Chairman's Press
Cardin Delivers Speech on International Anti-Corruption Day
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding International Anti-Corruption Day. The Senator specifically cited Ukraine as country working to curb corruption. The remarks, as prepared for delivery, appear below. "Today is International Anti-Corruption Day. As the U.S. works to support good governance and anti-corruption efforts around the world, I would like to highlight… Continue Reading
December 09, 2015
Cardin Statement on Efforts by Montenegro to join NATO
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the recent announcement by NATO extending an invitation for Montenegro to join the Alliance. "I welcome the recent announcement that NATO will extend an invitation to the country of Montenegro. I strongly support this invitation and look forward to welcoming Montenegro into the Alliance at the Warsaw summit in July 2016. Last month's horrific attacks in Paris wer… Continue Reading
December 07, 2015
Cardin Statement on Opposition Electoral Victory in Venezuela
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement congratulating Venezuela on its recent election for the country's unicameral National Assembly. Venezuela's Electoral Council (CNE) announced and President Nicolas Maduro has recognized that the opposition (MUD) won 99 seats, the government coalition (PSUV) won 46 seats, and that 22 remained too close to call. The opposition has only won one election in the past … Continue Reading
December 04, 2015
Ten U.S. Senators Arrive in Paris to Attend COP 21 Climate Talks
PARIS - Ten U.S. Senators arrived in Paris on Friday to attend the COP 21 climate talks that are now underway. The Senate delegation, led by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), will attend the Paris talks and participate in a series of events and bilateral meetings with world leaders in support of achieving solutions to the challenges of climate change. "On climate change, we are approaching a now or never moment. U.S. leadership has played a critical role in bringing us to this time in hi… Continue Reading
December 02, 2015
Cardin Urges Hungarian Government: Don’t Build Tribute to Architect of Hungary’s Anti-Jewish Laws
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, issued the following statement regarding plans by the Hungarian government to fund a statue honoring Balint Homan, one of the architects of Hungary's anti-Jewish laws and member of the Arrow Cross regime. "I am deeply distressed that… Continue Reading
December 01, 2015
Cardin Urges Continued International Engagement to Prevent Further Violence in Burundi
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered the following statement on the Senate floor regarding the political crisis in Burundi. A video of his remarks can be downloaded here. (AS PREPARED) "Mr. President, I rise to call for urgent action to prevent widespread violence and mass atrocities in Burundi. "We are at a critical juncture. I call on the Burundian government and opposition to respect the spirit of the 2000 A… Continue Reading
November 30, 2015
Cardin Welcomes Launch of Mission Innovation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a senior member of Environment and Public Works Committee welcomed the launch of Mission Innovation in Paris by President Obama, President Hollande, and other world leaders. "Mission Innovation is a game changer with the potential to create brand new energy technologies that can revolutionize the world," said Senator Cardin. "The possible breakthroughs in five years thanks to this groundbreaki… Continue Reading
November 21, 2015
Cardin Statement on the Death of American Aid Worker and Maryland Resident Anita Datar in Mali
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the death of American aid worker and Maryland resident Anita Datar who was killed during the terrorist attack in Mali on November 20th. "A week of horrifying violence overseas is now painfully felt here at home in Maryland. Anita Datar strove to make the world a better, more compassionate place. Her work was important as she summoned the best of American va… Continue Reading
November 20, 2015
Cardin Statement on the Terrorist Attack in Mali
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the terror attacks in Mali. "The brutal terrorist attack in Mali is a tragedy that must be condemned in the strongest of terms. The loss of innocent lives at the hands of Al-Mourabitoun, an Africa-based al Qaeda linked group, is a heinous act and underscores the need for continued vigilance and strengthened international cooperation in the fight against terr… Continue Reading
November 13, 2015
Cardin Statement on the Sixth Anniversary of Sergei Magnitsky’s Murder
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and author of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act (Public Law 112-208), issued the following statement ahead of the sixth anniversary of Sergei Magnitsky's murder. "November 16th marks the sixth anniversary of the brutal death of Sergei Magnitsky, the courageous voice against Russian corruption who was imprisoned and tortured in a Russian prison for 358 days before his death… Continue Reading
November 13, 2015
Cardin Statement on Paris Attacks
