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Dear
Friend:
Our
nation
recently
experienced
another
senseless
act
of
violence
that
resulted
in
the
deaths
of
49
innocent
Americans
and
wounded
scores
more.
It
is
past
time
for
Congress
to
act
to
prevent
gun
violence.
Whether
it
be
the
alarming
number
of
gun
homicides
in
Baltimore
City
or
the
national
crisis
of
mass
shootings,
we
have
a
duty
to
act.
Enough
is
enough.
Your
Friend,
Enough
is
Enough
This
week,
our
nation
is
mourning
for
49
souls
who
fell
victim
to
gun
violence
in
Orlando.
Our
hearts
break
for
these
men
and
women
who
were
torn
from
their
families,
the
LGBT
and
Latino
communities,
and
their
daily
lives.
We
need
more
than
thoughts
and
prayers
to
curb
the
daily
wave
of
gun
violence
and
the
seemingly
never-ending
string
of
mass
shootings.
The
American
people
are
demanding,
and
rightly
so,
that
we
take
action
now
to
make
our
communities
safer.
They
don’t
understand
the
inaction
of
this
body,
and,
quite
frankly,
I
don’t
understand
the
inaction
of
this
body.
What
we
need
is
leadership
and
action.
Last
week,
I
joined
Senate
Democrats
on
the
Senate
floor
during
a
15-hour
marathon
calling
on
our
friends
across
the
aisle
to
work
with
us
to
craft
sensible
policies
to
keep
guns
out
of
the
hands
of
would
be
killers,
especially
terrorists.
From
intolerable
gun
violence
in
Baltimore
City
to
the
string
of
unconscionable
mass
shootings
including
last
week’s
horrific
events
in
Orlando,
it
is
long
past
time
for
sensible
measures
to
save
American
lives.
This
attack,
and
others
like
it
in
recent
years,
leave
us
angry,
frustrated
and
confused.
Whatever
irrational
excuse
for
the
shooting,
we
as
a
nation
must
resolve
to
stop
ISIL
from
committing
and
encouraging
acts
of
terror,
while
also
working
to
ensure
guns
made
solely
for
the
battlefield
stay
out
of
the
hands
of
individuals.
And
we
must
embrace
compassion
and
tolerance
as
a
counter
to
the
hate
and
fear
that
too
often
has
placed
the
LGBT
community
and
other
groups
in
the
crosshairs
of
violence
and
intolerance.
Read
More
on
Medium»
Enough:
Taking
Action
to
Curb
Gun
Violence
Unyielding
Commitment
At
our
darkest
moments,
we
are
uplifted
by
remembering
the
brave
acts
and
courageous
people
who
have
made
our
nation
and
Maryland
great.
Memorial
Day
gave
us
time
to
pause
and
consider
the
sacrifice
of
our
nation's
veterans.
I
believe
it
is
important
that
we
work
together
every
day
to
support
those
who
have
fought
for
our
freedom
and
security.
Our
efforts
to
help
veterans
must
be
as
equally
unyielding
as
was
their
commitment
to
protecting
these
United
States.
I
was
proud
to
join
American
Legion
Post
136
in
Greenbelt
to
talk
about
the
work
they
do
every
day
to
assist
veterans
with
job
training,
counseling,
and
many
other
aspects
of
returning
from
the
battlefield.
Many
veterans
of
recent
wars—as
well
as
veterans
of
earlier
conflicts—have
complex
and
unique
health
needs,
from
physical
ailments
and
disabilities
to
behavioral
health
issues.
It
is
our
obligation
to
provide
veterans
with
timely
access
to
the
treatment
they
need—and
closing
the
Greenbelt
Community
Based
Outpatient
Clinic
(CBOC)
and
combining
it
with
the
facility
at
Andrews
is
a
poor
way
to
show
our
appreciation
for
the
sacrifices
of
our
servicemen
and
women.
Read
More
»
Cardin
Statement
on
the
National
Defense
Authorization
Act
An
Ounce
of
Prevention
The
Zika
virus
has
rightfully
been
spotlighted
as
a
looming
public
health
crisis.
The
disease
is
linked
to
debilitating
birth
defects
and
neurological
damage.
As
we
enter
the
summer,
I
hosted
a
Zika
roundtable
discussion
at
the
Johns
Hopkins
Hospital.
This
roundtable
brought
together
nearly
three
dozen
experts
from
government,
academia,
and
research
fields
to
discuss
the
U.S.
response
to
the
Zika
virus.
What
was
clear
from
our
discussion
is
that
we
need
to
fully
fund
our
Zika
response
at
$1.9
billion,
the
amount
the
scientific
community,
public
health
experts,
and
Administration
officials
have
advised
us
is
needed
to
address
the
virus.
The
Senate
recently
passed
a
funding
package
that
falls
short
of
the
needed
$1.9
billion
and
the
House
of
Representatives
has
been
slow
to
acknowledge
Zika
as
a
public
health
emergency
proposing
a
$622
million
package.
These
may
sound
like
large
sums
-
and
they
are
-
but
they
are
necessary.
To
date,
there
have
been
544
reported
travel-associated
Zika
cases
in
the
continental
United
States,
including
17
in
Maryland.
Researchers
determined
that
if
just
2
percent
of
people
in
the
six
Southern
states
most
at
risk
for
Zika
contracted
the
virus,
we
could
be
looking
at
more
than
$2
billion
in
associated
costs.
And
that
$2
billion
does
not
take
into
account
cases
outside
of
the
six
most
at-risk
states
or
business
disruptions,
all
of
which
may
occur
in
the
event
of
local
transmission.
