U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen Speaks To Students At Frostburg State
United States Senator Chris Van Hollen visited Frostburg State University (FSU) on Wednesday, March 28 to speak with students and give updates from Capitol Hill. Tim Magrath invited the Senator to come to FSU to speak to his Introduction to American Politics class as well as the general public.
Senator Van Hollen opened by providing his audience with some good news from Congress. He began with an update on the government budget, stating that a bipartisan budget had been passed. Sen. Van Hollen stated that the budget is not perfect, however it has many good investments to help Americans, including education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Relating to students, the Senator stated that the bill increased the amount and availability of Pell grants for students. Also, Sen. Van Hollen spoke on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to encourage college graduates to go into public service and then after ten years of public service, student loans are forgiven entirely.
In terms of Western Maryland, the bill managed to boost funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission, which helps promote economic development in the Appalachian Mountain region. In addition, the bill reverses the cutting of a government program at Fort Dietrich in Frederick, saving numerous jobs in the area.
Van Hollen continued his debate by encouraging students to remain involved in the public debate. He advocated for bipartisan cooperation, achievable by listening to the other side and understanding where facts are coming from. He pointed to the polarization of politics today and the need to create a bipartisan dialogue. Senator Van Hollen said to the audience, “for students I would say this, know your power in terms of debate and getting engaged, and also your voting power.”
The Senator also announced that he is the cosponsor of a piece of legislation aimed to combat the gerrymandering of congressional district lines across the country. He used Maryland’s 6th District as an example of a deeply gerrymandered region and also updated the audience that cases of gerrymandering are being discussed by the Supreme Court.
The Bottom Line managed to interview Senator Van Hollen where a question was posed about the mood and atmosphere of Congress since the 2016 presidential election. Van Hollen characterized it as a very turbulent time, where Congress has been very polarized, and there has not been much bipartisan cooperation. However, he stated that in regards to foreign policy, bipartisan behavior has moved more smoothly than in domestic areas.
When asked about a possible democratic wave in the 2018 midterms, Senator Van Hollen stated that he believes there will be several democratic pickups in the House of Representatives, whereas the Senate will be more challenging for the Democratic party. Van Hollen went on by stating that President Trump must been held accountable by members of Congress. He affirms that Congress cannot be simply a “rubber stamp” for the President given our system of checks and balances.
Chris Van Hollen was elected to the United States Senate in 2016 and previously represented Maryland’s 8th District in the House of Representatives from 2003 until his move to the U.S. Senate.
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