Place of residence: Kensington, MD Date of birth: 01⁄10⁄59 Place of birth: Karachi, Pakistan Current occupation: Member of Congress Education: JD, Georgetown University Law Center, 1990; MPP, Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University , 1985; BA, Philosophy, Swarthmore College , 1982 Family: Wife: Katherine; 3 Children: Anna, Nicholas, and Alexander Campaign office address and telephone: 10605 Concord Street, Suite 202, Kensington , MD 20895 ; (301) 942-3768 Web site: www.vanhollen.org Link to federal campaign finance database

Congress, Dist. 8

Christopher Van Hollen (D)

After consulting a range of economists and a variety of opinions from across the political spectrum, I reluctantly supported the economic rescue legislation because I concluded that acting decisively now would almost certainly mean less cost to taxpayers and less pain on Main Street than allowing the credit crisis to worsen. Let's be clear: I have no desire to help those who got us into this mess to begin with. They should suffer financially for their actions that now threaten the entire economy. But the unfortunate fact is that the suffering caused by their decisions would not be limited to them. Because of the interdependence of our 21st century financial system, the contagion and credit freeze in the financial markets is spreading throughout the entire economy. Failing to act would have dried up existing lines of credit, caused more small businesses to fail, put more people out of work (the economy has already lost 759,000 jobs since January), placed more retirees' pensions at risk and accelerated the current downturn in our fragile economy. At the end of a prolonged, soul-searching debate, a substantial bipartisan and bicameral majority in Congress agreed that was a risk we simply could not take. Even with this extraordinary measure it is clear that things will continue to slide for some time. Without it, the slide would be even steeper and longer.

The final economic rescue legislation was a far cry from the original, three-page blank check proposal Secretary Paulson submitted to Congress. Whereas the Paulson proposal had no oversight, no limits on executive compensation or golden parachutes, no help for homeowners, no upside for taxpayers and no requirement that the President submit a plan to Congress to recoup the full amount of the taxpayers' money from participating institution should any amount of the initial outlay not be recovered after five years' time, the legislation Congress passed and the President signed into law contained all of those protections.

Additionally, the final rescue package also included a one-year patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax to ensure twenty-five million additional Americans are not snared by this tax; $18 billion in renewable energy incentives to fast forward our transition to a 21st century green economy (paid for by cutting subsidies to the oil and gas industries); and mental health parity legislation that will end the shameful history of insurance discrimination suffered by those whose conditions affect the brain, rather than the body. Finally, it further protected our citizens' savings and shored up confidence in our nation's banking system by temporarily increasing the cap on FDIC-insured accounts to $250,000.

Like any legislation of this magnitude, there were provisions I did not support, other provisions I thought should have been included, and still others I would have changed. For example, the renewable energy title included several incentives that in my view fell outside the definition of "renewable," and the tax title contained a number of narrowly drawn provisions that detracted from the larger purpose of the bill. Additionally, the final bill failed to include a measure I support to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages on primary residences the same way they are currently able to modify mortgages on second homes and investment properties. Moreover, as a result of the Senate action, the final package of the tax credits was not fully paid for and for that reason will unnecessarily add to our national debt. Finally, I would have wanted to include some immediate regulatory reforms in the bill, recognizing that more comprehensive reform will follow congressional hearings slated to start immediately. Nevertheless, you can be assured that I am determined to get to the bottom of what caused this mess, and will work with my colleagues to ensure Congress enacts 21st century regulatory reform promptly so that this kind of crisis never happens again. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on which I sit, has already begun hearings to examine the causes of the financial meltdown for the purpose of developing legislation to fix the current regulatory structure.

Q. Is the bailout package a slippery slope? Can we expect other industries to need/expect similar massive help and, if that's the case, how should the government respond?

