Press Releases

BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO IS AVAILABLE HERE. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke on the Senate floor to express his opposition to House Republicans’ funding bill. Republicans in Congress did not negotiate with Democrats on the legislation, and House Republicans passed their bill on Tuesday and then left town in an attempt to force the Senate to vote for it. The House Republican bill includes several provisions that ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Military Families Caucus, John Boozman (R-AR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Military Spouse Hiring Act, legislation that would amend the U.S. tax code to create incentives for businesses to hire military spouses. Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Mike Kell...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Safe Schools Improvement Act, legislation that would provide protections against bullying and harassment in schools, especially for vulnerable students. U.S. Representatives Linda Sánchez (D-CA-38) and Mark Takano (D-CA-39) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. “No child should face bullying or harassment in school,” sa...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), (both D-VA) joined 24 of their Senate colleagues in demanding answers from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins regarding his plans to cut more than 80,000 VA employees this year—including at least 20,000 veterans. The lawmakers stressed the harmful impact these firings will have on veterans’ earned care and benefits, which Warner and Kaine helped dramatica...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined a group of his colleagues in demanding that the Trump Administration reverse its cancellation of 585 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts, including those that help veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins access lifesaving health care. This care is guaranteed under the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act (PACT Act), which Kaine helped pass and has provided care and benefits to over...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Expanding Medical Education Act, legislation to address the lack of representation of students of color, rural students, and underserved students in the physician pipeline. The bill would encourage the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of students from underrepresented backgrounds by providing grants through the Healt...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) formally filed legislation to undo President Donald Trump’s wildly unpopular tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies. The legislation is privileged, which means the U.S. Senate will be required to vote on the bill...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s firing of nearly half its workforce: “America has always been at the forefront of innovation and economic opportunity—in large part because of our strong education system. But President Trump and Elon Musk’s firing of nearly half of the federal employees at the U.S. Department of Educa...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement: “We thank the National Transportation Safety Board for their work investigating the January 29 tragedy at Reagan National, and for issuing today’s preliminary report and findings. We must take every step necessary to make sure an accident like this can never happen again. While the full NTSB investigation continues, we appreciate the willingness of the Secretary of Transportation and the Fed...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) in introducing the Protect Veteran Jobs Act, legislation that would reinstate veterans who were fired from their federal jobs as part of the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate and mass layoff of federal employees. Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce, and it’s estimated that the Administration has already fired more than 6,000 veterans. “President Trump has fired more vete...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of their colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to quickly publish clear guidelines on administering disaster relief aid to farmers following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “Following the destruction caused by recent natural disasters, including the catastrophic damages caused by Hurricanes Helene an...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Tim Kaine, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, (both D-VA), joined a bipartisan group of 27 of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, legislation that would allow previously-vetted health care providers to enroll as participating providers in Medicaid programs across state lines to treat children with complex medical needs....Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, (D-VA) introduced the Early Action and Responsiveness Lifts Youth (EARLY) Minds Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to combat the growing youth mental health crisis across the United States by providing early intervention and prevention services for children experiencing mental health challenges. “In recent years, we’ve seen an uptick in depression, anxiety, and other beha...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined 21 of his Senate colleagues to introduce the Keep Americans Safe Act (KASA), legislation to reinstate a nationwide ban on the sale, transfer, possession, import, or manufacture of high-capacity gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds. A federal law prohibiting semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in place from 1994 to 2004—during which time mass shooting fatalities dropped by 70 percent. Companion legislation w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act, bipartisan legislation that would require health care insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to count payments they receive on a patient’s behalf—including payments from nonprofit organizations or drug manufacturers—toward the patient’s annual deductibles and out-of-pocket...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Caribbean Basin Security Authorization Act, bipartisan legislation to improve security cooperation, combat drug trafficking, strengthen the rule of law, counter malign influence from China and Russia, and expand natural disaster resilience in the Carib...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) and U.S. Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) introduced the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act—bipartisan, bicameral legislation that form a bold proposal to make child care more affordable and accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower child care costs and increase the supply of child care providers. Over the last few decad...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) unveiled legislation to undo President Donald Trump’s wildly unpopular tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies. “Americans want prices to go down—not skyrocket, which is exactly what will happen if Congress...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement after President Trump’s joint address to Congress: “President Trump’s address showed that he and his Administration have no problem turning their backs on middle-class Americans. In his first few weeks in office, President Trump has imposed steep tariffs that will raise costs and hurt businesses, fired thousands of federal workers who provide critical services to millions of Americans, illegally stopped the ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) wrote a letter to President Trump urging approval of Virginia’s updated request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration following the February winter storms that caused widespread flooding and damage to Southwest Virginia. The updated request by the Commonwealth of Virginia asks for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for the counties of Bland, Giles, Lee, Pulaski, Russell...Continue Reading