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U.S. Senator from Maryland

Chris Van Hollen

Democrat · Maryland

Former House member and DSCC chair, serving in Senate since 2017. Former House Budget Committee ranking member. Focus on budget, foreign aid accountability, and domestic spending.

Record

Progressive Democrat with budget expertise. Vocal critic of unconditional military aid without humanitarian oversight. Focus on domestic investment in healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

Legislative Record

Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)

  • S.5019 — Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act (Introduced, Jul 16, 2026)
  • S.4989 — Saving Lives and Reducing Health Care Waste by Improving Diagnosis in Medicine Act (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
  • S.4935 — Next Generation Shipping Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
  • S.4934 — National Fab Lab Network Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
  • S.4837 — District of Columbia Courts Judicial Vacancy Reduction Act (Introduced, Jun 18, 2026)
  • S.4757 — Federal Flood Risk Management Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jun 11, 2026)
  • S.1645 — American Ownership and Resilience Act (Introduced, May 7, 2025)
    American Ownership and Resilience Act This bill creates an investment facility to support the conversion of private businesses into employee-owned businesses. Specifically, the Department of Commerce must establish an investment facility that provides leverage to ownership investment companies…
  • S.638 — Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act (Introduced, Mar 2, 2023)

Notable votes

  • Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on H.R. 6644 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6644 with an Amendment (SA 5823) (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jun 18, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)

Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)

  • S.5189 — A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, to codify and clarify gender neutral standards for members of certain Armed Forces, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.5201 — A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to protect more victims of domestic violence by preventing their abusers from possessing or receiving firearms, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.5186 — A bill to eliminate asset limits employed by certain federally funded means-tested public assistance programs, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.5185 — A bill to provide for auditing of the Pentagon. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.5046 — A bill to prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functions of the Department of Education to other Federal agencies, and for other purposes. (Reported, Jul 29, 2026)
  • S.5168 — A bill to provide paid family and medical leave to Federal employees, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 29, 2026)
  • S.5108 — A bill to protect and expand nationwide access to assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
  • S.5121 — A bill to amend chapter 57 of title 28, United States Code, to provide for a code of conduct for justices and judges of the courts of the United States, establish an Ethics Investigations Counsel, and require disclosure of recusals. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)

Voting analysis

Chris Van Hollen did not miss a vote, and used a substantial number of them to decline what his caucus was advancing.

0.0%
Roll calls recorded as not voting
220
Roll calls eligible to vote on
0
Recorded as not voting
5.9%
Votes against the Democrat majority
220
Roll calls where a party majority formed
23 of 45
Rank among Senate Democrats, most defections first

Blocking at both stages

Three separate measures appear in his record twice each — once at passage and once at cloture — because he opposed them both times. A surveillance reauthorisation, an aviation bill and another measure were each refused at the point of ending debate and again at the point of passing. He also supported two amendments to the surveillance bill that were rejected.

Voting against cloture and then against passage is the fullest objection available to a senator short of a hold. Doing it three times over marks a member consistently unwilling to let his side's compromises through.

The 10 most recent of 13 roll calls where Chris Van Hollen voted against the Senate Democrat majority.
Roll callDateOutcomeTheir vote
S. 1071
Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1071
On the Cloture Motion S. 1071 · roll call 119		Dec 15, 2025Cloture Motion Agreed toNay (party: Yea)
S. 2296
S. 2296, as amended
On Passage of the Bill S. 2296 · roll call 119		Oct 9, 2025Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
S. 2296
Sanders Amdt. No. 3853
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3853 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Oct 9, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
S. 331
S. 331, as amended
On Passage of the Bill S. 331 · roll call 119		Mar 14, 2025Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
S. 331
Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. 331
On the Cloture Motion S. 331 · roll call 119		Mar 13, 2025Cloture Motion Agreed toNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 3935
H.R. 3935, As Amended
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 3935 · roll call 118		May 9, 2024Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 3935
Motion to Invoke Cloture: Cantwell Amdt No. 1911 as Modified to H.R. 3935
On the Cloture Motion H.R. 3935 · roll call 118		May 9, 2024Cloture Motion Agreed toNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 7888
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 7888 · roll call 118		Apr 19, 2024Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 7888
Lee Amdt No. 1840
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1840 to H.R. 7888 (No short title on file) · roll call 118		Apr 19, 2024Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
H.R. 7888
Wyden Amdt No. 1820
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1820 to H.R. 7888 (No short title on file) · roll call 118		Apr 19, 2024Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)

Above the Maryland average

Maryland returns two Democratic senators. Of those two, Van Hollen leaves the caucus position the more often.

Among the 2 Democrats in the Maryland delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 5.5%. Chris Van Hollen is above that average at 5.9%.

What he legislates on

He is ranking member of the commerce, justice and science appropriations subcommittee. Finance leads his classified filings. The bills cover disclosure of tax havens and offshoring, reducing health care waste through better diagnosis, next generation shipping, a national fabrication lab network, and judicial vacancies in the District of Columbia courts.

Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Chris Van Hollen's cluster into: Finance and Financial Sector (2), Commerce (1), Emergency Management (1), Energy (1), Health (1), Law (1).

627
Bills sponsored
6893
Bills cosponsored

Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.

Tenure

His congressional service began in the House in the early two-thousands and continued in the Senate, under one party throughout.

First elected in 2003, now serving across 12 terms. Chris Van Hollen falls in the veteran cohort.

By the numbers

In the 119th Congress, Chris Van Hollen has 627 bills sponsored, 6893 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.

Committee assignments

  • Senate Committee on Appropriations
  • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Senate Committee on the Budget
  • Senate Committee on Appropriations: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
  • Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Homeland Security
  • Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Senate Committee on Appropriations: Financial Services and General Government
  • Senate Committee on Appropriations: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Digital Assets
  • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: National Security and International Trade and Finance

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