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the attacks in Paris. "It is with a heavy heart that I offer my sincerest condolences to the family members of the victims who were killed in this tragedy and to the French people during this difficult period. Too frequently of late, France has suffered at the hands of terrorists seeking to cause havoc and devastation in Paris and in other cities throughout… Continue Reading
November 12, 2015
Cardin Statement on Release of Arif Yunus
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in response to the release of Azerbaijani activist Arif Yunus. In August, Mr. Yunus and his wife, Leyla, were convicted of politically motivated charges as part of a troubling crackdown on civil society and free press by the Azerbaijani government. "I welcome the release of Arif Yunus from his unjust detention in Azerbaijan. The charges against Arif and Leyla … Continue Reading
November 12, 2015
Cardin Statement on the Release of Uzbek Political Prisoner Murod Juraev
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the below statement following the release of Uzbek political prisoner and dissident Murod Juraev. Last month, Sen. Cardin wrote a letter to Secretary Kerry expressing concern about the erosion of democracy and human rights in Central Asia and highlighted the plight of Murod Juraev. "While I welcome the release of political prisoner and dissident Murod Juraev whose 21-year incarc… Continue Reading
November 11, 2015
U.S. Senators and Leading Latin American Legislators Send Letter to President Maduro Calling for Transparent and Democratic Legislative Elections in Venezuela
WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented display of unity, 157 leading legislators from the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru sent a joint letter to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro calling for "free, transparent, and democratic" legislative elections on December 6th. The letter was spearheaded by Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senador Aloysio Nunes Ferreira, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Federal Senate… Continue Reading
November 10, 2015
Cardin Legislation, Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act, Passes Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Washington, D.C. - The "Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015," legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a unanimous vote. The bill establishes guidelines for measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for foreign aid programs and to increase transparency by codifying and increasing the amount of information posted online. The legislation is su… Continue Reading
November 10, 2015
Cardin Statement following Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Senate Leaders
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the below statement following his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and bipartisan Senate leaders. "Today, I welcomed Prime Minister Netanyahu to the United States. Especially now during this tumultuous period, as Israeli citizens have endured weeks of random and deadly stabbings and other terrorist attacks by Palestinians, I used our meeting to reiterate Israel's absolut… Continue Reading
November 09, 2015
Bennet, Blumenthal, Cardin and Colleagues Urge President to Prioritize Strengthened MOU with Israel
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are leading a group of 16 senators in urging President Obama to prioritize a new, strengthened Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on security assistance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington this week. A new MOU would help ensure Israel has the tools and resources necessary to prepare for, respo… Continue Reading
November 09, 2015
Cardin Statement on Elections in Burma
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on elections in Burma. "I congratulate the people of Burma for coming together on November 8 to participate peacefully in the country's second nationwide parliamentary election since 2008. The election is an important milestone on the path towards democracy and political reform in Burma, but there is still a long way to go. There are significant systematic and … Continue Reading
November 06, 2015
Cardin Statement on Keystone Pipeline
BALTIMORE - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Obama Administration's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline application. "The Obama Administration has rightly rejected the Keystone XL pipeline after having completed a responsible and thorough review of the project. In my judgment, the risks to U.S. public safety, public hea… Continue Reading
October 30, 2015
Cardin Statement on Pending Deployment of U.S. Special Forces in Syria
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the announcement that U.S. Special Forces will soon be deployed to Syria. "After a series of hearings and meetings this week, including with Secretary Kerry and General Allen, I continue to support targeted airstrikes and training, in conjunction with our coalition partners, along with the arming of vetted opposition forces, as methods to alter the regiona… Continue Reading