This kind of massive intervention is only justified where the consequences of a financial failure of private enterprise can have devastating economic consequences on a large number of innocent people whose actions had nothing to do with the failure of the enterprise. There is always a danger that federal intervention causes other private enterprises to take undue risks in the hope that the government will intervene if they fail. The best way to prevent that in the future is to enact far-reaching regulatory reform of the financial system to prevent risk-taking on such a grand scale from going, unmonitored, undetected, and unchecked. We must demand full transparency and accountability throughout the financial system. The purpose of current congressional hearings is to clearly identify what went wrong so that it can be fixed expeditiously.

Q. Some, like Sen. Cardin, have called for a Manhattan Project-type effort to address the nation's energy needs and to get the U.S. off foreign oil? What do you believe should be done?

When it comes to our nation's reliance on fossil fuels, the math is stark. The United States sits on about 2% of the world's oil reserves while consuming almost 25% of global oil production. Even iconic oil man T. Boone Pickens recently took the airwaves to proclaim a hard but indisputable truth: We simply can't drill our way to energy independence. Moreover, any forward-looking energy policy must also address the very real threat of global warming and the science-driven reduction in greenhouse gas emissions necessary to combat it. In that regard, I believe enactment of a robust cap-and-trade program is critical to tackling our climate change challenge in a cost-effective manner while accelerating development of the clean, green 21st century economy we know we must create.

For these reasons, I support and have called for a national Apollo-like clean energy initiative (same idea, different reference point, than Manhattan Project) that emphasizes renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies like wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, next generation biofuels, plug-in hybrids and other efficiency improvements across the economy. I fought for the recently enacted 40% increase in vehicle fuel efficiency standards as an important first step on our road to energy independence and was an original cosponsor of the historic House-passed national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) which would require 15% electricity generation from renewable sources by 2020. Furthermore, I believe it is high time we redirect antiquated subsidies away from our already highly profitable oil and gas industry towards the clean, homegrown renewable sources of energy we are going to need in order to break our dependence on foreign oil and thrive in today's global marketplace.

Although White House opposition and a closely divided Congress have been making progress in this area slower than I would prefer, I can report that the recently House-passed Comprehensive Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act repealed those very subsidies, established a $5.3 billion strategic energy reserve for increased investment in renewables, mandated long overdue royalty reform so taxpayers get a fair shake when publicly owned resources are developed on federal lands and incorporated the 15% national Renewable Electricity Standard amendment I cosponsored earlier in the Congress. Additionally, before adjourning, the Congress passed, and the President signed, $18 billion of renewable energy incentives that will save over 500,000 green jobs and support an increasingly important and growing sector of our economy during these challenging times. Finally, the twenty-seven year old congressionally mandated moratorium on offshore drilling expired on September 30, 2008 when it became clear that there were not enough votes in either party to extend it. While I supported a compromise proposal that would have permitted limited new domestic production with environmental safeguards as an alternative to complete repeal of the OCS moratorium, I do not support drilling three miles off our shoreline and am firmly committed to restoring those vital coastline productions and fast tracking the rest of our unfinished clean energy agenda in the 111th Congress.

What are your top three priorities for the next two years, if elected?

Education

We must make the investments necessary to build an America where every child is given the opportunity to reach his or her full potential through a quality education. I introduced the Keep Our Promises to America ’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act, which would require the federal government to fully fund K-12 education through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). We must also work to improve NCLB, expand the successful Teach for America program, and fully fund Head Start and early education programs.

We should also continue to expand access to higher education. The new Congress moved quickly to address the difficulty students and families face in paying for high college tuitions by passing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the largest increase in student assistance since the Montgomery G.I. Bill. This important new law makes college more affordable by cutting in half the interest rates on federal student loans, increasing the maximum Pell grant, providing assistance for students who agree to teach, and instituting income-based loan repayment so graduates do not have to choose between paying rent and paying back student loans. As we work to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, we will have more opportunities to expand college access and support our nations’ colleges and universities.

The U.S. risks losing its competitive edge if we do not develop the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. I was pleased to have pushed successfully for legislation to recruit and train 25,000 new math and science teachers over the next three years. To be the best innovators, we must be the best educators. A world class education system will prepare our children for their futures and prepare our nation to succeed in a competitive global economy. I am proud of the strides we have made in the past year, and look forward to working with my colleagues to continue our progress in the coming months.

