Press Releases

Wicker, Kaine, Lead Bipartisan Call, Citing Potential Savings for Taxpayers WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), were joined today by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and 14 Senators in sending a letter to Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis expressing their support for the Pentagon’s pursuit to block buy two Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers in FY2019. “Committing to a block-buy for the newest generation of aircraft carriers would ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 20 of their colleagues in a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman (FCC) Ajit Pai urging him to delay the proposed vote tomorrow that would dismantle existing net neutrality rules until he specifically addresses the impacts on students and schools—specifically those in rural or low-income communities. Ka...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after President Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes numerous provisions he championed to benefit Virginia’s shipbuilding industry, defense community, servicemembers, and their families. Kaine helped write the legislation along with his colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, led by U.S. Senator John Mc...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) as a cosponsor of the Member and Employee Training and Oversight on Congress Act (ME TOO Act), introduced in response to recent sexual harassment allegations in Congress and revelations that the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) process places an unfair burden on victims. The bill would reform the CAA to eliminate the mandatory steps that must be exhausted before an employee of the ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) announced they will begin to notify families tomorrow who have one or more family members enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that they will lose coverage on January 31st if Congress does not pass a bipartisan CHIP reauthorization bill: “Today is a scary day for a lot of families in Virginia, and&n...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on Senator Al Franken’s decision to resign: “I told Senator Franken yesterday I believed he needed to step aside because the behavior described by multiple women is just wrong. Senator Franken made the right decision today, but the Senate has more work to do -- starting with releasing information about claims and settlements against Senators and their staffs, and fixing broken policies to foster s...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine sent a letter to the Senate Office of Compliance (OOC) this week requesting information on the number of sexual harassment claims filed against Senators, members of their personal staff, and committee staff, along with the amount of monetary settlements that were reached in harassment cases. In the letter, Kaine wrote that he will publicly release any information he receives to help determine the scope of the problem and develop solutions. Th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, bipartisan members of the Virginia delegation led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Congressman Tom Garrett (VA-5) sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Acting Secretary Eric Hargan asking him to extend the open enrollment period for consumers buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act individual market in light of premium increases in Charlottesville and across Virginia. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement today following President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: “Meaningful progress towards an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal has been stalled for years. While I hope that dynamic will change, I am very concerned that President Trump's announcement will f...Continue Reading

~ With deadline looming for McAuliffe to send letters to CHIP families, Warner & Kaine urge Senate leadership to protect health care for 128,000 Virginia children ~ WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to immediately pass bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health care coverage for 128,000 children in Virginia, by including it in a...Continue Reading

~ Express concern over White House appointment of Mick Mulvaney as part-time acting CFPB director ~ WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 44 Senators in a letter urging President Trump to follow the law and swiftly nominate a permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) who will put working families ahead of Wall Street. In their letter, the senators cited the CFPB’s much-needed “aggressive enforcement and supervision,&...Continue Reading

Legislation would provide Customs and Protection the latest in chemical screening devices and scientific support to halt the flow of drugs into the United States  WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee joined a bipartisan bill to help halt the flow of illicit fentanyl from Mexico, China and other nations around the world into the United States. The International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response ...Continue Reading

~ Letter follows reports that “bots” may have filed hundreds of thousands of comments to FCC during net neutrality policymaking process ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to delay a planned December 14th vote to roll back net neutrality rules until an investigation can be completed into reports that internet “bots” – automated computer programs designed to pose as p...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement today on the situation in Honduras: “I am deeply concerned about the many irregularities, technical issues and disputes that have arisen in the aftermath of the November 26 elections in Honduras. It is critical to maintain calm and for the vote counting to be concluded in a fully transparent and credible manner, without interference.  I encourage all Ho...Continue Reading

Video: Kaine speaks about his middle-class tax relief amendment  WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on tonight’s partisan vote to pass the Republican tax bill: “For months, I’ve tried to convince Republicans to work with us on a tax reform bill that would actually put middle-class families and small businesses in Virginia first. Instead, they jammed through a bad bill that will raise taxes on millions of working Americans,...Continue Reading

~ National Park Service secures funding, streamlines timeline for repairs ~ WASHINGTON – Virginia’s two Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, along with U.S. Reps. Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly (both D-VA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) , today announced that after years of effort by the Senators and House members, the National Park Service (NPS) has approved $227 million to initiate a long-awaited contract to fully repair and rehabilitate Arlington Memorial Bridge. The 85-year-old...Continue Reading

~ Funds will help repair or reconstruct federal highways, roads, and land damaged by the storm ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that communities in Hampton Roads will receive $2,201,300 from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide assistance in repairing or reconstructing federal roads and land damaged by Hurricane Matthew. The October 2016 storm brought torrential rains, high winds, coastal flooding and road closures acro...Continue Reading

~ Funds will provide Virginia youth and families living in rural areas with health education to prevent opioid abuse ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will provide $321,638 to support health education initiatives spearheaded by the Virginia Cooperative Extension aimed at preventing opioid abuse among vulnerable communities in rural Southw...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 18 senators today in a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Kirstjen Nielsen, calling on her to answer several immigration related questions prior to consideration of her nomination by the full Senate. During her confirmation hearing, when asked whether she agrees that legislation must be passed to protect Dreamers by the end of this calendar year, Nielsen stated, “I believe that we must, and w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to introduce the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017. This legislation increases mandatory funding for the Bay, strengthens the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCCP), and provides more opportunities for effective conservation efforts. They were joined by Senators Cardin (D-MD), Capito (R-WV), Casey (D-PA), Manchin (D-WV), Warner (D-VA), Carper (D-DE), Coons (D-DE), a...Continue Reading