Transcription: Senator Chris van Hollen in

The next is the transcription of an interview with Sen Chris Van Hollen, Maryland’s Democrat, which was broadcast on “Fac The Nation with Margaret Brennan” on July 27, 2025.

Margaret Brennan: And now we are accompanied by Maryland’s Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is one of those appropriators we were talking about with the budget director. You just listened to everything he tended. There were no details about when these narcasa could come, but they are on the table. He says they don’t want to close. He didn’t seem to say they wanted, you know, a continuous resolution. Do you know what is coming?

Sen. Chris van Hollen: not really. The only thing we know, and you asked Russ Vought about this, was that he says that the process is too bipartisan at this time, which means that they want All others. And I mean Margaret, I heard it deny that this bill increased the deficit and debt. The non -partisan Congress Budget Office has just said that our debt increased by 3.5 billion before more interest.

Margaret Brennan: You are using an accounting trick with respect to the reference point.

Sen. Van Hollen: As and Republicans have called this accounting trick, so when …

Margaret Brennan: -and was accepted–

Sen. Van Hollen: Well, they imposed it unilaterally, it was not accepted by the Democrats and it was a deviation from the previous efforts. But you know, then they return and say they want to reduce these important programs, NIH and other things to reduce the deficit, when, in fact, what they are doing is to help try those tax cuts for very rich people.

Margaret Brennan: Therefore, he is directing us towards a fairly unwavering territory and very unclear if we can avoid the closure of the government. The Democrats will be blamed if there is a closure, don’t you think? I mean, how do you avoid this?

Sen. Van Hollen: We certainly do not want a government closure. And I think everyone has listened to Russ Vought say they want a less bipartisan process. What tells me is that they are willing to use their powers to try to close the government if they do not go out with their. And what is ironic of this Margaret is that Russ Vought requested these deep cuts to NiH education, when he has asked for an increase for his OMB budget. Requested a 13% increase for its OMB budget. He has asked more people to join the OMB personnel, while talking about figuring people in other departments, such as the department of themselves, getting rid of saying to people in the Department of Veterans Affairs and other important priorities. Therefore, it is difficult to take seriously the director of the OMB when they say they did not increase the debt and when he says he wants to reduce things, except for his own budget and personal.

Margaret Brennan: but if they are directed towards a government closure, why would there be any benefit unless it is to prioritize the financing of certain agencies and the mismatch of other agencies? Well, that goes back to the Executive, isn’t that authority?

Sen. Van Hollen: Well, that, ultimately, although you need, for example, four Republican senators to support what he is asking. And what they have asked is a kind of a double cross in the process, right? That is what calls termination is just a Washington name for Double Cross. They support one thing, one day, the president even signs, and then return and say they changed their minds. And what we are asking for is for four Republican senators only to publicly declare that when they say that they will finance the Department of Veterans Affairs who really say it seriously.

Margaret Brennan: that they will not accept to build that money later.

Senator van Hollen: exactly

Margaret Brennan: Correct. Then, one of the things that the Trump administration is clear and obtained grip of foreign assistance. However, there is an exception. In June, the Administration announced that it would give this organization backed by Israeli called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, The GHF, I know it is familiar with it. It offers help through armed military contractors that support the Israeli army in four designated areas that Gazans have to arrive to receive help. The State Department says they are sending this money. Have they?

Sen. Van Hollen: May I know, they have done it, although we have asked for the details, we have not achieved them. In fact, just today, I am sending a letter to the Rubio Secretary, signed with 20 of my colleagues, asking for more information, but also asking for breakdown. US taxpayers should not spend a penny to finance this private organization backed by mercenaries and IDF that have become a death trap. More than 1000 people have died for being shot dead as hungry people to try to obtain food in just these four sites.

Margaret Brennan: The State Department says they will send $ 30 million. Reuters had reported that there were documents that they obtained showing that 7 million had already been sent to these, what you call, armed mercenaries. But the Trump administration says that this is the best way, this is the only way, to maintain money, to keep food out of Hamas’ hands, which financially benefits it to desperate hungry people. Is there another way to feed desperate people hungry?

Sen. Van Hollen: Yes. And this is a great lie, the statement that when UN organizations were delivering food to Palestinian civilians, Hamas was systematically diverted. I want to say out loud and clear, this is a big lie. Trump is …

Margaret Brennan: the systematic part of that.

Sen. Van Hollen: The systematic, but that is his statement. They affirm that essentially, large amounts of help to Hamas are diverted. What we know now, for the testimony of US officials, Cindy McCain, and only this week, high -level Israeli military officials, is that there is no evidence to support it. AID, USAID, has just published a report that says there is no evidence to support that. So, what the Netanyahu government did was discard a delivery system that worked to deliver food and assistance in favor of this other effort. That was a pretext, this statement that Hamas was systematically diverting food. The real objective of this other effort is to use food as a weapon of war and population control.

Margaret Brennan: That is a violation of international law.

Senator van Hollen: Yes, it is.

Margaret Brennan: That is a human rights abuse. Senator Lindsey Graham was “meeting the press” this morning, and I want to ask for something he said, because he was very strong in his words. He said, because high fire conversations crumbled, Israel is reassessing. He said that waiting for a complete military effort from Israel to break down Gaza, cites: “As we did in Tokyo and Berlin. They will do what we did in Tokyo and Berlin, take the place by force, start again, present a better future.” The United States is a great defender of the state of Israel. Is there anything that can prevent what he says is about to happen?

Sen. Van Hollen: Well, the United States should make it very clear that it is unacceptable to use US weapons to attack or shoot indiscriminately against civilians and civil infrastructure. So–

Margaret Brennan: because this sounds like an occupation.

Sen. Van Hollen: Well, we also know, only this week, members of the Netanyahu coalition, in fact, the government ministers, essentially asked to erase Gaza, and said that he will become a Jewish state, Statelet. And part of so- this was one of the

Margaret Brennan: Netanyahu said he did not agree with his statement.

Sen. Van Hollen: Well, here is the problem, however, Margaret, we continually see that Netanyahu, at the end of the day, attends to his farthest wing of his government, people like Ben Gvir, people like Smotrich. That is what has allowed him to remain in power, and at the end of the day, he takes the most extreme positions.

Margaret Brennan: Senator van Hollen, thanks for your time today. We will return with much more “face the nation.” Stay with us.