Press Releases & Statements
Cardin, Senators Applaud Electrify Africa Bill Becoming Law
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today applauded President Obama's signing of the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 (S.2152) into law. The bipartisan legislation, which was unanimously approved by the Senate last year and passed by the House of Representatives last week, will leverage private sector resources through loan guarantees to help 50 million Africans acces… Continue Reading
February 08, 2016
Cardin Roundtable at Sheppard Pratt Hospital Examines Progress, Challenges in Mental Health Care
TOWSON, Md. - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, joined physicians, hospital administrators, and community mental health care advocates and providers to discuss ways to continue improving the quality and reach of mental health care services. In a roundtable conversation at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital Conference Center, the senator and public health leaders explored potential ways to overcome the many hurdles to delivering the be… Continue Reading
February 08, 2016
Cardin Statement Celebrating the Lunar New Year
BALTIMORE - On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in celebration of the Year of the Monkey: "I want to express my best wishes to the millions of people in the United States and around the world who are gathering with family and friends to celebrate the 2016 Lunar New Year. "The Asian-American community is rich and diverse, and has contributed greatly to the cultural fabr… Continue Reading
February 08, 2016
Cardin Calls North Korean Missile Launch Another Clear Demonstration of the Malign Intent of Pyongyang
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on North Korea's missile test. "North Korea's missile test is a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile and yet another demonstration of the malign ambitions of the regime in Pyongyang. It is a clear and direct threat to U.S. national security interests and those of our allies and partners. If the January 6 nuclear test were not enough, this missile test cl… Continue Reading
February 05, 2016
Cardin Statement on Senate Passage of the U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate passed the "U.S.-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015." "From its economic reform efforts, to its participation in the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, to its support for international diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian civil war and its significant role in addressing Syria's humanitarian crisis, Jordan's success is critical for regional st… Continue Reading
February 05, 2016
Cardin Joins Students at Howard Community College to Emphasize Importance of Affordable Higher Education
COLUMBIA, Md. - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today joined students and leadership of Howard Community College for a roundtable discussion on college affordability. Senator Cardin heard directly from more than a dozen students about the challenges they must overcome to pay for their education, and the effects of mounting debt on educational aspirations and occupational choices. Several students also noted that their education debt was likely to influence not only their own college and career c… Continue Reading
February 05, 2016
Cardin Warns Obama Administration against Shortsightedness in Response to Flint Water Crisis
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement in response to media reports that the Obama Administration proposes to remedy the water crisis in Flint, MI, by increasing funding for the Environmental Protection Agency' (EPA) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund by $158 million by reducing funding from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. "Flint is a case study in what happens when environmental… Continue Reading
February 05, 2016
Cardin, Mikulski and Full Senate Democratic Caucus Urge President Obama To Take Robust & Aggressive Actions To Address The Spread Of The Zika Virus & Ensure The Disease Is Contained To Prevent Outbreaks In The United States
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Barbara A. Mikulski, Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the full Senate Democratic Caucus today released a new letter to President Obama urging a coordinated interagency response plan to address the spread of the Zika virus both at home and abroad. The letter, signed by all 46 Senate Democrats, calls for the President to take a number of new actions, including taking the Zika v… Continue Reading
February 04, 2016
Cardin Statement On Strengthening The European Union
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement for the record on Strengthening the European Union. The statement addresses the challenges confronting the European Union today, including the refugee and migrant crisis, the effects of the Greece crisis on the Eurozone, the threat of domestic terrorism and foreign fighters, the rise of nationalism, Russian aggression, and the United Kingdom's upcoming referendum o… Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Cardin Lauds President Obama for Opening a National Dialogue with American Muslims at Baltimore Mosque
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised President Barack Obama for his visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque to celebrate the positive contributions Muslim Americans continue to make across our nation. Senator Cardin visited the Masjid Bait-us-Samad mosque in Baltimore County on Monday for a similar conversation on shared community concerns, particularly in the face of recent increases in anti-Muslim rhetoric and … Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Corker, Cardin Introduce Resolution Urging Robust International Assistance for Syrian Humanitarian Relief
WASHINGTON - Ahead of Thursday's international donor conference on the crisis in Syria, U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a Senate resolution urging the nations of the world to join the United States, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Germany and Norway in fulfilling their United Nations pledges for financial assistance to support humanitarian relief resulting from the conflict in Syria. "T… Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Stabenow / Peters Amendment to S. 2012
I rise today in support of the Stabenow / Peters Amendment on the crisis going on in Flint, MI. I support this Amendment, but I hope we do not lose sight of the big picture: that this is happening in cities and towns all across America. - In Michigan, it's not only Flint, but parts of Grand Rapids, Jackson, Detroit, Saginaw, Muskegon, Holland and several other cities, all have seen high blood lead levels in their children. - Sebring, OH just this week closed schools for 3 days… Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Cardin Roundtable with Maryland Muslim Community Leaders Strengthens Dialogue, Understanding, Unity
ROSEDALE, Md. - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday joined members of the Maryland Muslim community at Masjid Bait-us-Samad mosque for a conversation about strategies for overcoming challenges to building cultural awareness and community unity. "Our communities thrive when residents have respect and empathy for everyone around them, and those qualities are built through ongoing conversations," said Senator Cardin. "Lately, the… Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Cardin Urges President Obama, OMB to Right-Size Funding Requests for Water Infrastructure
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has written to Shaun Donovan, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, urging a substantial increase in the President's FY17 Budget for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs). The SRFs are the primary source of federal funding for all states to maintain, repair and replace their aging water infrastructure… Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Cardin, Casey, Van Hollen, and Scott Urge Administration to Support Chesapeake Bay Conservation Programs
WASHINGTON - Today Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Bob Casey (D-PA) and Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) urged the Obama Administration to strongly support agricultural conservation programs to ensure a clean Chesapeake Bay in its FY 2017 budget. To increase the economic benefits from the lands and waters throughout the Bay's watershed, states are working to achieve the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint, but progress is in jeopardy if programs are not sufficiently fun… Continue Reading
February 03, 2016
Cardin, Bipartisan Team of Senators Introduce Legislation to Expand Telehealth Services, Improve Health Outcomes, and Reduce Costs
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand telehealth services through Medicare, improve care outcomes, make it easier for patients to connect with their health care providers, and help cut costs for patients and pr… Continue Reading
February 02, 2016
Cardin Welcomes the Latest Additions to Magnitsky List
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) issued the following statement after the Obama Administration submitted to Congress its third annual report of U.S. Government actions to implement the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, adding additional individuals for sanctions. "As the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the author of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability law, I welcome the Administration's decision to sanction five individuals … Continue Reading
January 28, 2016
Cardin, Schatz, Whitehouse, and Colleagues Urge EPA To Take Further Action On Climate Change And Cut Methane Emissions
WASHINGTON - In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and 18 other senators are urging the agency to expand its regulation of methane emissions. As a part of the president's Climate Action Plan, the EPA has begun to address industrial sources of methane, but not all sources of the gas are current… Continue Reading
January 28, 2016
Cardin Delivers Statement On Legislation To Help Obtain Observer Status For Taiwan In Interpol
January 28, 2016
Cardin Delivers Statement On The Nepal Recovery Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, gave the following statement regarding S. 1882 the Nepal Recovery Act, which will work to support the sustainable recovery and rebuilding of Nepal following the recent, devastating earthquakes near Kathmandu. Senator Cardin introduced the bill with Senator Kirk as an original cosponsor on July 29, 2015. The legislation passed unanimously out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Janu… Continue Reading
