An outspoken champion for human rights, Sen. Ben Cardin chairs the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, as well as the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development.
Chairman Cardin joined the Helsinki Commission in 1993 and previously served as chairman of the Commission in the 111th and 113th Congresses. In 2015, he was named as the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, a position he continues to hold today.