Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $1,627,377 in federal funding for public transportation in the City of Radford. The funding was authorized by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine. “We’re glad to announce that this funding will allow the City of Radford to continue pro...Continue Reading

~ Approximately 80 percent of people detained at the Farmville, Va. detention center have tested positive for COVID-19 ~ WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) raised alarm with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for continuing to transfer individuals in custody between detention facilities, even as approximately 80 percent of the population at the Farmville, Va. detention center tests posi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded $500,000 in Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) funding to improve the Town of Pulaski’s wastewater treatment facility and support 340 jobs. “We are glad to know that these federal dollars will be put to use in Pulaski to improve wastewater infrastructure and increase capacity as Pulaski continues to grow,” said the Senators. Currently, the Town of Pulaski’s collection...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the recent violence in Ethiopia. “We watch with concern the recent unrest and ethnic violence in Ethiopia following the June 29 murder of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa, which has led to the death of over 200 people. We are also concerned by the internet shutdown across the ...Continue Reading

Watch his video announcing the contest here. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the last two months, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine has highlighted graduating high school seniors across Virginia as part of his “Everybody’s the Graduation Speaker” video contest. Because many in-person graduations were postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus, Kaine encouraged Virginia’s graduating high school seniors to submit a video of an original speech they would have liked to give at graduatio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Protecting Benefits for Retirees Act, legislation that would protect the annual retirement benefits of those set to receive Social Security in a few years. The Social Security Administration uses the Average Wage Index (AWI) in the year the worker turns 60 to adjust past earnings and calculate a worker’s retirement benefits. The AWI is meant to account for wage growth over time; however, d...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine cosponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 (NDAA) that would require President Trump to unlock the full authority and power of the Defense Production Act to scale up nationwide production of the testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment needed at the local level to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “As coronavirus cases continue to rise t...Continue Reading

~ Introduce resolution slamming effort to invalidate Affordable Care Act, sabotage protections for 3 million Virginians with a preexisting condition ~  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and 44 Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution officially condemning the Trump Administration’s “reckless” effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provides coverage for millions of Ame...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s decision in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo: “Four years ago, I applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a thinly veiled attempt to effectively ban abortion in Texas. Today, I applaud the Court for continuing to uphold a woman’s constitutional right to make her own health care choices. Judges must respect precedent regardless of their own personal vie...Continue Reading

~ Letter follows surge of COVID-19 cases at detention center in Farmville, Va. ~ WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop the transfer of individuals in ICE custody – such as the ones that recently resulted in a spike of more than 50 COVID-19 cases at the ICE detention facility in Farmville, Va.  In a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, the Senators u...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Ben Cardin, and Chris Van Hollen released the following statement upon House passage of legislation to make D.C. the 51st state: “Virginia and Maryland’s neighbors in D.C. deserve the representation that states have. Today, the House took a historic vote to pass legislation to make D.C. the 51st state. Leader McConnell should bring this bill up for a vote in the Senate immediately. There is no good reason hundreds ...Continue Reading

More than ten prohibited people a day are sold guns by dealers who do not wait for completed background check WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the funeral service for the victims of the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined 23 of his Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to close a current loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) applauded $767,139 in federal funding from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to support telehealth services at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va. The funding was made possible through the COVID-19 Telehealth Program established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers provide telehealth services to patients at home or in m...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid nationwide protests against police violence against African-Americans and widespread calls for systemic changes, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are urging Senate leaders to find a bipartisan path forward and enact meaningful police reform. Specifically, the Senators are calling for hearings in the Judiciary Committee on both the Justice in Policing Act, introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded $11,297,535 in federal funding for public transportation in Williamsburg and Blacksburg. The funding, for the Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) and the town of Blacksburg, was authorized by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Senators Warner and Kaine. “As more Virginians begin ...Continue Reading

Bill Would Extend Deadline for NDRC Awardees, including Minot & Norfolk, to Spend Funds to 2025 WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) today introduced legislation to extend the deadline for National Disaster Resiliency Competition (NDRC) awardees to utilize the program’s funding until September 30, 2025. This three-year extension will help ensure awardees, including the City of Minot, North Dakota, and the City of Norfolk, Virginia, are able to fully im...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s decision in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California:  “President Trump’s decision to end DACA plunged hundreds of thousands of innocent young people into legal limbo and wreaked havoc upon nearly every area of American life. I’m so thankful the Court has put an end to this Administration’s ill-conceived broken promise....Continue Reading

Lawmakers call for probe of discriminatory CBP directive to detain and question Americans of Iranian origin following killing of General Soleimani WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) and Francis Rooney (R-FL) led the introduction of a resolution denouncing discriminatory treatment of Iranian Americans. This bicameral, bipartisan resolution comes after earlier this year, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offic...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement applauding Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA): “The Great American Outdoors Act is a historic, bipartisan win for Virginia and the environment. I’m proud of the leadership displayed by my colleague and friend, Senator Mark Warner, who helped usher this bill to passage and championed the parks maintenance provisions in this package. These funds will address the deferred maintenance backlog in o...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, issued the following statements after the U.S. Senate passed their resolution supporting GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance (S.Res.511). “GAVI remains a leading organization in providing critical support to advance global health security by ensuring access to life-saving vaccines and immunizations,” Rubio said. “I’m happy to see the Senate unanimou...Continue Reading