Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced legislation to rename Lynchburg VA Clinic after Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, a highly revered Medal of Honor recipient from Lynchburg who saved dozens of lives in World War II. “When his country called on him to serve, Lynchburg native Desmond Doss was able to square his deeply-held pacifist beliefs with the need to take a stand in a battle of good versus evil,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m proud to introd...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) in introducing the Time Off to Vote Act, legislation that would require employers—upon the request of the employee—to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave in order to vote in federal elections. This allotted time can be used to vote at a polling place, return a mail-in ballot, or take time for other voting-related activities, such as curing a ballot or driving someone to the polls. “Voting is the foun...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine led his colleagues, including Senator Mark R. Warner and Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Bob Good (R-VA-05), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), in sending a letter to the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Inspector General (IG) sharing stories of Postal Service disruptions and delays across Virginia. The USPS OIG is currently auditing the Richmond Regional Process...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Senate confirmation of Jasmine Yoon to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia (WDVA): “We’re thrilled the Senate voted to confirm Jasmine Yoon to the federal judiciary. She has a remarkable track record and a profound commitment to public service. With today’s confirmation, she cements herself in history as the first Asian American federal judge in Virginia. We know she’ll be a tremendous asset to...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) announced $1,000,000 for the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector project in Newport News, VA. The funding, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act's Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, will support the designing and planning of the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector. Decades ago, the Southeast Newport News Community was almost completely cutoff from downtown due to the constructi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, cosponsored the Showing Up for Students Act, which provides $280 million in additional funding for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education. The OCR is responsible for protecting the civil rights of students in schools, including from incidents related to antisemitism and Islamophobia. Amid a notable increase in reported incidents of antisemitism ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Tina Smith (D-MN) sent a letter to the Biden Administration regarding the mounting humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. As the country confronts an ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by armed conflict and climate chaos, the senators urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) released the following statement after legislation to end legacy admissions became law in Virginia. The legislation mirrors the senators’ bipartisan Merit-Based Educational Reforms and Institutional Transparency Act (MERIT Act), which would end the practice of colleges and universities giving preferential treatment in the admissions proce...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded congressional passage of legislation to avert a partial government shutdown and fund key of the government for Fiscal Year 2024. This legislation funds major priorities across several federal departments, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as their related agencies. Specifically, this legislation includes more than $...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cosponsored a bipartisan bill to increase access to job counseling services for spouses of members of the Armed Forces who died while on active duty through the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program. The program, which is housed within the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service at the Department of Labor, currently provides every state with funding to hire specialists who provide individuali...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding tonight’s State of the Union address: “The State of the Union is always an important day. It was extra special this year because I was joined by Elizabeth Carr, who helped me shine a light on the need to protect reproductive freedom across the country, including IVF access. I’m glad President Biden emphasized that in his speech tonight—and that he laid out a vision for how we can build on our economic pro...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced two witnesses from Virginia at a HELP hearing regarding the need to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA) , which provides nutritional services, family caregiver support, long-term care programs, and more to older Americans, helping them age in their homes and communities. The population of older Americans is growing rapidly, which is increasi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee’s approval of Jasmine Yoon to become a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia (WDVA). Yoon was nominated by President Biden after the senators recommended her to fill the position when Chief Judge Michael F. Urbanski assumes senior status in July 2024. The senators spoke at her confirmation hearing in February. Her nomination will now be considered by the full Senate. “...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), introduced the Divided Families National Registry Act, bipartisan legislation to help reunite Korean Americans who have been separated from their relatives in North Korea since the Korean War. For Korean Americans who have immigrated to the U.S. since the war, there is no official channel to reunite with family members still in North Korea. Virginia is home t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a former civil rights attorney, have joined 48 of their colleagues in introducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation would update and restore critical safeguards included in the original Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court weakened crucial tenets of that landmark law prohibiting discriminatory voting practices. “The Voting Rights Act was one of the most pivotal and transformative laws of the 20th c...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chair of the SFRC Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, issued the following statement underscoring the need for the Peruvian Congress to respect judicial independence. “We are deeply disappointed and concerned by the Peruvian Congress’ decision to move forward with its efforts to purge the country’s autonomous National Board of Justice (JNJ) by seeking to ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced that Elizabeth Carr will join him as his guest at Thursday’s State of the Union address. Carr was the first person in the United States born via in-vitro fertilization (IVF). She was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1981. Carr’s attendance at the State of the Union follows a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that has already led to restricted access to IVF in A...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Coons (D-DE), James Lankford (R-OK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a bipartisan resolution to express support for international religious freedom as a fundamental right and a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. This introduction comes amid concern over increased attacks on religious freedom worldwide. “The Virginia General Assembly passed a statute in 1786 that became the basis of religious freedom in America. Because of our example, m...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after the Senate approved a stopgap funding bill to fund some parts of the government through March 8 and others through March 22. This bill will keep the government open by reauthorizing spending at Fiscal Year 2023 levels. “Passing a stopgap funding bill is undoubtedly better than shutting down the government, but what would be really great is if Congress could pass a real spending bill,...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Guatemala is one of seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Today, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Boozman (R-AR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Steve Daines (R-MT) sent a letter to President Bernardo Arévalo urging him to not succumb to pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and instead continue to recognize and support Taiwan. “In the face of...Continue Reading