The Local Delegation: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland's 8th District was online Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 2 p.m. ET to take your questions about Congress's soon-to-end session, and the one that will start after the August break.

The transcript follows.

Related Discussions: Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), Rep. Albert R. Wynn.

Rep. Van Hollen has been a U.S. congressman serving Southern Maryland since 2002. He is the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Before his election to the U.S. Congress, Rep. Van Hollen served 12 years in the Maryland General Assembly.

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Raleigh, N.C.: Good afternoon! I don't take impeachment lightly. However, what is the mood right now in the Democratic caucus on impeaching Alberto Gonzales? Further, I don't know how the organizational stuff works ... does the leadership send the members home with any instructions on what they should be getting feedback on? For example, did the leadership tell members to feel out their districts on impeaching Gonzales, or how to respond to Gen. Petraeus's report, etc.?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: Well, let me first address the Gonzales impeachment question. There are a number of Democratic members of Congress who are actively investigating the idea of bringing impeachment proceedings against Gonzales. It still is in that investigatory phase, and I think over the August break we'll get a better sense of whether there's a desire to move forward on that front.

With respect to providing members with information to take back to their districts over the break, the Democratic Caucus does ensure each member has information about the accomplishments congress has made to date, and I think we have a lot to be proud of in the record we've compiled over a seven-month period, but it's important to communicate that record to the American people -- otherwise it's like a tree out in the forest, if no one's there to hear it fall, no one knows. So we're urging members to go back to their districts to tell the story of what we've accomplished while understanding there's a lot left to do, particularly on Iraq. We have to keep the pressure on to change direction and end the failed policy there.

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Rockville, Md.: What are you doing to reduce the influence of gangs in your district? Why can't we pursue gangs like MS-13 and crack dealers with the same tenacity as we pursue people we suspect may be linked to terrorism?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: We should be doing everything we can to crack down on gangs. I've worked very closely with the Montgomery and Prince George's counties police offices to provide federal support for their anti-gang efforts. I'm pleased I was successful in gaining more than $3 million in the past two years for the Montgomery County/Prince George's County Anti-Gang Task Force. In addition, we've been able to obtain additional COPS grants for Gaithersburg and Rockville and Takoma Park. The funds for the anti-gang task force are used to pursue a three-prong strategy of suppression (which is the straight law enforcement component), intervention (the effort to extract young people from gangs) and prevention (efforts to prevent young people from getting caught up in gang activity in the first place). So the fund Congress is providing specifically to the Montgomery/Prince George's anti-gang effort should help address this serious issue.

We are encouraging the federal law enforcement officers to work closely with local law enforcement on anti-gang activity.

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Bethesda, Md.: With Bush's numbers so low, and a majority of Americans supporting Congress, why is it so difficult to overturn Bush's vetoes?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: The answer is, we need for Republican members of Congress to stop voting in lockstep with the Bush administration. For example: The bill we sent to the president to change course in Iraq came back to the House and the Senate for a veto override vote, but on the House side only two Republicans voted to override. So our goal is to keep the pressure on the Republican members of Congress, who in many cases are trying to say one thing at home to their constituents but then vote another way here in Washington. For example, a group of Republican members of Congress went to the White House a few months ago to say the Iraq policy was failing. But then they came back to the Capitol and rubber-stamped the president's policies. We intend to keep the pressure on those members so they'll start voting the same way they are talking. The Sept. 15 Petraeus report could be a turning point in that debate.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Other than an issue of national security, do you support any earmarks, and if so, for what reason?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I support the right of Congress to be able to determine its spending priorities. But I think the essential corollary to that is that the process has to be transparent. If you ensure an open and transparent process, you can hold members of Congress accountable.

So I support the right of members of Congress to prioritize certain kinds of spending, but we should require that they are individually identified with their spending requests, so that people can hold them accountable. Let me give you an example. An earlier question asked about my efforts fighting gangs. I'm pleased I was able to obtain millions in federal support dedicated specifically to our anti-gang efforts in Montgomery and Prince George's counties. But I obtained those funds in a transparent and open manner. Others have tried to hide their spending requests, and that's wrong. The key is to shine sunlight on the process so that voters can judge for themselves whether they think a spending request is in the public interest.

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Outside the Beltway: I think it is fair to say that you stink at what you should be doing for Maryland in the House ... your actions, votes and speeches show you are more interested in the national policy of your party than local needs for us. How do you address those of us who feel this way, and can convince us that you care about your district rather than the DNC?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I have always put the interests of our community and our country first. On a whole range of issues I worked very closely with our state government and local governments to make sure our community needs are addressed. Those efforts include funds for critical local transportation projects, support for our local law enforcement activities, a record increase in federal support for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort which I spearheaded as part of the recent farm bill, as well as successful efforts to increase support for local education initiatives.

But it would be a mistake to think that our constituents don't also benefit from important national efforts. For example, at this moment the House is debating the continuation and expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program. That's a national program that benefits tens of thousands of Maryland children. Similarly our community benefits from other important national initiatives.

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Wheaton, Md.: Hi Chris -- thanks for all of your great work. My question is about the Anacostia watershed. The Army Corps of Engineers is studying it and will be making a restoration plan. Once they come up with a restoration plan, will you support fully funding it?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: Yes. In fact the funds for the study that's being done resulted from our efforts here in Congress. We asked the Army Corp to undertake the study so they could provide us with a strategy on how to most effectively pursue a cleanup effort. We must restore the health of the Anacostia River, both for its own sake, but also because it flows into the Chesapeake Bay and affects the health of that estuary.

