Van Hollen, Alsobrooks Press to Hold Trump Administration Officials Accountable, Decry Trump Crypto Scam
Maryland Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen have been working to hold Trump administration officials accountable.
During a recent rally, Alsobrooks called for the resignation of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.
“As of this Monday, I will be filing a Senate resolution and I am calling on Secretary Kennedy to resign,” said Alsobrooks, who previously called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, following multiple incidents of classified information being shared via a group messaging app. “He must go. He ought to be fired.”
During his confirmation hearing, Kennedy Jr. made several statements that justify medical racism and cast doubts on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. He has supported efforts by the Trump administration to lay off tens of thousands of HHS workers, and the proposed 2026 budget also reduces the agency funding by $33 billion.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) highlighted that the late President John F. Kennedy sought to expand vaccines while his nephew, the current HHS secretary, is hypocritically destroying that goal.
“I just want to start by thanking all of you who care about public health, who care about the future of people in our country, for being here now to raise the alarm about how RFK Jr., if he ever got close to being the Secretary of HHS, would put the American public at risk. And as you’ve heard, and as you know, people will die,” said Van Hollen before Kennedy Jr.’s appointment.
In addition, both Alsobrooks and Van Hollen have signed on to anti-corruption legislation that would ban top government officials from buying, endorsing, or sponsoring cryptocurrencies.
A cryptocurrency called $TRUMP has made hundreds of millions of dollars in the first 100 days of his administration, which some have called “a pathway to bribery.”
“It is critical that Congress passes crypto legislation that provides a regulatory framework, spurs innovation, and keeps that innovation in America. It’s as preposterous as it is so woefully predictable that this president is trying to erect yet another scam to sell influence and enrich himself,” said Alsobrooks, who co-introduced the legislation alongside Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D). “We know it’s wrong. We need to make it illegal.”
State Legislators Warn About Trump Administration’s Impact on Economy, Labor
Following a turbulent first 100 days of the second Trump Administration, Maryland legislators continue to sound the alarm regarding the local ramifications of President Donald Trump’s policies and his proposed budget — particularly around health care.
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-District 46) warned in a recent interview that Maryland’s financial future and health care infrastructure are further at risk following the proposed 2026 federal budget.
“I would say the health care system cuts are the ones that are the most concerning,” said Ferguson. “The $430 million will be very painful, but we can weather that storm in the short term, and that doesn’t necessarily push us immediately into a special session.”
While Ferguson doesn’t expect a special legislative session this fall, it is a possibility to address state budget gaps worsened by the federal budget.
“I would say what happens to get to the bigger health care cuts is where that’s going to be the big lever — the decision point for us to come back — because it will have such a disruptive impact on our entire health care system,” he continued.
Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) and members of the Congressional Labor Caucus pointed out the inconsistencies in Trump’s campaign rhetoric, compared to the results that working Americans are currently seeing.
“President Trump said he would support working people. Instead, he’s spent 100 days finding new ways to lower wages and make workplaces less safe,” said Ivey, who represents District 4, which has one of the largest concentrations of federal workers of any congressional district in the nation.
The congressman emphasized the urgency of holding the president and his administration accountable for mandates that have affected their overall well-being.
“He’s slashed worker safety protections, stripped collective bargaining rights, and crippled the National Labor Relations Board,” Ivey said. “Workers deserve better and that’s why my colleagues in the Labor Caucus and I are fighting back.”
