minority
Press

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, applauded the passage of the substitute amendment to the International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023 in the U.S. Senate, which he championed with Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced he had sent a letter to Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the incoming Chair of the Committee for the 119th Congress, emphasizing the importance of bipartisan cooperation and adherence to longstanding Committee traditions during the leadership...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced the Realizing Economic and Strategic Objectives while Leading with Values and Engagement (RESOLVE) Act of 2024, comprehensive legislation that makes generational investments in U.S. strategic, economic, and diplomatic tools to confront...

WASHINGTON – Today, on Human Rights Day, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed the recipients of the State Department’s Annual Human Rights Defender Award. Hosting a roundtable discussion alongside Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Dafna Rand, Chair Cardin celebrated the...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Hong Kong Policy Act of 2024. The legislation updates the 1992 Hong Kong Policy Act to formally end Hong Kong’s special treatment under U.S. law and prioritizes the Hong Kong people and their struggle for democracy and human rights....

WASHINGTON – This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold Senator Cardin’s final 'Pen and Pad' press briefing for credentialed journalists as Chair of the Committee. MEDIA POLICY: Seating is limited. All members of the media must RSVP to reserve a seat for public hearings, business meetings, on the record briefings, and Committee...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the fall of Bashar al-Assad, ending over 50 years of torture, corruption, and autocratic rule by the Assad family and nearly 14 years of civil war and systematic atrocities by his regime, supported by Russia and...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, expressed concerns over legislative proposals in the Peruvian Congress that could curtail the work of civil society organizations receiving international cooperation...

WASHINGTON – Today, on the one-year anniversary of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s determination that members of the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were committing war crimes, and that RSF forces and allied militias had engaged in crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.),...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) issued a statement after speaking with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili. President Zourabichvili, who was popularly...

WATCH THE CHAIR’S FULL OPENING REMARKS HERE WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.)  delivered his final opening remarks as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the full Committee hearing, “Implementation of the Global Magnitsky Law.” In his remarks, Chair Cardin stressed the importance of fighting global corruption and...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement on the adjournment of the fifth International Negotiation Committee (INC-5) discussions on a binding international agreement to end plastic pollution. “This week, delegates to INC-5 concluded their latest round of negotiations...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hosted His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and issued the following statement: “This morning, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reaffirmed its commitment to and the vital importance of the longstanding U.S.-Jordan...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities, themed “Transformative Solutions for Inclusive Development: The Role of Innovation in Fueling an Accessible and Equitable World,” by calling on Congress to lead global efforts to empower...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the 1504 Modernization Act to update Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which became law in 2010. Section 1504, originally championed by Chair Cardin and the late Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in South Korea and the National Assembly’s subsequent 190-0 vote to lift the declaration: "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is closely monitoring...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, marked the day after World AIDS Day by calling attention to the urgent need for Congress to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has yet to secure a clean, multi-year renewal. “PEPFAR is more than a program –...

WASHINGTON – This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will convene for one full Committee hearing. MEDIA POLICY: Press seating is limited. All media must RSVP to reserve a seat, and only Hill-credentialed media will be permitted to attend. RSVP for all committee events, including hearings, and other special events. Cameras and audio...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. “The ceasefire agreement that ends hostilities in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah for an initial phase of 60 days marks a...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the proceedings of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties that have signed on to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC), as well as its...