Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Obama Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Education will begin using prior-prior year data for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in the next academic year. President Obama formally unveiled the changes at a town hall event with high school students in Iowa today: “Ensuring college is affordable and increasing the amount of information is imperative to educating our...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement in commemoration of the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001: "Fourteen years after the events of September 11, 2001, we honor the memory of the thousands who lost their lives that day and the sacrifice of those who have served in the wars that followed. Though over a decade has passed since the tragic attacks in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania, we cannot forget the survivo...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations & Armed Services Committees and co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, released the following statement on today’s cloture vote on a resolution of disapproval of the Iran nuclear deal. While procedural in nature, a vote against cloture in this case is a vote for the Iran deal as a result of Republican obstruction on an up or down vote: “As a strong supporter of the nuclear agree...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In remarks on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations & Armed Services Committees and co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, reiterated his support for the Iran nuclear deal while pushing back on Republican claims that the standard 60 vote threshold is unnecessary on a resolution of disapproval against the deal. He also addressed critical comments from Vice President Cheney about the deal in a speech at th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) announced an updated Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act of 2015 to help the next generation of American workers develop the skills they need to secure well-paying, high-demand jobs. The legislation also aids the United States’ ongoing economic recovery by ensuring we retain our competitiveness and the most innovative workforce in the world.   Appr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and Joe Manchin today sent a letter to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) calling for an investigation into the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to approve OxyContin for use by children as young as 11-years-old and an examination of the rise in the opioid misuse, abuse and consequent overdose deaths. “In August, I tr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Maria Cantwell, Susan Collins and Kirstin Gillibrand announced an updated Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act of 2015 to help the next generation of American workers develop the skills they need to secure well-paying, high-demand jobs. The legislation also aids the United States’ ongoing economic recovery by ensuring we retain our competitiveness and the most innovative workforce in the world.   Apprenticeship programs benefit ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine introduced the Responsible Transfer of Firearms Act to hold people responsible if they sell or transfer a firearm to someone who is barred by federal law from possessing firearms. Under current law, gun sellers can only be held liable if they know or have reasonable cause to believe that the recipient is prohibited. The Responsible Transfer of Firearms Act would require someone selling or transferring a weapon to take reasonable steps to mak...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations & Armed Services Committees and co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, released the following statement today on Congress’ upcoming debate and vote on the Iran nuclear deal: "I was the co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act under which Congress is considering the international agreement to prohibit Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The bipartisan bill - to give Congress...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today pressed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require public companies to disclose political spending to their shareholders, a move that would increase transparency in the U.S. political process following the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that unleashed unlimited corporate spending into American elections. Without requirements for disclosure, corporate political spending can bec...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the horrific attack in Moneta, Virginia today: “There are no words to express how heartbroken I am by the senseless tragedy in Moneta this morning. My deepest sympathies go out to the loved ones of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, as well as the entire WDBJ family. I ask everyone to join me in praying for Vicki Gardner who was seriously injured in this attack and all of the local authorities and first responder...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - Concluding his five-day swing through Virginia today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine participated in a roundtable discussion in Radford with law enforcement and Community Services Board members on the prescription drug abuse epidemic and how it impacts families and employers across Virginia.  "Prescription opioid abuse is a statewide problem and I hear about it wherever I go. It is a big public health challenge for the nation,” Kaine said. “The law enforcement and mental health profe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - Continuing his five-day swing through Virginia today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made stops in Martinsville and Hillsville, meeting with students and faculty at local schools to discuss the importance of career and technical education (CTE) in equipping students with the skills they need to find a good-paying job and compete in a global economy. Photos from his visits are available here.  In Martinsville, Kaine toured the New College Institute (NCI), which pro...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - Continuing his five-day swing through Virginia today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made stops in Emporia and South Hill to meet with local leaders and discuss opportunities for economic development and job creation. In the morning, Kaine met with Emporia Mayor Mary Person and went on a retail walk through the town. Photos are available here.                                       "I s...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Continuing his five-day swing through Virginia today in his hometown of Richmond, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine met with African-American business leaders from the Metropolitan Business League to discuss how the federal government can help address challenges facing their businesses. The roundtable discussion focused on issues that impact small, minority-owned businesses such as workforce preparedness, access to capital and government contracts, budgetary issues and sequester cut...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to schedule the first round of bipartisan budget negotiations immediately to prevent a predictable fiscal crisis as the federal budget year draws to a close on Sept. 30. The call was formally made in a letter to McConnell signed by all 46 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus.  In the letter, the Senators emphasized concern that, with less than two months left in...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - Kicking off his five-day swing through Virginia today in Hampton Roads, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, visited the Hampton VA Medical Center to tour the facilities and receive a progress update on efforts to reduce wait times for veterans seeking care. Kaine met with the medical center's leadership team to discuss health care access, improvements to the Veterans Choice Program and the use of private outside providers to improve w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin called on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) Board of Directors to convene an emergency safety meeting following revelations that Metro neglected to fix an identified safety problem. Metro, once again, put service over safety and maintenance, leading to the derailment of a train near the Smithsonian station last week. While the Metro Board of Directors has directe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Robert Hurt (R-VA), along with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) and U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA), recently introduced the Commonsense Permitting for Job Creation Act (H.R. 3434 and S. 1914) in both houses of Congress. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will address regulatory problems that have impeded prospective economic development sites like Berry Hill Mega Park in the Danville-Pittsylvania County a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined their Senate colleagues’ efforts to raise wages for the U.S. Senate’s cafeteria and catering workers. As the Senate Rules Committee negotiates its contract with the Restaurant Associates – the Senate’s food and catering contractor – Warner, Kaine and 39 of their Democratic colleagues urged Rules Committee leadership to advocate for better wages for these employees. In a letter sent to the Chairm...Continue Reading