On Friday I spoke with relatives of Americans on the Gaza aid flotilla who were being detained by Netanyahu’s government.
Ambassador Huckabee says his highest duty is to protect Americans abroad but has done virtually nothing to return them. He needs to do his job.

Congress Member Profile|U.S. Senator|Democrat|Maryland
Chris Van Hollen
Source: Wikipedia • View full (CC BY-SA)
SoupScoreanalysis-first civic rating · view full breakdown
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Voting Record — 840
Yes28%
No71%
Present0%
Not Voting2%
Party align97%
Cross-party0%
SoupScore
District Map
Senate District (Statewide)
U.S. Census Bureau boundary data.
Social & Web
External Resources

Chris Van Hollen
U.S. SenatorDemocratMaryland
SoupScore
Chris's ATmosphere Activity
20 recent posts · 62 sponsored · 443 cosponsored
Recent ATmosphere posts, sponsorships, and cosponsorships.
Today a judge said what has been clear from the beginning: the evidence shows the Trump Admin is vindictively punishing Mr. Abrego Garcia for having the audacity to pursue his due process rights.
Those rights MUST be upheld. This is not about one man — it’s about ALL our rights.
Let me be clear: this is stealing from the American people. They think this illegal blackmail will make us cave — but it's just proving exactly why we can't give these crooks a blank check.
Americans won't tolerate their tax dollars and communities being held hostage.
Let me get this straight: American taxpayers pay for bombs and planes that the Netanyahu government uses to strike sites in Qatar, and now Trump enters into a security agreement where he promises to use American soldiers and money to protect Qatar?
Is this what he means by America First?
Trump doesn’t get to “determine” we’re at war—that’s Congress’s job. Check the Constitution, Art. 1, Sec 8, Clause 11.
And while he’s talking tough out of one side of his mouth, he’s disbanding the DOJ task force fighting cartels with the other.
This isn’t about public safety. It’s a power grab.
First Trump blackmailed universities into suppressing free speech. Now he’s bribing them with taxpayer dollars to enforce his agenda. Corruption and authoritarianism, plain and simple.
No university should cave to this blatantly unconstitutional coercion.
Trump shut down the government because he thinks he's a king, and now troops aren't getting paid.
But sure, let's spend $20 billion to prop up a far-right government in Buenos Aires.
Let's be clear: "immigration judges" are Trump's DOJ employees. He's already fired more than 80 of them — and he's made clear he'll fire anyone at DOJ who refuses to fall in line.
They've lied about this case from the start. A total corruption of our immigration justice system.
Everything Trump touches turns to gold — for himself.
For everyone else, his policies are raising prices and making life flatly unaffordable.
Oh, and he shut down the government instead of joining us to prevent a health care crisis.
"We don't control what he's going to do" says Leader Thune as he literally tries to give Vought a blank check to do whatever the hell he wants.
Don't let them gaslight you — Senate Republicans are complicit in everything coming out of this White House.
The wannabe king is huddling with his fixer to decide which vital services to rip away from Americans. Shutdown or not, Trump admits this is just more of their Project 2025 assault on our government.
And these are the people who want a blank check from Congress? Hell no.
Trump and his cronies spent the day trying to blackmail Democrats into giving him a blank check for his lawlessness. It won’t work.
We don’t bow to wannabe dictators who use the American people as bargaining chips.
You’re losing when you’re lying — and Trump and Republicans are lying when they say our plan to reopen the government would give benefits to undocumented immigrants.
The truth: our plan reopens the government and defuses a health care timebomb REPUBLICANS set on the American people⬇️
If Republicans get their way, Trump gets a blank check of taxpayer dollars to fund his authoritarian assault on our government.
Millions will lose health insurance — and costs will skyrocket for EVERYONE.
That’s their demand. We won’t cave to blackmail.
They are stealing taxpayer dollars from blue states because Democrats in Congress refuse to give Trump a blank check for his authoritarianism.
Corruption. Coercion. Blackmail. Lawlessness.
I won’t bend the knee to a wannabe dictator and his cronies. We will prevail.
This Reagan-appointed judge is right: Trump’s effort to deport people for speech he dislikes is a “full-throated assault on the First Amendment” — and puts ALL our rights at risk.
Our democracy depends on the courts and ALL OF US standing strong against Trump’s authoritarianism.