National Security⁄Foreign Policy

We must maintain a strong national defense while recognizing that our security depends not only on the might of our military, but on the power of our example. In order to rebuild our influence, we must restore our credibility and moral standing around the world. Our security is strengthened through our ability to cooperate towards reaching common goals with others, whenever possible. As a former Legislative Assistant for National Security in the U.S. Senate, Professional Staff Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the son of a Foreign Service officer, and a member of the National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the Government Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I have been a vocal critic of the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq. This war was unnecessary, ill-conceived, and ill-managed, and it diverted our attention from the fight against those who did attack us on 9⁄11 — Al Qaeda and its Taliban supporters — who are still active in Afghanistan and along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

An indefinite U.S. troop presence in Iraq has allowed different factions there to postpone the day when they have to make the compromises necessary to achieve stability and national reconciliation. Early last year, the Congress passed legislation, modeled after the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group’s recommendations, to extricate U.S troops from the middle of Iraq’s civil war and to redeploy the bulk of U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by March 2008. The remaining forces would focus on the more limited missions of protecting the U.S. Embassy, eliminating Al Qaeda elements and training Iraqi forces. Unfortunately, President Bush vetoed this sensible plan and we have not had the two-thirds votes necessary to override his veto. Again, in November of last year, I and a majority of my colleagues in the House voted for a sensible and responsible plan that would redeploy our combat forces out of Iraq by a target date of December 15, 2008. This measure was blocked by Senate Republicans and President Bush. Despite these setbacks, the Congress will continue to do everything in its power to press for the responsible redeployment of our combat forces from Iraq. At the same time we must finish the job in Afghanistan. More than twenty months ago, I warned in an op-ed in the Washington Post that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were gaining strength in Afghanistan and along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Unfortunately, that threat has continued to grow. We cannot afford to be distracted from our critical mission in Afghanistan against those who perpetrated the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Energy⁄Environment

As Vice-Chairman of the bipartisan House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I have been at the forefront of the effort to develop a new national energy policy. America must embark on an Apollo-like clean energy initiative. The House and Senate are engaged in a far-reaching effort to pass legislation to reduce our reliance on foreign oil, reverse global warming, and help American consumers. I will continue to push for the elimination of huge, wasteful subsidies to the oil and gas industry and redirect investment toward renewable energy and energy efficiency. We must also adopt a national renewable energy portfolio standard and establish a cap and trade system to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. I am an original sponsor of measures to accomplish these objectives.

As Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, I helped lead a successful effort to obtain a record level of over $500 million in federal support for the Chesapeake Bay clean up effort in the House version of the farm bill. We must work to ensure that the final House-Senate bill includes this investment.

Q. How would you rate the performance of the House of Representatives: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Good, but incomplete. I am pleased with the record of the new Congress on domestic policy issues during its first twelve months. We enacted laws to reduce the cost of college (largest increase in federal assistance since the G.I. Bill of Rights and totally paid for by reducing subsidies to banks and lenders); raise the minimum wage (first time in ten years); establish more accountability and transparency through what public interest groups hailed as ‘‘landmark” lobbying and ethics reforms; raise fuel efficiency standards for cars; increase veterans’ health care benefits; implement the 9-11 Commission recommendations; protect America’s competitive edge by investing more in basic scientific research and training more math and science teachers for America’s classrooms; modernize and upgrade the early education Head Start program; and establish greater fiscal discipline. Nevertheless, I remain deeply frustrated by our inability to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home in a safe and responsible manner. No one is more frustrated with this situation than those of us who opposed the war from the start and who believe that, as our intelligence agencies have publicly concluded, the war continues to fuel extremists in the region and around the world.

Just as President Bush vetoed the Iraq legislation, he has also blocked our efforts to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program to 10 million children and to enact bipartisan legislation to provide federal funding for stem cell research to develop treatments and cures for many diseases. I will continue to push for a change of direction on these and other important issues.

