CARDIN AND HOYER VISIT CHARLES COUNTY HEALTH CLINIC TO TOUT IMPORTANCE OF EXPANDING CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE

WHITE PLAINS, MD -- U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-5) today visited the Charles County Department of Health to talk about the importance of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the children of Charles County and Maryland.   Last week, President Obama signed into law the CHIP bill, which was passed by Congress with wide bipartisan support.   It will fund health care for approximately 6.7 million Amer… Continue Reading

SENTAOR CARDIN JOINS SECRETARY SALAZAR AT PATUXENT REFUGE TO VIEW PROPOSED PROJECTS TO IMPROVE FACILTY IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY PLAN

LAUREL - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today joined Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-5) on a tour of the historic Patuxent Refuge and Wildlife Center to review improvement projects that could be funded under the economic recovery package now before Congress.   Senator Cardin released the following statement:   "Patuxent is our nation's premier wildlife research facilities, but it is i… Continue Reading

CARDIN JOINS PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE WHITE HOUSE AS CHIP REAUTHORIZATION BECOMES LAW

Washington , DC - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today attended the White House ceremony where President Barack Obama signed into law the reauthorization and extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) .  This legislation, which President Bush vetoed twice despite wide bipartisan support, will fund health care for approximately 6.7 million American children already enrolled in the program. The bill passed the Senate last week by a vote of 66 to… Continue Reading

CARDIN AMENDMENT TO ECONOMIC RECOVERY PACKAGE WOULD BOOST HOUSING MARKET, EXTENDS FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS TAX CREDIT THROUGH 2009

WASHINGTON , DC - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) announced today that he will offer an amendment to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that will extend help for the ailing U.S. housing market through the end of this year by changing the date qualified first-time homebuyers could purchase a primary residence through December 31.     "Our economy is hurting and, as President Obama has said, there is no miracl… Continue Reading

CARDIN PRAISES SENATE PASSAGE OF CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE BILL

WASHINGTON -   After a nearly two-year fight to gain passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), today praised the Senate passage of the bill to reauthorize the program, saying "enactment of this measure is critical to the health and well being of America's children."  The bill passed the Senate today by a vote of 66 to 32, and passed the House on January 14 by a vote of 289 to 139.   This legislation, … Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKIANNOUNCE MORE THAN $260,000 FOR POCOMOKE CITY VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company have been awarded $261,250 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP). Senator Mikulski is on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the AFGP and fights each year to increase its federal funding.  Senator Cardin is a member of the Budget Committee, whic… Continue Reading

SENATE FINANCE PANEL ADOPTS BIPARTISAN MEASURE TO DOUBLE TAX BENEFITS FOR BUS AND SUBWAY RIDERS AS PART OF ECONOMIC RECOVERY PACKAGE

WASHINGTON, DC-With record numbers of commuters nationwide turning to mass transit, U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), joined with Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Arlen Specter (R-PA) and 10 additional co-sponsors, to announce Tuesday that their mass transit tax break has been included in the Senate version of the economic recovery package.    The mass transit tax break would double the federal mass transit benefit for people who ride buses, subways, commuter… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE NEARLY $4 MILLION FOR CAMBRIDGE-DORCHESTER REGIONAL AIRPORT

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the Cambridge-Dorchester Regional Airport $3.97 million through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) to extend its runway. This funding is for phase two of the project and it will be used to relocate the existing taxiway to meet FAA safety standards        "I strongly support this federal investment because it w… Continue Reading

SENATOR CARDIN PRAISES PRESIDENT OBAMA DECISION TO REVIEW CALIFORNIA WAIVER DECISION

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today praised the decision of the Obama Administration to have the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) review a decision by the Bush Administration that prohibited states from cutting vehicle emissions as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has long supported granting what is known as the "California Waiver," which would allow states to adopt ma… Continue Reading

CARDIN AND ENSIGN INTRODUCE $20,000 TAX CREDIT TO JUMPSTART AILING U.S. HOUSING MARKET

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and John Ensign (R-NV) are urging their colleagues to act quickly to pass a new $20,000 refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers to help jumpstart our nation's ailing housing market. Senator Cardin, a member of the Budget Committee, and Senator Ensign, a member of the Finance Committee, are working closely this week with their colleagues to consider this bill as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of… Continue Reading

