Chairman's Press
Cardin Decries Backsliding in Burma as UN Human Rights Investigator Denied Access to Country
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Wednesday after the chief UN official investigating human rights abuses in Burma was denied access to the country in an upcoming trip. Earlier today, Cardin spoke out about the two Reuters reporters arrested and detained in Burma: "Burma continues to move in the wrong direction. A genocide has taken place against the Rohingya community in Rakhine, Burma, and … Continue Reading
December 19, 2017
Cardin Praises UN Renewal of Syrian Humanitarian Assistance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after the United Nations Security Council voted to renew UNSC Resolution 2165, which authorizes cross-border humanitarian assistance in Syria: "Today's decision by the UN Security Council was the right one, and I urge all friends of the Syrian people to do much more to ensure humanitarian access to besieged areas, particularly East Ghouta. "I am disa… Continue Reading
December 18, 2017
Cardin Expresses Concern about the Electoral Crisis in Honduras
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement Monday regarding the current electoral crisis in Honduras: "The widespread irregularities documented in the second report by the Organization of American States' election observation mission raise further doubts about the legitimacy of the Honduran elections. The fact that the OAS observation mission cannot certify the election results is a startling statement a… Continue Reading
December 14, 2017
Cardin, Magnitsky Act Author, Speaks at Helsinki Commission Hearing on Impact of Human Rights Law Five Years Later
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), delivered the following opening remarks Thursday at a Commission hearing on 'The Magnitsky Act at Five: Assessing Accomplishments and Challenges.' Senator Cardin is the lead author of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act: "Chairman Wi… Continue Reading
December 13, 2017
Transparency Champions Sens. Cardin, Lugar Call on House to Block Effort to Roll-back Transparency, Anti-corruption Standards for Oil, Gas, Mining Industries
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and former Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), called Wednesday for Members of the House of Representatives to block H.R. 4519 from further consideration after it passed the House Financial Services Committee. The legislation would repeal Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, commonly known as the Cardin-Lugar … Continue Reading
December 13, 2017
Cardin Expresses Concerns, Raises Questions about Presidential Use of Military Force Issues
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following opening remarks Wednesday at a hearing on "The Use of Force: Strategic, Political and Legal Considerations.": "Mr. Chairman, thank you for convening this hearing. As I said when Secretaries Tillerson and Mattis were before our committee this is perhaps one of the most important responsibilities we have in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to consider circumstances and l… Continue Reading
December 13, 2017
Cardin Delivers Senate Speech on State of State Department Concerns
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday regarding ongoing personnel, management and mission statement issues at the State Department. The following remarks were prepared for delivery: "M. President. I come to the floor today to share my deep concern over the current state of America's global diplomacy. A multitude of decisions made by this administration in the last year have caused… Continue Reading
December 12, 2017
Cardin Remains Concerned About Damage Inflicted on State Department, USAID Following Tillerson Address to Employees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed employees of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development: "Secretary Tillerson missed an opportunity today to put the State Department back on a path to full health and definitively end his poorly conceived and ill-executed hiring freeze at State and USAID, among the only agenc… Continue Reading
December 08, 2017
Cardin, Booker Place Hold on McFarland Nomination
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Friday, informing them of their hold on the nomination of K.T. McFarland to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. "Ms. McFarland may have provided information to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that conflicts with recent media reports regarding her knowledge and involvement in matters pertaining to contacts durin… Continue Reading
December 08, 2017
Cardin Condemns Deadly Attack on UN Peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of the Congo
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Friday after UN peacekeepers were attacked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 14 and injuring at least 40: "I strongly condemn today's brutal attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on UN Peacekeepers, in what the international body is calling the worst attack on peacekeepers in recent history. "I am deeply concerned about the in… Continue Reading
December 07, 2017
