December 9, 2025

Senate Update: Where Things Stand

As Maryland families gather for the holidays, too many are struggling to cover rising costs — rent, groceries, health and energy bills. Federal employees and contractors are still trying to bounce back from Trump’s shutdown and the relentless attacks on our federal workforce. And communities across our country are bearing the burden of Trump’s harmful policies. In the new year, thousands of Marylanders will see their health insurance premiums increase or lose their insurance coverage entirely because Trump and Republicans are refusing to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.  

Donald Trump promised that on day one of his Administration he would start to drive down prices and address the affordability crisis — but he has reneged on those promises. Instead of helping working families, he’s spent the year boosting powerful special interests and his billionaire buddies. He is gutting health care to help pay for tax giveaways to the ultra-rich and making corrupt deals with foreign governments to secure financial gains for his family and friends.  

I refuse to accept this corruption. I believe in a government that serves all people, not just ultra-wealthy people. Here’s the latest on my work to fight back. 

Republicans’ Refusal to Stop an Explosion of Health Care Costs

We’re running out of time to prevent an explosion of health care costs. When Trump and Republicans passed their “Big Beautiful Bill” over the summer, they permanently extended tax cuts for billionaires and the super-wealthy, but let the ACA premium tax credits that help millions afford their health care expire at the end of the year. In other words, Republicans refused to defuse a ticking time bomb on Americans’ health care. Because of their refusal to extend the ACA premium tax credits, nearly 4 million Americans will lose their insurance, premiums will skyrocket for over 20 million Americans, and costs will rise for everyone. 

Unless Trump and Republicans in Congress change course, premiums will rise by 35% on average for approximately 190,000 Marylanders who currently receive these tax credits, and 30,000 Marylanders are expected to lose their health insurance entirely because they will no longer be able to afford it. You may have already received a renewal notice about your rising health care premiums for 2026. Congress needs to act now to extend these tax credits and stop these health care costs from skyrocketing before it is too late. 

But defusing this time bomb isn’t enough. Let's face it, we have a broken health care system. We spend nearly 18% of our economy every year on health care. We rack up huge bills just trying to navigate the paperwork. But the health outcomes don't show meaningful benefits — not to Americans’ life expectancy, and not to our access to quality care. We’re not getting what we’re paying for. So, we shouldn’t just be tinkering with the broken system. Let's finally get it right. I agree with those — including the President — who say we should get rid of the middlemen that drive up everyone’s costs. It’s time to build a system of universal health care that’s focused on people instead of profits. That’s why I believe now is the time to pass Medicare For All. 

Fighting for Students with Disabilities  

50 years ago, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which guaranteed the right to a free, quality public education for children with disabilities. This was a watershed moment for our country. On this anniversary, I’m grateful for everyone who has helped to realize the goals of IDEA, including students with disabilities, families and caregivers, teachers, paraprofessionals, researchers, advocates, and so many more. Click here to watch my remarks about IDEA on the Senate Floor. I am also glad to report that my bipartisan resolution commemorating this anniversary passed the Senate last week.

But even as we celebrate IDEA’s 50th anniversary, we must remember that we have a long way to go to meet its promise. In 1975, Congress pledged to fund IDEA at 40% of the cost per pupil. We’ve never come close. Today, we fund IDEA at less than 12% of the cost per pupil, leaving schools and students short a whopping $38 billion every year. For many years, I’ve introduced legislation that would fully fund IDEA — and I will keep fighting until my bill becomes law. We teach students to keep their promises, and the federal government should do as we say.  

Demanding a Foreign Policy that Aligns with Our Values 

The new National Security Strategy issued by the Trump Administration represents a huge retreat from principles that have long guided our relations with the world. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I believe that US foreign policy should reflect American values, especially our support of human rights, freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. And that means we must have the courage and consistency to apply those standards not only to our foes, but also to our friends. But too often, we’re coming up short. 

The Trump Administration is trying to pressure Ukraine into a so-called peace deal that would reward Russia for its aggression and encourage Putin to start more wars in the future. Trump’s billionaire buddies have lucrative financial ties to Russia, and — surprise, surprise — the negotiations seem to put their business interests ahead of our collective national interests and universal human rights. It is repulsive to see this coming from an American president. I’m fighting back. 

Off the coast of Venezuela, Trump appears to be on the verge of starting a war. For months, he has ordered the US military to attack boats in the Caribbean Sea that he claims are carrying “narco-terrorists” smuggling drugs to the United States. Yet his Administration has provided no evidence, and, at the same time, the President is issuing presidential pardons to convicted drug kingpins. There is much that the Trump Administration could do to fight the plague of drug addiction in America. But instead of focusing on ways to help Americans, Trump is starting a dangerous conflict overseas. He authorized covert CIA action in Venezuela, threatening to repeat all our country’s worst mistakes in Latin America. And he’s amassing the largest US military buildup in the region in decades, openly threatening a regime-change war that would risk the lives of American troops and innocent Venezuelan civilians. While the President has the authority to defend the United States from imminent attack, there is no such threat of attack from Venezuela, nor from these boats in international waters. The extrajudicial killings of the individuals on these boats are nothing more than state-sanctioned murder by the Trump Administration.  

