Latest news with #VanHollen
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Van Hollen, other Dems push legislation to boost Medicaid and counter Trump cuts
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in a file photo from February. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Senate Democrats unveiled a package of bills Thursday aimed at expanding access to health care coverage, including one bill modeled after a successful Maryland law that lets taxpayers use their tax returns to enroll in care. Sen. Chris Van Hollen's (D-Md.) 'Easy Enrollment in Health Care Act' is one of about a dozen bills — including one from Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) requiring Medicaid and Medicare to provide dental, vision and hearing coverage — put forward by Democratic senators as a response to the Trump administration's efforts to cut federal health care spending. 'We're all here for those two reasons,' Van Hollen said Thursday at a Capitol Hill news conference to unveil the bills. 'One is to shine a light on the great damage and harm the Trump Republican plan will do. But also to put forward some ideas about what we could be doing to actually make health care better for more Americans.' Van Hollen joined Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico to unveil the bills. The Democratic legislation comes at a time when the Senate is deliberating the Republican-backed 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' The budget reconciliation bill would implement a number of Trump agenda items, including drastic cuts to Medicaid and other supports that backers say are needed to rein in what they call 'waste, fraud and abuse' in those programs. With a Republican majority in both the Senate and the House, Wyden acknowledged that the Democratic bills have little chance of passage. But. he said, Democrats still hope Republicans will work with them on the legislation and 'do the right thing.' Report: Up to 100,000 Marylanders could lose coverage if Medicaid imposes work requirements Democrats and health care advocates say the budget reconciliation bill would create more administrative hurdles for Medicaid recipients and will result in millions of people losing coverage, even if they would be eligible for the joint state-federal health care program. 'It's 'beautiful' if you're a billionaire or a very wealthy person. For everybody else, it's an ugly mess,' Van Hollen said of the GOP bill. 'It comes at the expense of everybody else in America. And that's especially true when it comes to attacking health care … In fact, it will kick 16 million Americans off their health insurance plans.' He said his bill, modeled after Maryland's 'Easy Enrollment' program, would do the opposite. In Maryland, Easy Enrollment lets people check a box on their state tax forms to allow the state to use information on the return to see if their household qualifies for Medicaid. Those who qualify then get further information on what options they qualify for, reducing administrative hurdles to Medicaid and other programs in Maryland. 'What we should do is make it easier for eligible individuals to get the Medicaid that they are eligible for,' Van Hollen said. This is the second time he has introduced the bill in Congress. A version introduced in the last Congress never even got a committee hearing. The other Democrats at the press conference offered their own bills to strengthen Medicaid. Cortez Masto's bill would increase funding for health care fraud investigation units to help catch more waste, fraud, and abuse in the system. She says that is more productive than just cutting funds to Medicaid. Luján is sponsoring a bill to temporarily expand federal funding to Medicaid programs for home- and community-based services that help support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Wyden also highlighted his own legislation to address hospital labor and delivery unit closures by supporting rural hospitals with additional Medicaid dollars. 'Fact of the matter is that Democrats want to make it easier for Americans to get health care, rather than put people who desperately need health care through bureaucratic water torture if they're going to get the health care they need,' Wyden said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dem senators propose bill to punish El Salvador for ‘collusion' with Trump
Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Tim Kaine D-Va., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced legislation on Thursday to hold Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and other Salvadoran leaders "accountable" for their alleged human rights abuses and for the country's "collusion with the Trump administration to imprison people from the United States without due process." Titled the El Salvador Accountability Act of 2025, the bill would impose property-blocking and visa sanctions on Bukele and other Salvadoran officials "who have engaged in international human rights violations or worked to deprive individuals residing in the United States of their rights under the U.S. Constitution." The measure would also block any U.S. funding to the Salvadoran government and instruct the U.S. to oppose international financial assistance being sent. This comes after the Trump administration sent over 200 illegal, alleged gang members to the infamous, high-security prison CECOT, which has served as a detainment facility for many of El Salvador's most notorious criminals. The move was met with staunch opposition by Democrats who accused the administration of depriving the illegal aliens removed of their due process rights. Democrats took particular issue with the deportation of illegal alien and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to the prison in March. Doj Charges Kilmar Abrego Garcia With Human Smuggling And Conspiracy Van Hollen was the first of several Democrats to fly to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia and to advocate for his return to the U.S. Read On The Fox News App Abrego Garcia, whom the DOJ is prosecuting on human trafficking charges and who is also an alleged wife-beater, was returned to the U.S. on June 6 to stand trial. Van Hollen released a statement celebrating Abrego Garcia's return, saying, "This is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights – and the rights of all." In a statement announcing the bill on Thursday, Van Hollen accused Bukele and the Salvadoran government of "colluding with the Trump Administration" by "taking