The USGLC community joins with Marylanders and Americans cross the country in paying tribute to Senator Ben Cardin as he announces his plans not to run again for U.S. Senate. A true champion of America’s role in the world, Senator Cardin has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since his first term in 2007, where he has been a steadfast voice on American global leadership and a strong advocate for a robust International Affairs Budget. He has not only worked tirelessly to elevate our diplomats and development programs, but he has also sought to ensure their effectiveness and accountability, authoring the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act and chairing the Subcommittee on the State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development.

We are particularly grateful to Senator Cardin for his enduring commitment to human rights, exemplified by his leadership on the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which allows the U.S. to punish the world’s worst human rights abusers, and serves as co-chair of the Helsinki Commission.

He will be missed in the Senate not only for the work he did, but how he did it, earning a reputation for effectively working across partisan lines, knowing it makes us stronger. The USGLC community has been proud to host Senator Cardin over the years and work with his stellar team of talented staffers. We thank him for his unrelenting commitment to our shared mission of building a better, safer world and wish Senator Cardin continued success in the years ahead, wherever his next path may take him.