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. …
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, …
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 …
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 ›