Press Releases & Statements
Cardin to Oppose Pompeo’s Nomination as Secretary of State
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Wednesday regarding his opposition to the nomination of Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo to serve as the next Secretary of State: "Director Pompeo has a clear record of public service to his nation - in uniform, in Congress, and as the director of the CIA. I thank him for that service and for his willingness to continuing serving the United St… Continue Reading
April 16, 2018
Cardin, Van Hollen Announce $490,300 for University of Maryland Sea Grant Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) today announced $490,300 in federal funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Sea Grant Program. Maryland Sea Grant (MDSG) projects have produced significant results that aided fishers, businesses, policy makers, and conservation volunteers in Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region. Senators Cardin and Van Hollen fought for and… Continue Reading
April 15, 2018
After Bombing in Syria, Cardin Repeats Call for Passage of His Syria War Crimes Bill, Additional Diplomatic and Political Tools to Hold Assad, Backers Accountable
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the author of S. 905, the Syria War Crimes Accountability Act, released the following statement prior to the Senate reconvening for the first time after the recent U.S. bombing of Syrian government chemical weapons facilities by the U.S. and international partners in response to Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons against innocent people: "Now that the bombs have fallen, the Trump A… Continue Reading
April 12, 2018
Cardin Statement on Yom HaShoah 2018
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council 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 Monday in observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day: "On this day, around the world, communities gather to commemorate the Holocaust by… Continue Reading
April 11, 2018
Cardin, Van Hollen Commend Alex Villamayor Verdict
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) released the following statement in response to the guilty verdicts handed down against Rene Hofstetter and Mathias Wilbs in the case of Alex Villamayor, a 16-year old U.S. citizen and Marylander who was brutally murdered in Encarnación, Obligado, Paraguay in 2015: "Alex Villamayor's murderers have finally been brought to justice thanks to the tireless work of his family, the efforts of Paraguayan judicial off… Continue Reading
April 10, 2018
Cardin Addresses Syria, Trump Conflicts, Venezuela, Corruption at SFRC Hearing on Corruption and Governance in W. Hemisphere
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on "Summit of the Americas: A Regional Strategy for Democratic Governance against corruption in the Hemisphere.": "Chairman Rubio, thank you not just for convening this hearing but for your leadership on these issues. Our subject is a regional strategy for democratic governance over corruption in the Hemisphere… Continue Reading
April 09, 2018
Maryland Congressional Delegation Urges Gov. Hogan to Take Necessary Steps to Secure State Election Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Congressmen John Sarbanes, Steny Hoyer, Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Delaney, Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.), sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan, pressing him to allocate the required state matching funds to improve Maryland's election infrastructure ahead of the 2018 midterms. "As you know, the Maryland State election system was the target of an attempted intrusion by hostile actors duri… Continue Reading
March 30, 2018
Cardin, Van Hollen Thank Annapolis Lawmakers for Support for Metro, Welcome Federal Funding in Omnibus Spending Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) praised action by the Maryland legislature for approving $167 million in dedicated state funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA/Metro). Support for Metro - critical for Maryland's commuter workforce - was championed by Maryland State Senator Nancy King (District 39) and Delegates Marc Korman (District 16), Erek Barron (District 24), Jheanelle K. Wilkins (District 20), Jazz Lewis (District 24) a… Continue Reading
March 29, 2018
Cardin and Van Hollen Secure Robust Funding Increase for HBCUs in Maryland
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) today lauded new funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) - a 14-percent increase in federal funding in the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and signed into law Friday. The 14 percent funding increase, from $244.7 million in FY17 to $279.6 million in FY18, follows a request made by Senators Cardin and Van Hollen last month in a letter to the leadership of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee… Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
Congressional Members Seek Details on Hyperloop
WASHINGTON -- Today, Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, along with Congressmen Cummings, Sarbanes, and Brown, all Members of the Maryland congressional Delegation, and District of Columbia Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan requesting detailed information about the State's regulation of the proposed Hyperloop Project, including the regulatory standards that will apply to the project as well as the environmental and other reviews that will be required before … Continue Reading
March 26, 2018
Cardin Welcomes Expulsion of Russian Diplomats in Wake of UK Chemical Weapon Attack, Urges Trump to Acknowledge True Kremlin Threat