Q. Do you have a timeline on when the U.S. should pull out of Iraq ?

In November I and a majority of my colleagues in the House voted for a sensible and responsible redeployment bill. It set a target date of December 15, 2008 for the redeployment of our combat forces out of Iraq. The remaining forces would train the Iraqi security forces, engage in targeted counter-terrorist operations against Al Qaeda and affiliated groups, and protect U.S. Embassy personnel. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans blocked passage of this bill, just as the President vetoed our earlier efforts.

Q. How should the government pay for the War on Terror?

I believe that the Bush Administration should be required to fund the ‘‘War on Terror” by reversing those components of the Bush tax cuts that went disproportionately to the very wealthiest Americans. It is irresponsible to force our children and grandchildren to shoulder these costs.

Both before and after the start of the Iraq war, the president failed to prepare the American people for the real costs of ‘‘winning the peace.” He now disguises the true consequences of those costs by putting them on our national credit card and running up huge deficits. Every penny spent for Iraq is borrowed money.

The president has called on the country to pay any price to defeat the scourge of terrorism, but some are not being asked to contribute anything to this national effort. Indeed, while the Bush administration asked our troops and their families to make the ultimate sacrifice, the president gave the richest 1 percent of Americans a huge tax cut. It is wrong to ask the younger generation, including our troops and their children, to bear the burden alone. We should not be waging war and peace by credit card in order to shield the wealthiest among us from paying their fair share.

Q. Would you make any changes to the way the Department of Homeland Security is run?

The Department of Homeland Security has turned into a huge and cumbersome bureaucracy, bringing together more than two dozen agencies and components of our government. We must streamline the agency, provide the resources to relieve the huge waiting lists for legal immigration, and consider making the Federal Emergency Management Agency a separate agency that reports directly to the White House.

Q. What should be done to reform Social Security, Medicare?

Social Security:

A financially sound Social Security system is vital to our nation’s future. One of my top priorities is to make sure that Social Security benefits are there for Americans who depend on them. I remain committed to protecting the promise of Social Security and working for genuine pension reform.

As a member of the House Democratic Social Security Work Group, I helped lead the fight against President Bush’s risky plan to privatize parts of the Social Security program. The President’s proposal would not have solved the problems with the system, but would have increased the risk to individual Social Security recipients. I believe that we must make adjustments to ensure that the Trust Fund can pay full benefits beyond 2052, but there is no need for a radical restructuring of the program. One significant action we can take immediately is to dedicate the revenues from the estate tax to the Social Security Trust Fund. If you maintain the estate tax at the projected 2009 levels (i.e. a $3.5 million exemption for an individual and $7 million for married couples), the remaining estate tax revenues would still address approximately 25% of the unfunded liability. We should also consider the idea floated by the Clinton Administration to have the Social Security system invest a portion of its funds in certain low-risk securities. In addition, we must encourage more individuals to save for their retirement. I am a co-sponsor of legislation to provide greater incentives for individuals to establish and invest in retirement savings accounts. However, these accounts should be a supplement to, not a substitute for, Social Security.

Medicare:

With regard to Medicare, we must reduce the costs of care throughout the health care system. This can be done through a variety of changes, including a greater emphasis on preventative care, early detection, the development of electronic heath records and better coordination of care. We must also boost our investment in medical research to address the costs associated with chronic diseases. Finally, we need to review certain Medicare reimbursement policies to eliminate incentives for unnecessary procedures and reward quality of care over volume of care.

Q. Should SCHIP be expanded? If yes, how would you pay for an expansion? If no, how would you ensure that people who need health and dental care get it?

I strongly support reauthorizing and extending the SCHIP program to a total of 10 million children. I was deeply disappointed that the President vetoed the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007, which would have preserved coverage for the six million children currently enrolled who otherwise would have no access to health insurance while extending coverage to 3.8 million children who are already eligible, but not enrolled in the program. The bill would have also provided for guaranteed dental coverage in SCHIP as well as important mental health coverage for children. It would be entirely paid for by increasing the federal tobacco tax by 61 cents, which will save lives and reduce the huge health costs associated with tobacco-related diseases.