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Rochester, N.Y.: Mr. Van Hollen -- why is the DCCC refusing to support some candidates who are running for a second time after having put together terrific runs in tough districts? I'm thinking specifically of New York's 29th District, where I live and where a self-funded primary challenger (whom some think is a Republican in Democrats' clothing) is derailing some of Eric Massa's momentum. Shouldn't you be doing something to help a candidate like Massa, who lost by only two percentage points in the most Republican district in the Northeast?

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: Eric Massa is a good candidate who ran a good race last time. He is now facing another strong candidate in the Democratic primary. The general policy of the DCCC is to stay out of Democratic primaries. We make exceptions to that rule only under exceptional circumstances. There are no examples of those exceptions in this current election cycle. In fact, more often than not we have been criticized for getting into Democratic primaries.

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Rep. Chris Van Hollen: We think that the Democratic primary voters should make these choices.

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Vienna, Va.: Mr. Van Hollen: What do you think of Gov. O'Malley's efforts to abolish the death penalty in Maryland? I for one feel it is an archaic and barbaric practice that further alienates the U.S. from its European allies.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I support Gov. O'Malley's efforts on that question. Indeed, many governors -- both Republican and Democrat -- have recently recognized the dangers of applying the death penalty when later evidence has revealed that the convicted person was not guilty of the crime.

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Bethesda, Md.: Mr. Van Hollen, I don't expect you to respond to this comment, but I'm posting it anyway. Although I respect you as my elected representative, I have to express lingering outrage over how you and the Maryland Democratic party gerrymandered your district to allow you to finally unseat Connie Morella. This was the only way you and the Democrats were able to defeat her after several attempts. How can you justify this action? Yes, it may have been legal, but was it ethical? To me, it's the local equivalent of what George W. Bush did to Al Gore in Florida, which has so outraged Democrats.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: Let me start by saying that former Rep. Morella benefited greatly from the congressional redistricting that was done in 1990. That redistricting took key Democratic areas out of the district she originally had been elected from. At the time Rep. Morella strongly supported that plan. The 2000 redistricting plan essentially reversed the 1990 redistricting and restored parts of the congressional district, like Takoma Park that had been part of her district when she was first elected in 1986. I believe that the best policy would be for all the states to establish nonpartisan redistricting commissions, and I have supported federal legislation to establish such a system.

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Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I should also say that I disagree with the premise of the question with regard to the reasons for the outcome of the 2002 election.

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Richmond, Va.: I am a pro-life, Christian, Southern Democrat. I have worked many past elections, but I feel that I have been pushed more and more to the fringes of the party. I especially felt this in the Kerry election, when Northern handlers were sent down south to guide us "ignorant Southerners." They were arrogant and did not have respect for or understand the local culture. It left me wondering what the national party thinks of me and my fellow Southerners. So I ask you: Do I have a place in the Democratic Party? I sure hope one day I will. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: Yes, you have a place in the Democratic Party. We are a "big tent" party. I think the candidates who were elected to the Congress in the last election reflect that fact. Heath Shuler from North Carolina is a perfect example of a Democrat who fits the profile that you just outlined.

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Boston: Are other members jealous of you given how close you live to the District? Jumping in your car is a lot better than trying to make a connection through Chicago to go home...

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I often get kidded by my colleagues about my short commute. It sure does beat having to fly five hours to get home. It is obviously difficult for many members, especially those with families, to fly back home every weekend, but they are dedicated public servants who have much to offer here in the nation's capital.

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Seattle: Given the delaying and stalling tactics being done in the Senate, how is the House handling passing bills that are not coming to votes in the Senate? Does the Democratic leadership have any good ideas about how to break the stalemate or at least avoid a 'do-nothing' label? And I am not talking about Iraq...

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: In the last 10 days we've been able to break through the obstructionist tactics in the Senate on the legislation to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 commission. This week we hope the Senate will pass a significant lobbying reform bill that just passed the House yesterday. If we can get these two bills to the president's desk, it would be an important accomplishment. At the same time the Republicans have managed to block many other initiatives that are important to the American people. It is essential that the public understand who is standing in the way of making important changes in our country and hold the obstructionists accountable. In September we hope to move forward on very important national initiatives dealing with a new energy policy and expanding health care for children. We hope our Republican colleagues will ultimately join with us rather than stand in the way of these efforts.

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Rockville, Md.: I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nine months ago, and the drug I have to take to lengthen time between problems costs $20,000 a year. Even though it's a quarter of my family's yearly salary, we make too much for the drug company to offer any financial help. The health insurance company that covered my family at the time had a yearly cap of $1,500 for prescriptions, which didn't even cover the cost of a single month of the drug.

I had no idea what to do or how I could afford to take this drug, so I took the advice of a radio talk show and e-mailed my congressman -- Rep. Van Hollen. A woman in his office named Char contacted me. If I ever need to, I would happily swear under oath that this woman performs magic. Including the dozens of doctors, nurses, hospitals, drug company representatives and health care company service representatives that I had to deal with, Char was the most (and, I dare say, only) competent person I spoke with.

She gave me advice that no one else had. She got back to me before she said she would (instead of the hundreds of follow-up calls I had to make to everyone else) even when she was on vacation. She told me about the state of Maryland insurance plan that was guaranteed to cover me because of the multiple sclerosis and actually pays for the drug I so desperately need, when no one else knew about this plan (including the drug company representative whose job it is to help people in Maryland figure out how to pay for the drug).

She broke the red tape when my doctors office, the drug company, the health insurance company and the drug mail-order company took more than a month to coordinate my drug order. She is simply amazing. Rep. Van Hollen, you have my support for life. Please thank your staff (often!) for being so wonderful.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I very much appreciate your warm words of support for the efforts of our district office. Char Rosnick has been a miracle-worker for many of our constituents and I too am grateful for her efforts. Thank you again for recognizing her work.

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