Donald Trump is not a king; he does not have the power to start foreign wars without provocation. That’s why I joined Senators from both parties in voting to stop Trump’s march to war, but MAGA Republicans blocked us from holding the President accountable. Despite this setback, we must not let Trump drag us into yet another war.  

In Sudan, violence continues to roil the nation as hundreds of thousands of civilians have lost their lives in the current civil war. This war has been fueled in large part by a militia group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which both the Trump and Biden Administrations have determined to be committing genocide in Darfur. The RSF is being propped up by weapons from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While the UAE is an important US partner in many domains, we cannot look the other way while they enable genocide. But instead of holding the UAE accountable, Donald Trump is rewarding the UAE with American weapons and the crown jewels of American technology — and the UAE is buying Trump’s favor by signing massive cryptocurrency deals with his family. That’s why I brought up legislation I’ve introduced to cease US arms sales to the UAE unless they stop supporting the RSF and fueling the ongoing genocide. Republicans blocked my bill, but I’ll keep fighting to use our leverage to end the bloodshed in Sudan.  

In addition to these conflicts, I continue to closely monitor the promised ceasefire in Gaza. I remain deeply concerned about the lack of full enforcement of even the first phase of the ceasefire as the loss of Palestinian civilian lives and the dire humanitarian situation continue.  

At the same time, I’ve continued to speak out about increasing violence on the West Bank and the treatment of Palestinians and others held by the Government of Israel. That includes an American citizen, Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old boy who was beaten and imprisoned for 9 months, without a trial, by the Netanyahu government. I repeatedly pressed the Netanyahu government to release Mohammed — including when I visited Israel and the West Bank in August, where I met with Mohammed’s family. I also pressed the Trump Administration to use its leverage to free Mohammed and to uphold its duty to prioritize the safety of American citizens abroad. I was hugely relieved when, on Thanksgiving, Mohammed was released and reunited with his family. 

Trump’s Assault on our Immigrant Communities 

Trump is not only abandoning our values abroad — he's doing the same here at home. His recent racist, bigoted attacks on our immigrant communities are only spurring more hate and division in our nation — and they’re a blatant attempt to distract from his bad marks from the American people on the state of our economy. Instead of blaming him, Trump wants you to blame your neighbors, who — unlike President Trump — have nothing to do with the rising prices Americans are seeing in their energy, health care, and grocery bills. This tactic of attack and distract is despicable, but it’s one of Trump’s favorite moves to bully and belittle immigrants. 

I will continue to support our immigrant communities, here in Maryland and around the country. President Trump claimed that his immigration policies were targeting the “worst of the worst.”  While I am for prosecuting and removing violent criminals, the overwhelming majority of Trump’s targets pose no threat to public safety. Indeed, we have seen this Administration harass and abduct pastors, veterans, small business owners, and many other innocent people who contribute to our communities every day. Let me be clear: these actions aren’t making our neighborhoods any safer. 

Delivering for Maryland Communities  

While I’ve been deeply disappointed by Congressional Republicans’ approach to funding our government — including their refusal to enact guardrails to prevent the Trump Administration from redirecting Congressionally-mandated funds — I do have some good news for Marylanders: the three FY 2026 funding bills that have passed included some of the provisions I’ve worked on within the Senate Appropriations Committee, and I was able to secure direct investments for our local communities within these bills. These include:  

During these difficult times, I’m also always looking for ways to highlight exceptional Marylanders who bring joy to our communities. That’s why Senator Alsobrooks and I — along with Congressman Raskin in the House — are working to rename the US Post Office in Olney after Edward Ramsey, an Army veteran who worked there for 27 years. Ed Ramsey was a public servant through and through, joining the Army to defend our nation, then going on to serve his community in the local post office for many years. During those years, he was the welcoming and genuinely friendly presence that his neighbors looked forward to finding when they walked through the doors of the Olney Post Office — so much so that many of those who came to know him launched a grassroots effort to rename it in his memory after his passing. I’m honored to stand with them — it’s a fitting tribute for a good man who made a lasting impact on his community. 

Thank You

In December of 1776, just months after the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s army teetered on the edge of defeat. Our new republic seemed doomed to end before it began. In those dark days, the great patriot Thomas Paine wrote these immortal words: 

“These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”  

I've seen you standing up. I've seen you standing up in every corner of our state, from Mountain Maryland to the Eastern Shore and all points in between. I’ve read your letters, heard your voices at town halls, and joined your marches. I know that even after a long, difficult year, you and our fellow patriots are just getting started. In these dark times, you are what gives me hope. 

Onwards!

Chris Van Hollen

 

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