Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the “Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2013,” a bill introduced by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, was passed out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.  The legislation would grant federal recognition of six Virginia Indian tribes: the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, and the Nansemond. These tribes have received official recognition from t...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine today delivered the following remarks on the minimum wage and economic inequality: Mr. President, I rise to talk about a whole series of issues--including unemployment insurance and the minimum wage--that are designed to help Americans attain economic mobility and get a fair shot to move up in the way our economy is designed to work. This morning the Budget Committee had a hearing entitled ``Opportunity, Mobility, and Inequality in Today's Economy....Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine hosted a roundtable discussion with local business leaders and elected officials from Covington, Alleghany County and Clifton Forge at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College to learn more about regional economic development and current challenges facing the community, including the impact of sequestration and other federal budget cuts to the public education system. “Anything I do well in the Senate is because I started out in local gov...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Senate approved a bipartisan aid package for Ukraine.  “Passing this legislation sends a strong signal of support to the people of Ukraine, who are suffering from Russian aggression in clear violation of international norms. The package includes much-needed economic assistance for the people and government of Ukraine, as well as tough sanction...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine urged the Department of State to expedite the processing of Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghan nationals who served as interpreters for U.S. troops during the past 12 years of war. The program was created through the 2009 Afghan Allies Protection Act, but bureaucratic processing delays have left interpreters and their families waiting in dangerous situations for months or even years. “Becau...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined members of the Senate Democratic Caucus and Latino business leaders from around the country to discuss economic issues impacting the community, as well as job creation, education and workforce development. During the roundtable, Kaine discussed the significant economic contributions Latinos have made in Virginia, highlighting two successful Virginians in attendance, Carlos Del Toro, President and CEO of Alexandria-based SBG Technology...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today as oral arguments began at the Supreme Court in the cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Store, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius: “The issue before the Supreme Court today is whether requiring for-profit companies to provide access to contraception coverage for employees is unconstitutional. I do not believe it is, and I hope the Supreme Court rules in favor of a woman&rsq...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC —U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined more than 175 Senators and Representatives to write a letter to President Barack Obama calling on him to issue an executive order banning contractors from receiving federal government contracts unless they have a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “[We] urge you to fulfill the promise in your State of the Union address to make this a “year of action” and build upon the momentum o...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on Russia’s recognition of today’s referendum in Crimea: “Today, Russia has again isolated itself in the international community over Ukraine by recognizing an illegitimate referendum in Crimea that did not include all of the Ukrainian people. Yesterday, Russia was the sole 'no' vote on a United Nations Security Council resolution that was supportive of the territorial sovereignty and self-determination ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today after the Senate sent the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act to the President to be signed into law: “I’m pleased we sent the President legislation that protects coastal homeowners, including many in Hampton Roads, who would have seen their flood insurance premiums skyrocket this year due to mandated rate increases under the National Flood Insurance Program.  We’re not talking a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine today announced his support for the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2013, bipartisan legislation that would modernize our drug sentencing polices by giving federal judges more discretion in sentencing those convicted of non-violent offenses. Making these incremental and targeted changes could save taxpayers billions in the first years of enactment. In testimony before the U.S. Sentencing Commission today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed a prop...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014: “Today, we put partisanship aside to pass legislation that will improve the daily lives of Virginians by ensuring families have access to quality, affordable childcare. This bill reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which aids more than 21,000 children in Virginia each month, and makes improvements that ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised committee approval of Senate Resolution 365, “deploring the violent repression of peaceful demonstrators in Venezuela, calling for full accountability for human rights violations taking place in Venezuela, and supporting the right of the Venezuelan people to the free and peaceful exercise of representative democracy.”  Senator Kaine, a cosponsor of the resolution, release...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined more than 25 members of the Senate Climate Action Task Force for a rare all-night session to call attention to the effects of climate change.  In his remarks, Kaine discussed the urgent need for Congress to act on curbing emissions and investing in innovative and clean energy solutions. “The solution to climate change is American innovation,” Kaine said. “We have to get beyond the idea that we need to choos...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation championed by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to support federal funding for pediatric medical research passed the Senate today and will now go to the President for his signature. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act honors the memory of Gabriella Miller, a young girl from Leesburg who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor the size of a walnut at age 9. The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives in December, had ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on passage of the Victims Protection Act of 2014: “Today the Senate came together across party lines to address the serious and longstanding crime of sexual assault in the military. The Victims Protection Act of 2014 strengthens the historic reforms we passed in NDAA by banning the ‘good Soldier’ defense for servicemembers accused of assault and allowing survivors to give formal input in whe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine visited Northern Virginia Community College's (NOVA) Alexandria campus today to discuss the importance of career and technical education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs like SySTEMic Solutions, a program at NOVA that strives to equip students with the skills needed in today’s workforce. “This is a good thing for students because they are acquiring skills that are in high demand among Northern V...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Tim Kaine, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, joined a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), to introduce a resolution condemning the Russian military siege of Crimea, calling for a withdrawal of those troops, and a negotiated settlement to any concerns regarding the Crimea.  It also urges ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2015 defense budget today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the committee, pressed for, and received, additional commitment from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and other Department officials that the administration supports maintaining an 11-carrier fleet if Congress can provide additional sequester relief for Fiscal Year 2016 and beyond.  “Before I get ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both members of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statements on President Obama’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2015: Senator Warner said: “The President’s FY2015 budget lays out his priorities for the coming years, including the repeal of at least a portion of future sequester cuts and some elements of tax reform. In many ways, this builds on the progress we’ve seen in recent weeks,...Continue Reading