Chairman's Press
Cardin Remarks at Hearing on EU Partnership against Russian Aggression
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing Tuesday entitled, "The European Union as a Partner Against Russian Aggression: Sanctions, Security, Democratic Institutions and the Way Forward": "I particularly appreciate this hearing. I think it's very, very important that we share a lot in our transatlantic partnership, and one of the things we share is that we are all targeted by Ru… Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
Cardin Statement on Trump Administration Termination of Funding to the United Nations Population Fund
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after the Trump administration announced that it has cut off U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): "The Trump administration's decision to cut off all U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund under the guise that it violates the Kemp-Kasten Amendment is extremely disheartening. UNFPA does not support coercion in reproduc… Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
After Latest Deadly Gas Attack, Cardin Continues Call for Assad Regime to Be Held Accountable for War Crimes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the latest deadly attack in Syria. "I am deeply alarmed by reports this morning of another chemical weapons attack on a town in Idlib Province, which so far has killed dozens of innocent Syrian civilians including children. Based on initial reporting, it appears this attack was carried out with a chemical nerve agent delivered by aircraft. Only the Assad r… Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
Senators Urge Trump to Complete THAAD Deployment to South Korea, Press China to End Retaliation
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) sent a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump - prior to his meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping - to support the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South Korea and to draw attention to unwarranted Chinese retaliation to the deployment of this missile defense system. Underscoring the increasingly unpredictable and volatile nature of North Korea's recent nuclear and… Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
Cardin, Rubio Call on Tillerson to Raise Human Rights Concerns with Chinese President Xi
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on democracy, human rights, and global women's issues, have written to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in advance of President Trump's meetings this week with Chinese President Xi. The senators urge Secretary Tillerson to "make human rights a top priority, both publicly and privately" in the discussions. … Continue Reading
April 03, 2017
Cardin Statement on St. Petersburg Bombing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Monday after a bombing in the St. Petersburg, Russia subway system left multiple victims dead and injured: "I extend my sincerest condolences to the injured and to the families of the deceased in today's St. Petersburg subway bombing. Terrorism anywhere threatens the universal values and norms that bind us in our common humanity. It is my hope that the Russia… Continue Reading
March 31, 2017
Cardin to Introduce Bipartisan Egypt Resolution
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, announced Friday that when the Senate convenes Monday he will introduce a bipartisan resolution reaffirming America's commitment to the U.S.-Egypt partnership. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is scheduled to meet with President Trump and Members of Congress in Washington early next week. Joining Senator Cardin in introducing the resolution are U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.); Ti… Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Cardin Statement on Venezuelan Supreme Court Attack on Legislature
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday after the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled that the country's National Assembly was operating "outside the rule of law" and declared that it would assume lawmaking responsibilities: "This development is a shocking, brazen attempt by President Maduro to effectively turn Venezuela into a dictatorship. I stand by the opposition lawmakers in the National As… Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Senators Call for Investigation of Trump's Dealings with Corrupt Oligarch Linked to Iran
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A group of leading Senate Democrats today called for a federal investigation into whether President Trump's business dealings in Azerbaijan may have violated anti-corruption and sanctions laws, and may have served as a channel for money-laundering and other illicit activities tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) outlined their concerns in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchi… Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Cardin Remarks on U.S. Global Leadership
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery at a hearing Thursday on "The Road Ahead: U.S. Interests, Values and the American people." The witnesses were former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley: "When the Cold War ended some thirty years ago, we were told that we were at 'the end of history,' and that democracy, open … Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Cardin Speaks Out in Support of Central European University
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday in response to legislation in Hungary that would threaten the operations and functions of Central European University in Budapest: "Since its founding in 1991 after the fall of communism, Central European University (CEU) in Budapest has become recognized as a preeminent university, drawing students from a multitude of nations. While Hungarian studen… Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Wicker, Cardin Support Territorial Integrity of the Nation of Georgia
WASHINGTON-Helsinki Commission Chairman Senator Roger Wicker (MS) and Ranking Commissioner Senator Ben Cardin (MD) today introduced a Senate resolution supporting the territorial integrity of the nation of Georgia. "The Russian government has tried to undermine Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity for far too long," said Chairman Wicker. "It is time for the United States to make it clear once again that we do not recognize Russian land grabs within its neighbors' borders. Russia shoul… Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Cornyn, Cardin Lead Bipartisan Group to Affirm Strategic U.S.-Mexico Partnership in Resolution
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) today introduced a resolution to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the United States and Mexico and recognize the bilateral cooperation necessary to advance both countries' shared interests in national security, defense, and trade. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) also cosponsored the resolution. "The United States and Mexico have long benefited from a symbiot… Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Cardin Statement on Senate Approval of Montenegro NATO Bid
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Tuesday after the Senate approved Montenegro's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): "Montenegro's membership in NATO will serve to strengthen the organization, enhance American national security, and send a strong message of resolve to Russia as it invades its neighbors and seeks to upend the international order. Montenegro's inclusion … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Cardin Remarks at U.S. Policy on Iran Hearing
WASHINGTON - At a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing Tuesday on 'The View from Congress: U.S. Policy on Iran,' U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the Ranking Member, delivered the following opening remarks: "Iran deserves special attention and this Committee can, I think, play a critical role. We have in the past. I think back about the legislation that authorized the sanctions against Iran for its nuclear activity. I congratulate Senator Menendez for his leadership on that legislation… Continue Reading
March 26, 2017
Senator Cardin Statement on Russian Protests
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Sunday as the largest protests in Russia in five years resulted in the arrest of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators: "I strongly condemn the arrest of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators in Moscow and across Russia today. This crackdown is another indication that the space for civil society is rapidly closing inside Putin's Russia. It is not surprising that th… Continue Reading
March 23, 2017
Cardin, Portman, Roskam, and Vargas Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Reject Attempts to Economically Isolate Israel
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and U.S. Representatives Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) announced Thursday the introduction of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, legislation to further combat the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Over the past several years, a growing number of countries have sought to isolate and delegitimize Israel through BDS actions. Last year, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) targ… Continue Reading
March 23, 2017
Young & Cardin Lead Letter to Secretary Tillerson Calling For Urgent Diplomatic Campaign to Prevent Millions from Starving to Death
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) led and delivered a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling for an urgent and comprehensive diplomatic effort to address political obstacles in northeastern Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid from being delivered to people who desperately need it. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), helped lead the letter, which was also signed by eight ot… Continue Reading
March 23, 2017
Cardin Highlights Importance of U.S.-Costa Rica Relations, Recognizes Costa Rica’s Strategic Role as Democratic Partner in Western Hemisphere
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, entered the following statement into the Congressional Record this week to recognize Costa Rica's strategic role as a democratic partner in the Western Hemisphere: "Mr. President: I rise today to recognize the productive partnership between the United States and Costa Rica. I recently had the chance to meet with President Guillermo Solis and I can attest that this is a bilateral relationsh… Continue Reading
March 22, 2017
Statement by McCain & Cardin on Injury of Magnitsky Family Lawyer Nikolai Gorokhov in Russia
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement today on news accounts that Nikolai Gorokhov, the lawyer who has assisted the family of tortured and slain Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, was injured after being thrown from his apartment building in Moscow: "We are deeply disturbed by reports indicating that Nikolai Gorokhov, the… Continue Reading