Underfunding
our
Zika
response
efforts
will
only
hurt
us
in
the
long
run.
If
Congress
fails
to
meaningfully
act
on
combatting
the
Zika
virus,
the
economic
toll
of
medical
expenses,
lost
wages
and
the
human
cost
will
far
exceed
$1.9
billion.
We
need
to
stop
looking
at
the
$1.9
billion
as
a
cost,
but
rather
as
an
investment;
an
investment
in
the
long-term
health
security,
welfare
and
productivity
of
all
people
at
risk
of
contracting
the
virus,
particularly
babies
born
over
the
next
year.
Read
More
»
Underfunding
Our
Zika
Response
Efforts
Will
Only
Hurt
Us
In
The
Long
Run
Inspiration
and
Guidance
As
Ranking
Member
of
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee,
I
have
the
chance
to
engage
with
leaders
from
across
the
world.
Throughout
his
life
and
work,
His
Holiness
the
Dalai
Lama
has
been
a
driving
force
for
more
peace
and
better
understanding
in
this
world.
It
was
an
honor
to
again
welcome
the
Dalai
Lama
and
the
Tibetan
Prime
Minister
to
the
Senate,
and
have
the
opportunity
to
speak
to
them
about
issues
ranging
from
human
and
religious
rights
to
the
environment
to
relations
with
China.
As
I
continue
to
underscore
the
importance
of
protecting
and
uplifting
basic
human
rights
in
the
foreign
policy
of
the
United
States
as
well
as
in
the
work
of
our
partners
and
allies
abroad,
the
Dalai
Lama
remains
a
source
of
inspiration
and
guidance.
Read
More
»
The
Dalai
Lama:
Why
I'm
hopeful
about
the
world's
future
Promoting
Dialogue
Days
after
greeting
Indian
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
in
Washington,
I
hosted
a
roundtable
discussion
on
the
campus
of
Howard
Community
College
with
leaders
of
Maryland’s
highly
diverse
Indian-American
community.
I
also
recently
made
my
first
visit
to
India
where
I
saw
firsthand
the
scope
of
India’s
economic
and
security
progress,
learned
more
about
India’s
public
debate
on
women’s
rights,
religious
tolerance
and
human
trafficking.
Closer
to
home,
I
have
been
working
to
promote
economic
opportunity
and
public
awareness
of
Maryland’s
Indian-American
community.
As
the
two
largest
democracies
in
the
world,
the
United
States
and
India
have
a
special
relationship
that
has
undergone
tremendous
recent
progress,
but
both
nations
have
a
way
to
go
in
perfecting
our
respective
unions
to
ensure
that
the
rights
of
all
are
protected
and
celebrated.
Maryland’s
Indian-American
community
is
uniquely
positioned
to
advance
both
nations’
policies
and
help
strengthen
our
bilateral
relationship,
and
I
look
forward
to
the
opportunity
to
exchange
ideas
with
its
leaders.
Renewable
Energy
&
Small
Business
in Western
Maryland
Last
Friday,
I
visited
Frederick,
Md.,
for
a
variety
of
events
that
celebrate
the
expansion
of
renewable
energy,
recreational
opportunities,
greater
opportunities
for
local
small
businesses
and
I
met
with
a
number
of
women
in
business
and
community
leadership
roles.
I
was
pleased
to
visit
Fort
Detrick
for
a
ribbon-cutting
ceremony
of
a
major
new
solar
energy
facility.
The
15-megawatt
installation
is
comprised
of
almost
60,000
solar
panels
that
will
generate
enough
electricity
to
power
more
than
2,500
homes
per
year
and
reduce
greenhouse
gas
emissions
by
19,000
metric
tons
annually.
I
then
participated
in
a
tour
and
briefing
by
local
leaders
on
the
recently
completed
Phase
2
of
Carroll
Creek
Linear
Park,
a
multi-decade
infrastructure
project
through
downtown
Frederick
that
has
evolved
from
a
flood
control
initiative
to
a
major
driver
of
local
small
business
growth
and
premier
opportunity
for
walking
and
biking.
I
capped
off
my
visit
to
Frederick
with
a
roundtable
discussion
with
women
business
owners
and
community
leaders.
We
discussed
ways
that
the
federal
government
can
be
a
more
effective
partner
with
the
private
sector
and
non-profit
organizations
to
promote
community
and
the
success
of
their
initiatives.
Stemming
An
Epidemic
Last
week,
I
was
joined
in
Edgewood,
Md.,
by
local
medical
and
behavioral
health
practitioners
and
law
enforcement
officials
for
a
discussion
on
the
growing
statewide
epidemic
of
addiction
to
opioids.
Participants
and
I
discussed
the
many
ways
in
which
addiction
takes
root,
along
with
exploring
approaches
to
treatment
and
the
prevention
of
future
cases
of
addiction.
The
epidemic
of
opioid
abuse
and
addiction
is
a
public
health
crisis
that
hurts
every
state
in
our
country,
and
every
region
of
Maryland.
Some
parts
of
our
state
have
the
highest
per
capita
rates
of
heroin
and
opioid
drug
use
in
the
United
States.
Facing
this
challenge
goes
beyond
law
enforcement
and
must
include
treatment
centers,
prevention,
addressing
overdoses
and
providing
support
for
those
in
or
seeking
recovery.
A
comprehensive
approach
requires
the
federal
government
work
as
an
active
partner
with
our
states
and
localities,
providing
adequate
resources
to
address
the
existing
and
emerging
trends
in
opioid
and
heroin
abuse.
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