This lawless Trump stooge is illegally withholding federal funds to try to squeeze us into giving Trump a blank check…to continue this EXACT type of lawlessness.
This isn’t governing and it sure as hell isn’t democracy.
It’s mafia-style blackmail and authoritarianism.
Like a Mad King, Trump shut down the government because we refused to give him a blank check for his lawlessness.
Tune in as we fight to end the Trump Shutdown, hold him accountable, stand with federal workers and protect health care for millions:
If Harvard bows down to this lawless president, it will cover itself in shame and betray its motto “Veritas.”
Don’t pretend to stand for truth if you’re going to surrender to this bully. Appeasement only feeds the beast and puts us all at greater risk.
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Voting History840 total votesExpandCollapse
Voting History
840 total votes
Recent roll calls with party-majority context so it is easier to scan how this member tends to vote.
| Date | Bill | Question | Position | Party Maj | Align? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-06 | — | Begin consideration | NO | NO | ✓ | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (52-46) |
| 2025-02-06 | — | Begin consideration | NO | NO | ✓ | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (52-47) |
| 2025-02-06 | — | Kill the motion | NO | NO | ✓ | Motion to Table Agreed to (52-47) |
| 2025-02-06 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (53-47) |
| 2025-02-05 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (53-47) |
| 2025-02-05 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (55-44) |
| 2025-02-04 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (55-45) |
| 2025-02-04 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (54-46) |
| 2025-02-04 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (77-23) |
| 2025-02-03 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (52-46) |
| 2025-02-03 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (59-38) |
| 2025-02-03 | — | Begin consideration | NO | NO | ✓ | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (51-46) |
| 2025-01-30 | — | End debate | NO | YES | ✕ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (83-13) |
| 2025-01-30 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (62-35) |
| 2025-01-30 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | YES | ✕ | Nomination Confirmed (80-17) |
| 2025-01-29 | — | End debate | NO | YES | ✕ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (78-20) |
| 2025-01-29 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (56-42) |
| 2025-01-29 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (56-42) |
| 2025-01-28 | H.R. 23 (119th) | End filibuster to begin debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) |
| 2025-01-28 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | YES | ✕ | Nomination Confirmed (77-22) |
| 2025-01-27 | — | End debate | YES | YES | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (97-0) |
| 2025-01-27 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (68-29) |
| 2025-01-25 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (67-23) |
| 2025-01-25 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (59-34) |
| 2025-01-24 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (61-39) |
| 2025-01-24 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (50-50, Vice President of the United States, voted Yea) |
| 2025-01-23 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (51-49) |
| 2025-01-23 | — | Confirm nominee | NO | NO | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (74-25) |
| 2025-01-23 | — | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (72-26) |
| 2025-01-22 | S. 6 (119th) | End filibuster to begin debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (52-47, 3/5 majority required) |
| 2025-01-21 | — | Begin consideration | NO | NO | ✓ | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (53-45) |
| 2025-01-21 | — | Begin consideration | NO | NO | ✓ | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (54-46) |
| 2025-01-20 | — | Confirm nominee | YES | YES | ✓ | Nomination Confirmed (99-0) |
| 2025-01-20 | S. 5 (119th) | Final passage | NO | NO | ✓ | Bill Passed (64-35) |
| 2025-01-20 | S. 5 (119th) | Vote on amendment | NO | NO | ✓ | Amendment Agreed to (75-24) |
| 2025-01-17 | S. 5 (119th) | End debate | NO | NO | ✓ | Cloture Motion Agreed to (61-35, 3/5 majority required) |
| 2025-01-15 | S. 5 (119th) | Vote on amendment | YES | YES | ✓ | Amendment Rejected (46-49) |
| 2025-01-15 | S. 5 (119th) | Vote on amendment | NO | NO | ✓ | Amendment Agreed to (70-25) |
| 2025-01-13 | S. 5 (119th) | Begin consideration | YES | YES | ✓ | Motion to Proceed Agreed to (82-10) |
| 2025-01-09 | S. 5 (119th) | End filibuster to begin debate | YES | YES | ✓ | Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to (84-9, 3/5 majority required) |
Alignment stats consider only votes where a clear yes/no majority existed for the legislator's party. Cross-party marks divergence where the vote matched the opposite party majority. ↔ indicates cross-party divergence.
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