The Democrat was sworn in with other members of the new Congress on Tuesday.
Van Hollen, who served seven terms in the House, won the seat that opened from the departure of Barbara Mikulski, who retired after serving 30 years in the Senate.
With Mikulski and now senior Sen. Ben Cardin standing in support, Maryland’s new senator, Chris Van Hollen, took the oath office Tuesday, signed the senate ledger and got down to work.
“I’m focused on trying to do the best job for Maryland. We’ve got lots of infrastructure needs from the Port of Baltimore to other traffic congestion,” Van Hollen said. “It’s an area where I hope we can find common ground and move forward. I’m very disappointed we’re not starting with that challenge.”