Press Releases

Watch the floor speech here.  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine delivered a floor speech honoring the victims of gun violence tragedies, including in Virginia Beach and at Virginia Tech, and calling on Majority Leader McConnell to let the Senate vote on gun violence prevention measures, including universal background checks and high-capacity magazine limits. On the Senate floor, Kaine shared the story of Liviu Libre...Continue Reading

~ Designation will direct additional federal resources to Warren County to help combat opioid epidemic ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released a statement today following a decision by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to include Warren County in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program: “Despite increased public awareness about the dangers of opioids, this epidemic continues to devastate families all acr...Continue Reading

~ Federal dollars will help the Chickahominy Indian Tribe develop a tribal land environmental program ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $110,000 in federal funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will help the Chickahominy Indian Tribe build environmental capacity. “Last year, we fought for the federal government to finally recognize the Chickahominy tribe, allowing it to compete for educational progra...Continue Reading

Watch the full floor speech here.  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine delivered a floor speech condemning the Trump Administration for taking $3.6 billion away from military construction projects, including $77,120,000 from projects in Virginia, to build portions of the border wall that the President promised Mexico would pay for. In his speech, Kaine highlighted examples of defunded projects across the country that will lose funding and called on Senate Republicans...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the GAO report concluding that ninety-nine percent of loan-forgiveness requests under the new Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) program were rejected during the program’s first year, from May 2018 to May 2019: “We created a fix to this program and provided the Trump Administration wi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,455,722.85 in federal funding for the Lexington, Manassas, Bristol, and Portsmouth Fire Departments. The funding will be awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. “It’s crucial for firefighters to have the tools necessary to best serve their communities,” the Senators said. “We’re pleased to announce this fundin...Continue Reading

Trump plan takes $77,120,000 away from military construction projects in Virginia  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine condemned the Trump Administration’s plans to build portions of President Trump’s border wall by diverting $3.6 billion in military construction funds, including by taking funding from four projects in Virginia: “The decision by the President to divert funding meant to support U.S. national security interests so that ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine sent a letter pressing Acting DHS Secretary McAleenan on reports that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sent letters to immigrants with serious medical conditions indicating that the agency will no longer consider most deferrals of deportation and that such decisions will now be made by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Extreme medical need in many of these cases reportedly includes patie...Continue Reading

~ Express concern over rushed timelines for employees, payments $15,000 below what is standard ~  WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), along with Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-MD) asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to explain its decision to reduce payments to Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) employees who have declined to relocate to Kansas City fol...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $125,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update outdated equipment at police and fire departments in Augusta County, Halifax County, and the town of Glade Spring. The funding will help improve emergency response times and public safety in these communities. “The men and women serving our communities need functional, up-to-date equipment that allows them to effectivel...Continue Reading

~ Funding will target housing needs for low- and moderate-income individuals, including homeless Virginians and those living with HIV/AIDS ~  WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $8,288,283 in federal funding to support access to safe and affordable housing in Richmond and Suffolk. This funding, from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was awarded through four grant programs – the Communi...Continue Reading

In letter, 45 Senators urge Department to reconsider proposed rule and extend comment period Senators: “The Department’s proposal is yet one more attempt to undermine the Nation’s registered apprenticeship system, which has existed for 80 years and enjoys broad support from Congress, workers, and industry alike.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, 45 Senato...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $3,426,635 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for 21 Virginia health clinics. These grants will expand access to integrated mental health and substance use disorder services as part of an ongoing effort to combat the addiction crisis. “This federal funding will help ensure that these clinics can continue to provide l...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $17,417,978 in federal grant funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Head Start programs throughout Virginia. “The Head Start program plays an important role in helping schools and organizations across the Commonwealth get the resources they need to support young children,” the Senators said. “We’re excited to announce this funding that promotes early chi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 39 colleagues in urging Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin against unilaterally cutting capital gains taxes for the wealthiest Americans by an additional $100 billion over 10 years, an action that would defy longstanding Justice Department policy. The request follows a letter signed by 21 Republican senators urging Secretary Mnuchin to circumvent Congress and index capital gains rates t...Continue Reading

Senators’ Letter Highlights Changes to Tax Form That Could Disrupt Students’ FAFSA Applications WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senator Maggie Hassan and 8 of their colleagues on a letter urging the Department of Education and the IRS to ensure changes on tax forms following passage of the Republican tax law do not jeopardize students’ access to financial aid. In an attempt to make good on Congressional Republicans’ political promise that their tax ...Continue Reading

After collapse of three for-profit colleges, Department of Education does little to help affected students   WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Patty Murray and 27 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urging the Department of Education to fulfill its duty by providing assistance to the 32,000 students that have been impacted by the recent and sudden closures of three for-profit college chains: Ed...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine are now accepting applications for the position of U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia to succeed U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, who has announced she will take senior status effective August 1, 2019. An independent panel of lawyers assembled by the Senators will review applications and interview qualified individuals. The Senators will then use those recommendations, as well as input from bar associa...Continue Reading

Bipartisan, bicameral group of 28 lawmakers call for final defense bill to include amendment prohibiting unauthorized and unconstitutional war with Iran WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and U.S. Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of 28 lawmakers in calling on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to include a bipartisan amendment to prohibit uncon...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Sherrod Brown and 31 of their Democratic colleagues in urging Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to abandon the Department’s current destructive approach to ongoing negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).  Despite VA and AFGE’s history of engaging in good-faith negotiations that equally benefit employees, veterans and the Department, the c...Continue Reading