Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in supporting bipartisan legislation to give students and families a better estimate of college costs before they apply to schools. By increasing awareness of scholarships and financial aid, the bill would also encourage more low and middle-income students to pursue higher education. “College affordability is an issue students and families are dealing with here in the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a classified Armed Services Committee briefing today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, issued the following statement on the situation in Iraq: “The security situation in Iraq is extremely troubling, but not surprising. The war in Syria is exacerbating the situation in Iraq and has allowed the Al Qaeda off-shoot, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), to g...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded an announcement that Virginia has been awarded $3,444,620 from the U.S. Department of Labor to explore, develop and test strategies to improve the employment of transitioning veterans in the Commonwealth. The award will support efforts to align veterans’ Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) across the Virginia Community College System, develop statewide stra...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on Senate passage of The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, legislation he introduced this week with U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, John McCain, Jeff Merkley, and Richard Burr to improve veterans’ access to health care and address serious problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): “I’m v...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, John McCain, Jeff Merkley, and Richard Burr to introduce The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and address serious problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill will allow veterans to see private doctors outside the VA system if they experience long wai...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate voted today to confirm Hannah Lauck of Richmond to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Lauck will be the first woman to serve on the Eastern District bench: "We are so pleased to congratulate Judge Hannah Lauck on her confirmation to the Eastern District Court. Throughout her many years in public service as well as private practice, Judge Lauck disting...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in observance of the 70th anniversary of D-Day: “Today we remember the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of the Allied Forces on D-Day. I’m honored to spend today at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford - a visible reminder of those who have sacrificed to preserve the liberty we enjoy. Thirty-four soldiers from the Virginia National Guard’s Company A, 116th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine introduced legislation to help families in Virginia and across the country access tax credits in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to ensure they get the most affordable coverage possible. The Family Coverage Act, which Kaine introduced with U.S. Senator Al Franken, would fix what is known as the “family glitch” by clarifying ACA rules so that individuals whose employers offer them hea...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell as Secretary of Health and Human Services:   “I am proud to support Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s confirmation to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. She has a strong background not only in the public sector - most recently as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget - but she also has a superb track record in the private sector, ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a joint letter sent today, 12 members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation called on Governor Terry McAuliffe to establish a statewide task force to address the growing heroin epidemic in Virginia. The bipartisan group of legislators, including U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Congressman Frank Wolf, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Congressmen Randy Forbes, Morgan Griffith, Jim Moran, Gerry Connolly, Bob Goodlatte, Robert Hurt, Scott Rigell and Rob W...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission announced yesterday that it will survey servicemembers on their compensation preferences, as Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) called for through introduction of the Servicemembers’ Compensation Empowerment Act last month, as well as in an amendment to the FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that Kaine introduced. The Commission announced yesterday that it will survey a nu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a Senate Budget Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine highlighted the harmful impact of high college costs and student loan debt on borrowers and the entire U.S. economy. Kaine, co-founder of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus and a longtime supporter of expanding CTE programs, discussed the importance of presenting the option of earning licenses and certificates in high-demand career fields to students as an alternative to more expensive f...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined thirteen of his Senate colleagues today to introduce the Restoring Veterans’ Trust Act of 2014, legislation to correct underlying problems in access to medical care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). “This legislation is an important step toward restoring the confidence of our veterans and the American public,” said Kaine. “By providing the VA with ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine hosted a roundtable discussion on college affordability today with students and educators at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg. Throughout the discussion, Kaine heard from students and parents faced with the high cost of higher education and described his efforts in the Senate to help students afford post-secondary degrees. Kaine kicked off the roundtable by describing his experience with dual enrollment, which helped ease the financial ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule on existing power plants: “Today the EPA proposed standards for carbon emissions for existing power plants.  Reducing this carbon pollution is in our national interest, but we have an obligation to do it in a way that makes economic sense.    “I recently wrote to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to request ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today: "Congress and our veterans have been calling for dramatic action to end waiting times for years.  Despite assurances from VA leadership that the issue is being addressed and improved, the latest revelations, including widespread falsification of records, demonstrate the systemic nature of the problem and that efforts to solve it have not been succes...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement applauding the full funding for the refueling and overhaul of the USS George Washington in the Fiscal Year 2015 House Appropriations Committee defense spending bill: “We are pleased the House Appropriations Committee included $789 million for the refueling and overhaul of the USS George Washington – sending yet another clear signal that maintaining an 11-carrier fleet is critical ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement on the President’s remarks at West Point earlier today: “America is strongest when its military, economic, diplomatic, and moral example are balanced. I was pleased to hear the President articulate such an approach for continued U.S. engagement around the world in his commencement address at West Point today, as well as h...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chairs of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to establish a Presidential Career and Technical Scholars Award program to better recognize and value the efforts of American students who have chosen CTE pathways. President Obama, who highlighted the importance of CTE training in his State of the Union Address, is scheduled ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as one of eight national Critical Conservation Areas, a new designation that ensures Bay region producers are eligible to receive a portion of more than $100 million in annual funding to help implement a variety of conservation projects and increase the sustainability of regional water, soil, wildlife and natural resources...Continue Reading