Tag Archives: Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen

Acting Like Petulant Children…

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On Wednesday, NBC News reported that at least a dozen Democratic members of Congress plan to boycott President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. These Congress members plan to attend a rally on the National Mall. Do you remember that during the Obama administration and the Biden administration that Americans were told they had to respect the office of the President regardless of who was sitting in that office? I don’t see boycotting the State of the Union Speech as respect.

The article reports:

The progressive groups MoveOn and MeidasTouch announced Wednesday that they’re hosting the “People’s State of the Union” rally at 8:30 p.m. ET near the Capitol. The event is billed as “counterprogramming” to “President Trump’s night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people.” The groups said, “Democratic lawmakers will be joined on stage by the everyday Americans most impacted by Trump’s dangerous agenda.”

Exactly what is “Trump’s dangerous agenda”? Is it lower taxes? Is it fewer regulations? Is it enforcement of borders? Is it making cities safer? Is it restoring election integrity?

The article notes:

The lawmakers planning to skip the speech and attend the rally, according to the organizers, are Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, as well as Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.

Organized by the Usual Suspects.

Aren’t some of the people who complain about the divisiveness in American politics the same people who are organizing this rally?

A Step In The Right Direction

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By now most Americans have realized that China is not our friend–they have stolen intellectual property for years, the have manipulated their currency to gain trade advantages, and they have gifted the world with the coronavirus. Well, someone in Washington is attempting to take action to prevent further bad behavior.

The Washington Free Beacon reported yesterday that Republican Senator John Kennedy and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen sponsored a bill in the Senate that could prevent some Chinese companies from listing their shares on U.S. exchanges unless they follow standards for U.S. audits and regulations. The bill passed by unanimous consent. It still has to pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Trump.

The article reports:

“The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act” bars securities of any company from being listed on any U.S. securities exchange if it has failed to comply with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s audits for three years in a row.

The measure also would require public companies disclose whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government.

The bill is written to apply to all foreign companies, but it is targeted at China, and follows intense criticism of Beijing by Republican President Donald Trump that has been echoed by Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

Trump and other officials in his administration insist that China mishandled the novel coronavirus during the early weeks of an outbreak that has spread into a global pandemic that has killed more than 320,000 people and cratered global economies.

Beijing denies such allegations.

“There are plenty of markets all over the world open to cheaters, but America can’t afford to be one of them. China is on a glidepath to dominance and is cheating at every turn,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“For too long, Chinese companies have disregarded U.S. reporting standards, misleading our investors,” Van Hollen said.

Let’s hope this bill becomes law.