A third-generation Marylander, Ben Cardin has been a national leader on health care, retirement security, the environment and fiscal issues while representing the people of Maryland in the U.S. Senate, and before that in the House of Representatives. He has worked across party lines to further U.S. national security and to ensure that good governance, transparency and respect for human rights are integrated into American foreign policy.
First elected to the Senate in 2006, Senator Cardin currently serves as Chair of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, which is at the forefront of rebuilding our economy. He is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Finance, and Environment & Public Works committees.
Affordable, quality health coverage should be a right and not a privilege in the United States of America. I believe access to health care is a moral issue, and I am proud of my work over the years to make it available to more Americans. I will work through whatever means available to protect and strengthen life-saving legislation, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Instead of undermining the progress we have made, we should seek opportunities to further expand access to high-quality health care while bringing down costs. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on our nation’s health disparities and the urgent need for quality health care access for all.
I am proud to represent a state that is home to pioneers in biomedical and clinical research, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, as well as key public health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Maryland’s medical research institutions create healthcare delivery innovations and advance the field of biotechnology, saving lives and reducing health care disparities. Research teams at Maryland institutions, like Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, are driving the science and our understanding of complex health challenges, as well as training the next generation of scientists and clinicians. I am proud of Maryland’s leadership in high-quality health care, and I will work hard to maintain this standard and ensure comprehensive, affordable health care is available to Americans nationwide.