Thursday, April 18, 2013
The congressman accused lawmakers of bowing to special interests after the Senate rejected expanded background checks on firearms. Do you agree?
The U.S. Senate rejected expanded background checks on firearm sales Wednesday, rejecting bipartisan legislation endorsed by President Barack Obama. The bipartisan effort of Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), failed 54-46, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster, The Huffington Post reported. The measure would have expanded the current check system to cover sales of weapons on the Internet and at gun shows. Opponents said the expansion would have set the stage for a national registry of gun owners and said that it would not have prevented tragedies such as the Newtown shootings, HuffPo reports (see Gun Bill Background Check Amendment Fails, Other Key Provisions Follow). In response, U.S. Rep. …
Sunday, February 3, 2013
The shift is no surprise and, in fact, was part of a key political move.
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Sunday, February 3
By Jeremy Barr, Capital News Service Maryland’s redrawn congressional map, which paved the way for a Democratic victory in November, significantly altered the makeup of two of the state’s eight congressional districts, as expected, according to recently released demographic estimates. The 6th Congressional District, which was reshaped to include a swath of heavily Democratic Montgomery County, is now 69 percent white, down from 87 percent in 2010, according to census data. The shift stems from 7 percentage-point increases in each of the populations of African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American residents. The 8th District, represented by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Kensington, experienced a countervailing shift. The district’s share of …
Friday, January 25, 2013
U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen is slated to speak at the rally in front of the Washington Monument.
Montgomery County residents taking part in Saturday's March on Washington to Prevent Gun Violence will see at least one familar face in the crowd: that of U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington, who will speak at the march, according to a statement from his office. Participants in the march will gather at 10 a.m. in front of the U.S. Capitol's reflecting pool. After a silent march from the Capitol to the Washington Monument via Constitution Avenue, participants will hold a rally at the monument at 11 a.m. in which Van Hollen and others will deliver remarks. March participants will include religious leaders, elected officials, victims of gun violence, children’s health and safety advocates and concerned citizens, …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Judy Gross continues to fight for her husband Alan’s release and has sued the U.S. government for failing to protect him.
It’s been three years since 63-year-old Potomac resident Alan Gross was arrested and jailed in a Cuban prison, but his wife, Judy, hasn’t given up the fight. A day before the third anniversary of Gross’ arrest, religious and political leaders joined Judy to protest her husband’s imprisonment outside the Cuban diplomatic mission, according to a WUSA9 report. Gross was sentenced to 15 years after a Cuban court convicted him of working for U.S. government intelligence. Gross and his supporters maintain he was in Cuba working as a U.S. contractor to bring cell phones and computers to the country. Judy Gross has advocated for her husband since his arrest and now fears for his health, according to the report. “According to Judy Gross, her …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Van Hollen was unanimously re-elected Thursday to serve as ranking member of the House Budget Committee by the House Democratic Caucus.
The U.S. House of Representatives' Democratic Caucus unanimously reelected Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D, District 8) on Thursday to serve as ranking member of the House Budget Committee. "It has been a privilege to serve as ranking member of the Budget Committee for the last two years, and I am honored that my colleagues have reelected me to continue to serve in the 113th Congress," Van Hollen said after his reelection. The House Budget Committee is chaired by Rep. Paul Ryan (R, Wisconsin). In the 112th Congress (2011 to 2012), the committee consisted of 22 Republicans and 16 Democrats. As ranking member, Van Hollen is the most senior member of the committee from the minority party (which, in the case of the House of Representatives, is …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Republican challenger Ken Timmerman took on incumbent U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen.
Update, 12:43 a.m.: Montgomery County Democrats cheered the victories of Van Hollen and President Barack Obama at a watch party in Rockville Tuesday evening. "My enthusiasm for Barack Obama and for Chris Van Hollen drew me out tonight," said Chevy Chase democrat Mary McMahon. "I'm absolutely ecstatic about our victories." Van Hollen told Patch he was working to get to know his new constituents in the newly re-drawn District 8, meeting with business owners, farmers and students in Carroll and Frederick counties. "I'm looking forward to representing all the people of District 8," Van Hollen said. As election returns rolled in, Democrats clapped and hugged amidst chants of "four more years." "You can see there's a lot of energy here," Van …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Work by high school artists from the 8th District is on display at VisArts in Rockville through May 17.
VisArts in Rockville is hosting an exhibit of work entered in the Congressional Art Competition for High School Students sponsored by U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr.'s office now through May 17. This is the 10th year that Van Hollen (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington personally congratulated the young artists, presenting them with certificates of participation and recognition in the national competition, which began in 1981. An awards ceremony on April 30 at VisArts included competition participants, their families, teachers and competition sponsors and organizers. The juried exhibit of 95 selected entries is on view in the Kaplan Gallery at VisArts. More than 260 students from 25 local schools participated in the competition. "When jurying a …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Check out our calendar for more of the week’s events.
Good morning, Potomac! It’s Monday morning, and time to start your work week with this week’s “5 Things.” Among our offerings: weather, some interesting tidbits and a few quick notes. 1.) This week will start off pleasant and sunny with temps in the mid-60s, with rising temperatures and a chance of rain mid week. The end of the weeks looks to be warm with the mercury climbing into the low 80s. 2.) The chance to nominate your favorite non-profit for a $500 donation ends at 9:00 a.m. this morning. 3.) Don’t miss Congressman Chris Van Hollen at the 31st Annual Congressional Art Competition. 4.) On this day in 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. President. 5.) Do you have an event that you're trying to promote on Patch? …
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Republican candidate will launch his campaign in all three of District 8's counties.
Dave Wallace, a Republican businessman from Carroll County, is planning to run against Rep. Chris Van Hollen in the coming congressional election. Wallace will announce his candidacy in each of District 8's three counties Thursday, including a stop at the Social Security Administration in Rockville at 5:30 p.m. Van Hollen has won his last four elections with more than 70 percent of the vote, but that was before the state approved a congressional redistricting plan that splits much of Montgomery County between Districts 6 and 8 and brings parts of Frederick and Carroll counties into Van Hollen's district. Wallace said in a statement that the people of District 8 deserve a more reliable leader than Van Hollen. "Van Hollen is irresponsible, …
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Kensington Democrat says Congress missed a great opportunity.
The bi-partisan committee tasked with slashing the federal deficit will not be able reach an agreement before the Wednesday deadline, its leadership announced this evening. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Kensington Democrat, is a member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction and said Congress has missed a great opportunity. "I am very disappointed that the Joint Committee was unable to develop a plan to boost job growth and reduce the long-term deficit in a predictable, balanced way," he said in a statement. Van Hollen said members of the public will likely blame both parties for the supercommittee's breakdown, but that wouldn't be a fair analysis. "That approach would be as easy as it would be wrong," he said. "... In the days ahead…
David Epstein
1:26 pm on Friday, April 19, 2013
Congress has been notorious in its failure to listen to their constituents. Two notable examples are limiting the proliferation of guns, especially among the people who should not have them, and ethics. The ethics restrictions are not like Swiss Cheese. They're more like a picture frame with nothing inside. A third party entity without an axe to grind should be able to kick the offenders out of … more ›