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the author of a recent report detailing two decades of Vladimir Putin's malign activities against democratic institutions and processes in Russia and Europe, released the following statement Monday after the White House announced the President was expelling Russian diplomats from the U.S. and closing the Russian consulate in Seattle, Washington: "The Trump Administration made the right de… Continue Reading
March 23, 2018
Cardin, Van Hollen, Cummings Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Improve Student Access to Federal Financial Aid
WASHINGTON -- Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen have introduced the FAFSA Fairness Act of 2018 to simplify the process for students to apply for and receive federal student financial aid when they do not have contact with their parents. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, introduced the companion bill in the House. "We want all students to have an opportunity to achieve their dream of a higher education," said Senator Car… Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Cardin, Van Hollen Praise Confirmation of Robert Hur to be U.S. Attorney for Maryland
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) lauded Senate confirmation Thursday of Robert K. Hur to be the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Mr. Hur has been serving as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General under Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the U.S. Department of Justice. "Marylanders have been anxiously awaiting confirmation of our next U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. I am pleased that the Senate has unanimously confirm… Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Cardin Concerned with Selection of John Bolton as White House National Security Advisor
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday after President Trump announced that John Bolton would serve as the next National Security Advisor: "While at times it seems President Trump takes advice from whoever he talks to last, it has been made clear over and over again that he is unable to absorb objective, constructive advice and strategy from even his closest advisors. John Bolton has demo… Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Cardin Calls Omnibus a Bipartisan Rebuke of President Trump’s Misplaced Priorities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, praised the bipartisan omnibus bill, calling it "genuine investment" in America's communities and local economies. "The omnibus spending bill approved by the House of Representatives, and now being considered in the Senate, is a bipartisan rebuke of President Trump's misplaced priorities and his utter misunderstanding of the important … Continue Reading
March 21, 2018
Cardin Appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been appointed to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which is the governing board of trustees for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Senator Cardin will fill one of the five slots designated for the Senate. The Council also includes five members of the House of Representatives. "The United States Holocaust Museum is America's official memorial to victims of … Continue Reading
March 20, 2018
Cardin Statement on Tragic Events at Great Mills High School
LEXINGTON PARK, Md. - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today released the following statement on the student shooting at Great Mills High School. "I was heartbroken to learn about the school shooting this morning at Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County, Md. It is a parent's worst nightmare that their child will not return home from school at the end of the day. I travelled to St. Mary's County today to offer my support to local officials. I also met with Governor Hogan, fellow members … Continue Reading
March 19, 2018
Cardin, Portman Urge Senate Leadership to Preserve 200,000 Pensions in the Final FY 2018 Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON - On Friday, Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) sent a letter urging Senate leadership to include their Retirement Security Preservation Act (S. 852) as part of a larger retirement package in the upcoming appropriations measure for FY 2018. Late last week, Aon Hewitt, a global consulting company providing pension services, reported that if Congress does not fix this issue in the next several months, approximately 200,000 Americans could lose their pension benefits. Wai… Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Cardin Responds to Sanctions on Russians for Attacks During the 2016 Election
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the lead authors of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued sanctions against 19 individuals and five entities under the provisions of CAATSA. "The previous lack of seriousness shown by the Administration in the face of a clear natio… Continue Reading
March 14, 2018
Cardin Says Banking Bill Jeopardizes Consumer Protections
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), ranking member of the Small Business Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, expressed his concerns about the consequences of the banking bill just passed by the full Senate. "I am supportive of efforts to reduce the regulatory burdens on our community banks and credit unions, which are the financial anchors of Maryland communities and provide critical support to families and businesses alike. However, this specific bill makes much b… Continue Reading
