National Consumer Law Center report revealed that private … Continue Reading

Cardin, Mikulski, Hoyer, Members of Maryland House Delegation Urge Congress to Replace Sequestration, End Furloughs

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD), and Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5), Representatives Elijah E. Cummings (MD-7), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2), Chris Van Hollen (MD-8), John Sarbanes (MD-3), Donna F. Edwards (MD-4), and John Delaney (MD-6) released the following statement urging Congress to replace the sequester with a balanced alternative to deficit reduction after civilian defense employee furloughs began this week: "Beginning this week, hundreds of thous… Continue Reading

Cardin Statement On Russia’s Posthumous Conviction Of Sergei Magnitsky

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in response to a Russian court finding deceased whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion. Senator Cardin is the author of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act that was signed into law in conjunction with Permanent Normal Trade Relations for Russia. "Russia continues to do damage to itself w… Continue Reading