SENATOR BEN CARDIN

An outspoken champion for human rights, Sen. Ben Cardin co-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.

Co-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.

“For 45 years, the Helsinki Commission has tirelessly defended human rights and democratic institutions at home and abroad. It has promoted the enduring value of multilateralism and fought to ensure that the United States lives up to our core values, remaining a beacon of hope to those who are oppressed.”

– Senator Ben Cardin

CO-CHAIRMAN'S PRIORITIES

JUSTICE AT HOME

romoting human rights, good governance, and anti-corruption abroad can only be possible if the United States lives up to its values at home. Like other OSCE participating States, the United States sometimes struggles to foster racial and religious equity, counter hate and discrimination, defend fundamental freedoms, and hold those in positions of authority accountable for their actions.

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JUSTICE OVERSEAS

Human rights within states are crucial to security among states. Prioritizing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, defending the principles of liberty, and encouraging tolerance within societies must be at the forefront of America’s foreign policy agenda.

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FIGHTING CORRUPTION

Corruption is a fundamental obstacle to peace, prosperity, and human rights worldwide. Through legislative vehicles like the CROOK, Global Magnitsky, and Combating Global Corruption Acts, the United States can help ensure that human rights violators and corrupt actors are held accountable for their actions, even when their home country fails to seek justice for their victims.

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PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY

As the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) Special Representative on Racism, Anti-Semitism, and Intolerance, Co-Chairman Cardin is actively involved in the international debates and dialogue that demonstrate a strong U.S. commitment to promoting justice and human rights in the OSCE region.

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Throughout his career in public service, Co-Chairman Cardin has advocated for accountability and transparency measures to promote good governance and to combat corruption. He is the lead author of the Sergei Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which imposes sanctions on Russian individuals and entities responsible for the death of Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, as well as individuals who commit gross violations of human rights against rights defenders in Russia. He also authored the Global Magnitsky Human Rights and Accountability Act, which gives the United States the power to deny travel and banking privileges to individuals who commit gross violations of human rights against rights defenders and dissidents, and leaders who commit acts of significant corruption.

Most recently, Co-Chairman Cardin and Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (MS) introduced the Countering Russian and Other Overseas Kleptocracy (CROOK) Act, which would establish an anti-corruption action fund to provide extra funding during historic windows of opportunity for reform in foreign countries and streamline work strengthening the rule of law abroad.

Co-Chairman Cardin also is one of the lead authors of Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act, also known as the Cardin-Lugar Energy Security Through Transparency Act. The provision requires extractive companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges to disclose, in their SEC filings, payments made to governments for oil, gas and mining. Revenue transparency increases energy security and creates U.S. jobs by reducing the operating risk U.S. companies face. It also provides information so that people in resource-rich countries can hold their leaders accountable for the money made from their oil, gas, and minerals.

Co-Chairman Cardin has been a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since 2007 and served as Ranking Member from 2015-2018. In addition to his foreign relations leadership roles, he chairs the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and the Senate Environment & Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He is also a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.

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