Q. What is your position on the death penalty?

I am opposed to the death penalty. Many individuals who have been convicted and sentenced to death have later been found to be innocent. At the very least, I believe that judges and juries must have the benefit of DNA testing or other irrefutable evidence before sentencing those convicted of capital crimes to death. A better approach would be life without parole.

Q. What is your position on abortion?

I am pro-choice and support the right of women to make their own reproductive choices as set forth in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision.

Q. Do you support same-sex marriages? Why?

State legislatures, not the federal government, make the laws regarding marriage. I strongly opposed a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would have prohibited states from recognizing civil unions or marriage between gay couples.

Q. Do you support the federal No Child Left Behind law?

I support the underlying goals of the No Child Left Behind Act – teacher quality, high standards for learning, and accountability. However, the Bush Administration has made serious errors in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, especially by dramatically underfunding it. The first piece of legislation I introduced this year is the Keep Our Promise to America ’s Children and Teachers Act (Keep Our PACT) which would fully fund the law. No Child Left Behind is also up for reauthorization, and I look forward to the opportunity to critically evaluate its successes and make changes where it has failed. We must support the programs we expect schools to implement, including better pay for teachers, professional development, assessments that gauge student learning and growth models to track progress.

Q. What, if anything, should be done to assist homeowners at risk of losing their homes because of adjustable rate loans?

I have joined with many of my colleagues in Congress to take aggressive steps to help people who are at risk of foreclosure stay in their homes through affordable loans and refinancing options. This Congress passed legislation that begins to address the subprime mortgage crisis by eliminating the tax on phantom ‘‘income” when a lender forgives some part of a family’s mortgage in foreclosure. I am also pleased to have helped shape bipartisan legislation to reform mortgage and anti-predatory lending practices. The ‘‘Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act” was drafted to establish a national standard to rein in the abusive lending practices that contributed to the current mortgage crisis. This comprehensive legislation expands and enhances consumer protections by creating a licensing system for residential mortgage loan originators, establishing a minimum standard requiring that borrowers have a reasonable ability to repay a loan, and attaching a limited liability to secondary market scrutinizers.

As part of the bipartisan economic stimulus package, the Congress is also poised to expand affordable mortgage loan opportunities for families at risk of foreclosure through reform of the Federal Housing Administration. Among other things, it includes provisions to lower down payments for FHA loans, increase FHA loan limits to $729,750, permit more borrowers facing defaults to refinance through the FHA, and increase funding for housing counseling to help homebuyers who fall behind on their mortgage.

Q. Should slots be allowed in Prince George ‘s County? Should there be any form of gambling at National Harbor ?

No.

Q. Who should bear the costs of the changes wrought by BRAC?

The relocation of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington , D.C. to the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda , Maryland will bring thousands of new employees and patients to a facility that is surrounded by already heavily congested roads. The state and county governments have an obligation to make the improvements that were already needed even prior to the BRAC consolidation, but the federal government must pay its fair share in mitigating the effects of this new project.

Q. What state transportation projects are a priority and how should we pay for them?

As a Member of Congress I have worked to secure federal funding for important local and regional transportation initiatives that are essential to relieving traffic congestion, reducing air pollution, and improving the quality of life in our community. Those initiatives include a variety of Metro, transit, road and smart growth projects. With regard to Metro, I am an original sponsor of a bill that would boost the federal contribution to the system and provide for better oversight and accountability. Other transit projects include the Corridor Cities Transitway and a light rail connection between New Carrollton and Bethesda that also protects and preserves the Capital Crescent Trail. The pending ICC must be designed in an environmentally sound manner with a limited number of exits so that it serves as a transportation, not a development, corridor. Our transportation needs should be met through a combination of federal and state transportation trust funds, as well as local funding sources.