Cardin Welcomes W.H. Engagement on Yemen as Millions Continue to be at Risk of Starvation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday related to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen: "I am relieved that the White House is finally engaged on the crisis in Yemen. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been tragically, needlessly exacerbated in recent weeks by the closure of ports of entry into Yemen and blockades of both humanitarian aid and commercial imports. I agree with Presi… Continue Reading
December 06, 2017
Cardin Reacts to Jerusalem Announcement by Trump
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Wednesday in reaction to President Trump's announcement that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and eventually relocate the American embassy there from Tel Aviv: "The President's announcement today implements what Congress affirmed in 1995 with the passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act: Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel and the… Continue Reading
December 06, 2017
Cardin Leads SFRC Democrats in Letter to Tillerson: Reverse Course and Support, not Marginalize, State Department
WASHINGTON - The entire Democratic membership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.), wrote to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Wednesday, raising a number of concerns about his attempt to reorganize the State Department, cut its budget and personnel, and the manner in which the Administration continues to question the Department's work, mission and value. In part, the Senators asked for the Department's hiring freeze to be lifted immediately, and ha… Continue Reading
December 05, 2017
In Letter to State Dept., Cardin and Young Express Concerns About Reorganization Effort
Foreign Relations Committee Members Call for Greater Transparency with Congress and Immediate Lifting of the Department's Hiring Freeze Senators Challenge Assumption that Nation's Need for Diplomatic Capacity Will Decline WASHINGTON, D.C. -U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) sent a bipartisan letter to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan Tuesday expressing concerns regarding reorganization efforts within the Department of State and their impact on our country's diploma… Continue Reading
December 01, 2017
Cardin Commemorates World AIDS Day 2017
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, entered the following statement into the Congressional Record Friday in commemoration of World AIDS Day 2017: "Today, I rise to recognize World AIDS Day. It may be hard to remember, but there was a time when Congress could put bitter partisan rancor and finger-pointing blame games aside and unite around a cause. We did so to fight HIV/AIDS globally. Since 2003, the President's Plan for Eme… Continue Reading
November 30, 2017
Corker, Cardin Urge President Trump to Prioritize Elimination of Slavery in U.S. Policy Toward Libya
WASHINGTON - Expressing deep concern over recent reports of slave auctions in Libya, U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today urged President Donald J. Trump to make elimination of slavery a priority for U.S. policy toward Libya. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj of the Government of National Accord (GNA) on Friday, and the senators in a letter asked the presi… Continue Reading
November 29, 2017
Cardin Calls for Transparency in Honduran Presidential Election Aftermath
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Wednesday amid irregularities in the aftermath of the Honduran presidential election: "I am concerned about ongoing delays and reports detailing irregularities in the Honduran presidential election. It is imperative that this process be concluded in a free, fair, and transparent manner that accurately reflects the will of the Honduran people. I urge the Hondur… Continue Reading
November 29, 2017
Cardin Condemns Latest North Korean ICBM Launch, Reiterates Call for Diplomatic Surge
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that fell into the Sea of Japan: "North Korea's ICBM test today is another indication that despite attempts to increase international pressure on Pyongyang, the Kim Jong-un regime is determined to continue its dangerous pursuit of a robust nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles tes… Continue Reading
November 28, 2017
Cardin Remarks at Arms Control, Nonproliferation Nominee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following remarks at a nomination hearing for the Assistant Secretaries of State positions for International Security and Nonproliferation, and Verification and Compliance: "Senator Rubio, thank you for conducting this hearing and chairing this hearing. I want to welcome both of our nominees, Ms. Poblete and Dr. Ford. "Both of you, we thank you for your willingness to serve our… Continue Reading
November 24, 2017
Cardin Mourns Mosque Bombing, Shooting Victims in Egypt
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Friday in reaction to the large bombing of and subsequent shooting at a Sufi mosque in the Sinai region of Egypt that killed hundreds of victims and injured many others. As of press time, no one had claimed responsibility: "The murder of innocent people in the midst of prayer is an especially cruel and devastating form of terror, compounded by the purported at… Continue Reading
