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Hoyer Welcomes Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the University of Maryland, College Park

August 9, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC – This afternoon, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) welcomed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the University of Maryland, College Park to deliver remarks on the importance of investing in America's infrastructure. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery. Click here to watch the full video.

"Good morning, and thank you, Sarah. On behalf of Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, and myself, I am honored to welcome all of you to the University of Maryland, College Park, the flagship campus of the University of Maryland system. President Pines – thank you for inviting us to campus for this wonderful event. Over the past year, you have already shown yourself to be a great leader for this university in a time of challenge. And as Dean of the Engineering School for the past decade, you demonstrated great ability in making this campus a center of innovation and STEM learning.

"Dean Brider, thank you for hosting us today at the Clark School and for continuing that legacy of promoting cutting-edge research and innovation in science and engineering here at Maryland. The University of Maryland, College Park has become one of the great public universities in our country. Ranked #11 in the country among public colleges by Forbes, Maryland is home to more than 40,000 students learning in twelve schools and colleges. It was listed as #3 among public universities for undergraduate entrepreneurship by the Princeton Review. I have an agenda I call Make It In America, which is about entrepreneurship. The University is ranked #14 for research and development by the National Science Foundation.

"Each year, the University sends its students to over 300 study-abroad destinations, and fourteen students were named Fulbright Scholars in 2020, with more than fifty accepting Fulbright grants to continue their studies overseas. Last year, US News and World Report ranked the Clark School as #12 among public engineering schools, and it was in the top ten for public aerospace and computer engineering programs. It is no surprise why the University of Maryland, College Park and the Clark School of Engineering were chosen today as the venue for the Secretary of State to talk about American innovation and leadership in the world.

"When I was a student here, our nation elected John F. Kennedy to steer our country through the crisis of the cold war and refocus America's attention and resources in the mid-twentieth century to conquering the ‘new frontier' of science and space. In his inaugural address, President Kennedy declared: ‘Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.'

"Since that day, America has prospered when we have invested in our strengths, training generation after generation of graduates to help our country compete and lead the global economy and promote our ideals of freedom and democracy around the world. President Biden is steeped in the experience of foreign policy, committed to restoring America's place of leadership – and understands that we must continue to empower those who have always been the instruments of our global leadership and success: our talented young people.

"That has been his approach to restoring American leadership in the world. President Macron of France, upon meeting President Biden for the G-7 summit in June, said: ‘what you demonstrate is that leadership is partnership.'America, he and other allied leaders declared, is back.

"Deeply engaged and expert in America's approach to the rest of the world, President Biden has selected someone as his chief diplomat who not only shares his deep knowledge and experience but also his vision. Secretary Blinken has already served in many of the most senior foreign policy and national security roles in our country. He understands what it will take to make President Kennedy's words ring true and to carry out President Biden's mission to build America back better by ensuring that we can lead the world and the global economy in this century. He knows that it starts with young people, with talented graduates, with innovative research and discovery, and with a commitment to learning and teaching.

"So, I am honored and pleased to welcome Secretary Blinken to a place where these are paramount, where students from Maryland and around the globe gather to dedicated themselves to the betterment of our country and our world. Now, I am honored to turn it over to President Pines to welcome Secretary Blinken to the University of Maryland, College Park, that he may join in the long tradition of American leaders choosing our campus to share their vision and call Americans forward to great endeavors."