CARDIN APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF U.S. HELSINKI COMMISSION FOR 111th CONGRESS

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today expressed his appreciation to Majority Leader Harry Reid after his appointment as Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) for the two-year period of the 111th Congress. Chairman Cardin, also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement. "This week our nation has begun to write a new chapter in history. President Obama understands… Continue Reading

LILLY LEDBETTER EQUAL PAY LEGISLATION

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, let me first thank my colleague from Maryland for giving me the opportunity to speak, but also to thank her for her extraordinary leadership on behalf of gender equality in our Nation. Senator Mikulski is no stranger to this issue. She has fought her entire life on behalf of equality for all people in this country. From her days as a social worker to her service on the City Council of Baltimore and now to the Senate, she has been our leader on speaking out for what is … Continue Reading

CARDIN LAUDS APPOINTMENT OF GEORGE MITCHELL AS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

Washington , DC - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and incoming Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, released the following statement in response to President Obama's selection of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as Special Envoy for the Middle East:   "George Mitchell is a man of integrity and a diplomat in the greatest sense. I was pleased to hear of his appointment as Special… Continue Reading

CARDIN PRAISES PRESIDENT OBAMA'S DECISION TO CLOSE GITMO, BAN TORTURE

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, and incoming Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, made the following statement today in response to President Obama's executive orders regarding Guantánamo Bay a nd U.S. detention and interrogation policies:   "I commend President Obama for issuing his executive orders today to close the detention c… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI ANNOUNCE RELEASE OF $10 MILLION IN FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS TO HELP MARYLAND'S WATERMEN

WASHINGTON,- U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced the release of $10 million in federal disaster relief funds to help Maryland's watermen and to protect the viability of local businesses that rely on blue crabs, which have faced economic hardships due to years of declining blue crab stock.   The Department of Commerce approved $10 million in disaster relief funds in November 2009. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admini… Continue Reading

CARDIN LAUDS APPOINTMENT OF RICHARD HOLBROOKE AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and incoming Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, released the following statement in response to President Obama's selection of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke as Special U.S. Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan:   "Richard Holbrooke has been a fixture of American diplomacy for decades thanks to his effectiveness as a … Continue Reading

SENATOR CARDIN PARTICIPATES IN NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE BY SERVING NEEDY AT OUR DAILY BREAD

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today participated in the National Day of Service as a way to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   Senator Cardin joined more than approximately 40 volunteers in serving a hot meal to hundreds of Baltimore City's neediest residents.   "The National Day of Service builds on Dr. King's legacy, which is grounded in community service and social justice," said Senator Cardin.   "It's imp… Continue Reading

SENATOR CARDIN LOOKS FORWARD TO OBAMA BALTIMORE VISIT AND NEW ADMINISTRATION

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today issued the following statement about President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden's upcoming Whistle Stop Train Tour, which will stop in Baltimore on Saturday, Jan. 17.   "As we draw closer to the historic inauguration of our 44 th President of the United States, I join with all Americans in feeling an overwhelming sense of hope and pride for the future of our country.   As a Maryland… Continue Reading

CARDIN, MIKULSKI WANT STIMULUS TO INCLUDE HAZARDOUS CLEANUPS AT ACTIVE MILITARY BASES LIKE FORT MEADE AND INDIAN HEAD

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (Both D-MD) this week urged the Chairman and Ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee to include shovel-ready environmental cleanups at active military bases in the pending economic recovery/stimulus package. In a letter to Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS), Senators Cardin and Mikulski pointed out the urgency of cleaning up hazardous sites at installations like Fort … Continue Reading

THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Today we celebrate the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born 80 years ago this year.   We are living in historic times and as we join together to celebrate the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, we also pause to remember the legacy of the Dr. King and we pledge to rededicate ourselves to his vision of equality, fairness, and justice.     We are nation of 300 million people; a nation in which one-out-of-three Ame… Continue Reading