CARDIN ATTENDS OFFICIAL OPENING OF STAR-SPANGLED BANNER NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL

S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today joined U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-3), officials from the National Park Service (NPS) and Maryland state officials to launch the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail at a ceremony in Baltimore's historic Fell's Point. Partners from all nine regions along the trail were recognized for their hard work to develop the trail in their local areas. "The launch of the Star Spangled Banner Trail is a key part of our nation's bicentennial celebration of… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE FEDERAL FUNDING TO DEVELOP NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park has been awarded a grant through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture for their Maryland Collaborative for Beginning Farmer Success program to help beginning farmers learn about and establish successful farms. The Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics of UMD will be awarded $845,850. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee,… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI, VAN HOLLEN ANNOUNCE $46 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT FOR LOW-INCOME OLDER ADULTS IN MARYLAND

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin, Barbara A. Mikulski and U.S. Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (all D-MD) today announced two grants totaling more than $46 million from the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) to two national charitable organizations headquartered in Maryland, Goodwill Industries in Rockville and Senior Service America in Silver Spring. The grants were awarded through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). SCSEP is a community-service and work-based training prog… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE FEDERAL FUNDING TO HIRE 18 FIREFIGHTERS IN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE FEDERAL FUNDING TO HIRE 18 FIREFIGHTERS IN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the Prince George's County Fire Department (PGCFD) was awarded grants through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to hire 18 firefighters. The PGCFD has been awarded $2,589,516 in federal funds. As a member of the Homeland Security… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE FEDERAL FUNDING TO HIRE 12 FIREFIGHTERS IN SALISBURY

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the City of Salisbury's Fire Department was awarded grants through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to hire 12 firefighters. Salisbury has been awarded $1,038,912 in federal funds. As a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Mikulski fights each year to increase federal funding for the fir… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE ARC GRANT TO REHAB WESTERNPORT’S AGING WATER SYSTEM

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Town of Westernport for the Westernport Water Distribution System Improvement project. The grant is expected to improve the quality and reliability of water service to 195 homes and 15 businesses, including the downtown area. Westernport's current water infrastructure is more than 100 years old and has experienced serious le… Continue Reading

CARDIN SAYS COMPROMISE ON GREAT APES PROTECTION ADVANCES ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) praised action today by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on S. 810, the Great Apes Protection and Cost Savings Act. This bill would end invasive research and testing on approximately 1,000 chimpanzees in U.S. laboratories and retire the approximately 500 federally-owned chimpanzees currently in laboratories to permanent sanctuary, while saving taxpayers an estimated $30 million every year. "I appreciate the careful consideration… Continue Reading

CARDIN BILL PROVIDES FAIR ACCESS TO CORN SUPPLIES FOR POULTRY AND OTHER FOOD PRODUCERS

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) has introduced a bill that would link the corn ethanol production mandate under the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) to the amount of U.S. corn supplies. S. 3428 creates a simple process so that when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports on U.S. corn supplies towards the end of each year, based upon the ratio of corn stocks-to-expected use, there could be a reduction made to the RFS mandate for corn ethanol. "Domestic food production is… Continue Reading

CARDIN PRAISES SENATE PASSAGE OF MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT EXTENSION, SAYS OUR ECONOMY CANNOT AFFORD TO LET MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES GET CAUGHT IN PARTISAN GRIDLOCK

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees, made the following statement after the Senate approved the Democratic Middle Class Tax Cut Act of 2012 (S. 3412): "The Senate took positive action today to extend tax cuts for all Americans on their income under $250,000, which will help our economy continue its climb out from the depths of a deep recession. There are still too many Americans-12.7 million - who desperately want the opportu… Continue Reading

CARDIN JOINS SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, OTHER MD OFFICIALS TO ANNOUNCE $45 MILLION TO REPAIR, UPGRADE TRANSIT VEHICLES, FACILTIIES

