Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced that Virginia will receive federal preparedness grants totaling more than $18 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help combat terrorism and respond to other disasters and emergencies. The funding was made available through grant programs run by DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA also allocated over $53 million to the National Capital Region, which includes Northe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate passed legislation addressing the Puerto Rican debt crisis:  “The 3.5 million people who call Puerto Rico home are American citizens, and they deserve better,” Kaine said. “For years, Puerto Ricans have faced uncertainty about their jobs and livelihoods due to an unsustainable debt situation. This bill is far from perfect, but it is necessary. On Friday Puerto Rico would have ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON— As the Senate considers Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations legislation, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 21 Democratic colleagues in a letter urging Senate leadership to remove from the funding bills any measures that undermine gun safety research, including one known as the “Dickey amendment.” A 1996 Republican appropriations rider authored by former Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) prohibits federal funds from being used to “advocate or promot...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R.  Warner (D-VA), Dean Heller (R-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced bipartisan legislation to help students make smart decisions in the financing of their higher education. The Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act would promote financial literacy by providing students who are recipients of federal financial aid with comprehensive counseling services. Nationwide, Americans owe more than $1.3 trillion in...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that the City of Lynchburg will receive $597,250 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund construction of a new air traffic control tower at the Lynchburg Regional Airport/Preston Glenn Field. “The existing air traffic control tower at Lynchburg Regional Airport is more than 50 years old and has been slated to be replaced for many years,” said the Senators. “We are pleased that the City ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Representative Bobby Scott, announced that the City of Newport News will receive $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant program. The funding supports revitalization efforts in local communities. “We are pleased that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has chosen the City of Newport News for this competitive grant award...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today after voting against a partisan Republican funding measure that would insufficiently address the spread of the Zika virus:  “We don’t have any time to waste in addressing the spread of the Zika virus, but that’s exactly what Republicans in the House and Senate have chosen to do with this appropriations package. Rather than focusing on the serious threat Zika poses to families across our ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt:  “I applaud the Supreme Court for seeing the Texas law for what it is – an attempt to effectively ban abortion and undermine a woman’s right to make her own health care choices. This ruling is a major win for women and families across the country, as well as the fight to expand reproductive freedom for all. ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement regarding today’s announcement that the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have reached a bilateral ceasefire deal, the last major step toward ending a war that has lasted 52 years: “After four years of talks, I welcome today’s announcement that the Colombian government and FARC signed a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in United States. v. Texas:  “The Supreme Court’s split decision on DAPA and DACA is a setback, but the fight to bring millions of families in Virginia and across the country out of the shadows is far from over. President Obama made a lawful and moral decision to ensure law abiding families will not be torn apart because of Congress’ refusal to address...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a press conference today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce a compromise proposal to help keep guns from terrorists and make America safer. The measure would prohibit those on the No Fly List or the Selectee List from purchasing a firearm. A summary of the legislation can be found HERE.   “This body has been impotent, weak, silent and a bystander...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that Catholic Charities USA, headquartered in Alexandria, will receive $951,150 in federal funding, and the Virginia Housing Development Authority, located in Richmond, will receive $1,040,918. This nearly $2 million grant by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is intended to provide families and individuals in Virginia with counseling services to improve their housing conditions and help them mee...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after measures to reduce gun violence failed in the Senate today:  “Today my colleagues and I were given the opportunity to cease being bystanders and finally start taking action on the issue of gun violence. The proposed measures—to prevent known or suspected terrorists from purchasing guns and to subject all private gun sales to background checks—are both commonsense and popular, and i...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine addressed the first class of 20 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Presidential Scholars, who were recognized for their outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in CTE fields. In 2014, Kaine, founding co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, led a successful bipartisan effort to expand the Presidential Scholars program to include fields in CTE. “For too long, CTE has been stigmatized as a second-class educational field, but today’s...Continue Reading

RICHMOND, VA – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the observance of Juneteenth: “On this day 151 years ago, people celebrated the end of slavery in the South. Over a century and a half later, the ‘Juneteenth’ celebrations continue and I’m proud to join Virginians and Americans across the country in continuing this important tradition. “The history of African-Americans is a tragic and painful one in many ways, but it’s also ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that Virginia fire departments will receive $407,784 in federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The Virginia Department of Fire Programs will receive $267,022 in funding for the State Fire Training Academy, and the Appalachia Fire Department in the Town of Appalachia will receive $140,762.   “Our firefighters put ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, during a more than fifteen-hour filibuster on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine added his voice to the renewed push for legislative action to combat gun violence. Kaine reflected on how Virginia has been affected by gun violence, including the horrific shooting of WDBJ’s Alison Parker and Adam Ward last year, as well as his own personal experience - from witnessing the scenes of brutal homicides in Richmond as a city council member and Mayor, to ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine testified in support of the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act, bipartisan legislation introduced last February that would establish a commission to plan programs and activities across the country in 2019 to recognize the arrival and influence of Africans in America. Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director for Cultural Resources, Partnerships and Science at th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded the announcement that Total Action Against Poverty in the Roanoke Valley, Inc. will receive a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help working parents in Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Radford, Salem and Roanoke access the quality, affordable child care they need to earn an education, participate in training programs, and ultimately compete for better-paying jobs in emergin...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which contains several provisions he advocated for that will benefit Virginia’s shipbuilding industry and defense community: “From funding the Ford-class carrier and Virginia class submarines, to enhancing credentialing opportunities for servicemembers, to elimina...Continue Reading