American taxpayer dollars to imprison people as part of a scheme to violate their constitutional rights." Ag Bondi Details 'Very Serious Charges' Facing Kilmar Abrego Garcia "We must hold Bukele and his cronies accountable for these wrongful actions as well as for the gross violations of human rights they are committing in El Salvador," wrote Van Hollen. "We must send a clear signal that these injustices are unacceptable and must end," he said. Democrats Celebrate Return Of Suspected Human Trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia Padilla, who also flew to El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia, commented on the legislation as well, saying that "imposing economic sanctions and visa restrictions on Bukele and his corrupt government is a necessary step to push El Salvador to finally uphold international human rights law and respect fundamental civil liberties." "We must hold Bukele and all responsible parties accountable for the suspension of constitutional rights and continued collusion with the Trump Administration to imprison people from the United States without due process," he added. Padilla was detained by authorities on Thursday after attempting to disrupt a press conference being held in Los Angeles by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin responded to the legislation in a statement to Fox News Digital in which she quipped: "Is this just another excuse for Senator Van Hollen to fly down to El Salvador on U.S. taxpayer's dime to dine with gang members and terrorists?" White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also chimed in, telling Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that "Chris Van Hollen (D-Illegal Alien) continues to embarrass himself and betray his constituents by spending more time representing criminal illegal aliens than American citizens." "His taxpayer-funded vacation to El Salvador to sip margaritas with a terrorist, human-trafficker, and wife-beater wasn't enough – now he wants to keep more criminal illegals in American communities," Jackson remarked, adding "All Americans should be grateful for CECOT, which houses violent criminal illegal aliens who threaten the safety and security of everyone."Original article source: Dem senators propose bill to punish El Salvador for 'collusion' with Trump
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats celebrate return of suspected human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who has led the party's advocacy for suspected gang member Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, is celebrating his return to the U.S., saying, "This is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights." "For months, the Trump administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution," Van Hollen asserted in a statement sent to Fox News Digital via email. "Today, they appear to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States." Van Hollen was the first of several Democratic lawmakers to fly to visit Abrego Garcia after he was deported to a high-security prison in his home country, El Salvador, in March. Federal Judge Delivers One-two Punch To Trump In Abrego Garcia Case Abrego Garcia, 29, has been returned to the U.S. and is facing charges in a sealed federal indictment in Tennessee for alleged conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens. Read On The Fox News App Though many Democrats claim Abrego Garcia is an innocent man who was wrongly deported, the administration has pointed to considerable evidence he is a member of the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia allegedly moved illegal immigrants from Texas to interior states in what prosecutors say was an organized operation stretching back years. He has also been accused of being a member of the violent Salvadoran gang MS-13. According to court records filed by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, he also allegedly physically abused her on multiple occasions. Ag Bondi Details 'Very Serious Charges' Facing Kilmar Abrego Garcia Since Abrego Garcia's deportation to his home country, Van Hollen has advocated for his return. After Fox News Digital asked Van Hollen in May whether he was aware of the domestic violence allegations against Abrego Garcia before he went to visit him in El Salvador, the senator became defensive, saying, "What I said here was these issues need to be litigated in the courts." In a statement Friday, Van Hollen doubled down on that sentiment, saying, "As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man. It's about his constitutional rights, and the rights of all. "The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along." Tennessee Bodycam Of 'Maryland Man' Traffic Stop Shows Troopers' Hands Tied Despite Smuggling Clues Despite the gravity of his alleged crimes, returning Abrego Garcia to the U.S. has become a major cause for the Democratic Party. Earlier Friday, another Maryland Democrat, Rep. Glenn Ivey, who also made a trip to El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia, used his X account to promote an event to continue the "critical conversation on the fight to return those who are wrongfully imprisoned in El Salvador." Ivey claimed Abrego Garcia's case is "part of a much larger crisis — and we must not look away." Abrego Garcia's Wife Begged Judge For Protection Order, Saying 'He Slapped Me': Audio In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ivey also asserted that the Trump administration "defied the Supreme Court and misled the American people for months, saying they could not bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States under any circumstances, knowing that they had the power to do so all along. "I went to El Salvador and advocated for Kilmar's return because he was entitled to due process under our Constitution. Kilmar will now get his day in court. I hope he receives the fair trial that he is guaranteed." Maryland Gov. Wes Moore also celebrated the news of Abrego Garcia's return, telling Fox News Digital, "I want to thank our federal delegation for their efforts to ensure our government adheres to the rule of law." "This was never about one person, but about the due process that governs all people in our country. Today due process prevailed," he said, adding, "The federal government will make its case in court, the courts will make informed decisions, and we expect the Trump administration to obey the courts so every person is afforded their Constitutional rights." Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland's lone Republican congressman, however, responded to the news of Abrego Garcia's return with disgust, posting on X, "What a waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Bringing an already deported illegal alien criminal back to the US to be housed in a US jail at taxpayer expense so he can stand trial and then be deported back to his homeland." Fox News Digital also reached out to representatives Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., all of whom have made trips to visit Abrego Garcia in article source: Democrats celebrate return of suspected human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Department sued over Trump deal to house migrants in El Salvador prison