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings and other Maryland officials to announce $45 million in federal funding for Maryland to replace aging buses and transit facilities that will improve service for thousands of people who take public transit every day. The five projects are among 255 projects in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico selected to receive a share of $787 million in funding. … Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT FOR BALTIMORE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced the Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) has been awarded nearly $600,000 in grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to recruit and prepare minority college students for careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. As Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, Senator Mikulski puts money in the federal chec… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE $1 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO BUILD CHESAPEAKE BAY OYSTER POPULATION

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released over $1 million to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to help restore the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population. The funding, secured by Senator Mikulski in the FY2012 Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) funding bill, will allow for targeted oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay and… Continue Reading

MIKULSKI, CARDIN ANNOUNCE $2 MILLION IN THE FEDERAL CHECKBOOK TO IMPROVE OCEAN CITY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin, (both D-Md.) today announced that the Maryland Department of Transportation in Ocean City has been awarded a $2 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's State of Good Repair Program. This program provides assistance for new and replacement buses, related equipment and facilities. Senator Mikulski is a senior member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee which funds… Continue Reading

CARDIN VISITS CARROLL CO. CLOTHING MANUFACTURER TO DISCUSS NEED TO SUPPORT U.S. MANUFACTURING, BRING JOBS HOME TO AMERICA

WESTMINSTER, MD -- U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today visited the English American Tailoring Company in Westminster, which is one of the few remaining clothing manufacturers in Maryland. The Senator toured the plant and met with workers and management to discuss the need to keep jobs in the United States and to provide American companies with more support so they can compete in the global marketplace. In the last decade, approximately 2.4 million jobs were shipped overseas, with U.S. ta… Continue Reading

CARDIN STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST ISRAELIS IN BULGARIA

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, released the following statement on the airport bus attack in Bulgaria: "I am outraged by the senseless attack in Bulgaria directed toward Israeli tourists. My sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the Israeli and Bulgarian families of those killed and injured in the attack. Targeting innocent civilians is unacceptable under any circumstances in … Continue Reading

CARDIN LAUDS FINANCE COMMITTEE APPROVAL OF MAGNITSKY ACT AS PART OF RUSSIA TRADE BILL

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, applauded the unanimous committee approval today of his bill to urge Russia and other countries to hold accountable human rights violators within their borders, as part of legislation to establish Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia (PNTR). "Unanimous approval of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, by both the Senate Finance and Senate Foreign Relations Committees, sends a strong… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI, RUPPERSBERGER AND SARBANES ANNOUNCE FEDERAL FUNDING TO IMPROVE SAFTEY, CAPACITY OF BWI MARSHALL RUNWAYS

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, and U.S. Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes (all D-MD) today announced a $12 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) to improve runway safety and upgrade runways at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The $12 million grant will be used for the first phase of improvements to bring Runway 10-28 up to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety standards, including a reh… Continue Reading

CARDIN URGES SENATE TO END GRIDLOCK OVER DISCLOSE ACT

Washington, DC - After the Senate was blocked for a second time in two days from proceeding to debate on the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act (S. 3369), also known as the DISCLOSE Act, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) gave the following remarks. His full floor statement on this legislation, delivered Monday, is available here. "Democrats and Republicans used to agree that shining a light on our political process was a good thing. I don't know when that chang… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI, VAN HOLLEN, EDWARDS, METRO AND FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS FOR METRO

WASHINGTON -U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski along with Congressman Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (all D-Md.) today were joined by U. S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari, Federal Transit Administration Administrator Peter M. Rogoff, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman and Metro Board Member Alvin Nichols to announce the first-ever federal safety standards for rail transit systems nationwide, including Metr… Continue Reading

Cardin, Ruppersberger Kick-Off New Hotel Program for Wounded Warriors

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (both D-MD) today officially kicked off a new nation-wide program allowing the American public to donate hotel reward points to wounded warriors and their families. Six major hotel companies are participating in "Hotels for Heroes," which will defray the travel costs of wounded warriors receiving care through the military health system, as well as family and friends visiting them. The program was created by bipartisan… Continue Reading