A coalition of democracy groups sued the State Department on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration's agreement with the government of El Salvador to house more than 200 migrants deported to a notorious prison. The groups, represented by the left-leaning legal organization Democracy Forward, said the government took 'unprecedented action' to transport migrants living in the United States 'beyond the reach of U.S. law.' El Salvador is reportedly being paid some $15 million by the Trump administration to house migrants in the country. The lawsuit marks the first legal challenge to the deal between Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. 'That action shocks the conscience,' the complaint reads. 'It also violates the law.' The suit cites the extreme conditions within the CECOT megaprison, known by its acronym in Spanish, where prisoners sleep in crowded cells with bunks three levels high and are not allowed to go outside or have visitors of any kind. 'Executive branch leaders have stated that the government plans to continue availing itself of the Agreement, sending more people, including potentially U.S. citizens, to indefinite detention in what is an effective black site,' the complaint states. The challengers alleged that the State Department's actions bypass federal immigration law and international treaties while violating constitutional rights to due process, legal counsel and protection against cruel and unusual punishment. They say the Administrative Procedure Act requires agency actions, like the agreement, to be 'both reasonable and reasonably explained.' 'The Agreement is neither,' the complaint reads. During a trip to El Salvador to visit the mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was told financial considerations were at play as they kept the man locked away. Van Hollen had pressed Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa about why Abrego Garcia was being imprisoned when he had no criminal history in either country. 'His answer was that the Trump administration is paying the government of El Salvador to keep him at CECOT,' Van Hollen said during an April trip to the Central American country. Numerous migrants have challenged Trump's plans to deport them to El Salvador, including under the Alien Enemies Act, but the suit is the first to challenge the agreement between the two countries. Five groups brought the lawsuit: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Immigration Equality and California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. Skye Perryman, Democracy Forward's president and CEO, called the practice 'unAmerican' in a statement. 'Our lawsuit makes clear: No president — past or present — can buy their way out of the Constitution to disappear people behind a paywall of impunity,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
State Dept. sued over Trump deal to house migrants in El Salvador prison
A coalition of democracy groups sued the State Department Thursday, challenging the Trump administration's agreement with the government of El Salvador to house more than 200 migrants deported to a notorious prison. The groups, represented by the left-leaning legal organization Democracy Forward, said the government took 'unprecedented action' to transport migrants living in the United States 'beyond the reach of U.S. law.' El Salvador is reportedly being paid some $15 million by the Trump administration to house migrants in the country. The lawsuit marks the first legal challenge to the deal between Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. 'That action shocks the conscience,' Democracy Forward lawyer Jessica Anne Morton said in the complaint. 'It also violates the law.' The suit cites the extreme conditions within the CECOT mega prison, known by its acronym in Spanish, where prisoners sleep in crowded cells with bunks three levels high, and are not allowed to go outside or have visitors of any kind. 'Executive branch leaders have stated that the government plans to continue availing itself of the Agreement, sending more people, including potentially U.S. citizens, to indefinite detention in what is an effective black site,' Morton wrote. The challengers alleged that the State Department's actions bypass federal immigration law and international treaties while violating constitutional rights to due process, legal counsel and protection against cruel and unusual punishment. They say the Administrative Procedure Act requires agency actions, like the agreement, to be 'both reasonable and reasonably explained.' 'The Agreement is neither,' the complaint reads. During a trip to El Salvador to visit the mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was told financial considerations were at play as they kept the man locked away. Van Hollen had pressed Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa about why Abrego Garcia was being imprisoned when he had no criminal history in either country. 'His answer was that the Trump administration is paying the government of El Salvador to keep him at CECOT,' Van Hollen said during an April trip to the Central American country. Numerous migrants have challenged Trump's plans to deport them to El Salvador, including under the Alien Enemies Act, but the suit is the first to challenge the agreement between the two countries. Five groups brought the lawsuit: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Immigration Equality and California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. Skye Perryman, Democracy Forward's president and CEO, called the practice 'unAmerican' in a statement. 'Our lawsuit makes clear: No president—past or present—can buy their way out of the Constitution to disappear people behind a paywall of impunity,' she said.
