Press Releases
Kaine & Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Protect Benefits For Near Retirees Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Protecting Benefits for Retirees Act, legislation that would protect the annual retirement benefits of those set to receive Social Security in a few years. The Social Security Administration uses the Average Wage Index (AWI) in the year the worker turns 60 to adjust past earnings and calculate a worker's retirement benefits. The AWI is meant to account for wage growth over time; however, due to a … Continue Reading
June 30, 2020
Warner & Kaine Cosponsor NDAA Amendment To Increase National Production Of Testing Supplies And PPE As COVID-19 Cases Rise
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine cosponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 (NDAA) that would require President Trump to unlock the full authority and power of the Defense Production Act to scale up nationwide production of the testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment needed at the local level to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "As coronavirus cases continue to rise throughout Virginia and the … Continue Reading
June 30, 2020
Warner & Kaine to Trump Administration: Don't Rip Away Health Care from Millions During Public Health Crisis
~ Introduce resolution slamming effort to invalidate Affordable Care Act, sabotage protections for 3 million Virginians with a preexisting condition ~ WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and 44 Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution officially condemning the Trump Administration's "reckless" effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provides coverage for millions of Americans. The Senate resolution also … Continue Reading
June 29, 2020
Kaine Statement On Supreme Court Decision Upholding Reproductive Freedom
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the Supreme Court's decision in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo: "Four years ago, I applauded the Supreme Court's decision to overturn a thinly veiled attempt to effectively ban abortion in Texas. Today, I applaud the Court for continuing to uphold a woman's constitutional right to make her own health care choices. Judges must respect precedent regardless of their own personal views, and the addition of new … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Warner & Kaine Call for ICE to Stop Transferring Detainees Amid COVID-19 Crisis
~ Letter follows surge of COVID-19 cases at detention center in Farmville, Va. ~ WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop the transfer of individuals in ICE custody - such as the ones that recently resulted in a spike of more than 50 COVID-19 cases at the ICE detention facility in Farmville, Va. In a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, the Senators urged the Secretary to … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Warner, Kaine, Cardin, Van Hollen Call On McConnell To Bring D.C. Statehood Up For A Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Ben Cardin, and Chris Van Hollen released the following statement upon House passage of legislation to make D.C. the 51st state: "Virginia and Maryland's neighbors in D.C. deserve the representation that states have. Today, the House took a historic vote to pass legislation to make D.C. the 51st state. Leader McConnell should bring this bill up for a vote in the Senate immediately. There is no good reason hundreds of thousands of … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Kaine Introduces With Colleagues “No Check, No Sale” Bill To Close Loophole Allowing Gun Sales Without A Completed Background Check
More than ten prohibited people a day are sold guns by dealers who do not wait for completed background check WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the funeral service for the victims of the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined 23 of his Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to close a current loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun … Continue Reading
June 24, 2020
Warner & Kaine Applaud More Than $700,000 to Support University of Virginia Health System Telehealth Services Amid COVID-19
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) applauded $767,139 in federal funding from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to support telehealth services at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va. The funding was made possible through the COVID-19 Telehealth Program established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers provide telehealth services to patients at home or in mobile … Continue Reading
June 22, 2020
With Senate Considering Police Reform, King, Kaine Call for Colleagues to “Rise to the Occasion”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Amid nationwide protests against police violence against African-Americans and widespread calls for systemic changes, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are urging Senate leaders to find a bipartisan path forward and enact meaningful police reform. Specifically, the Senators are calling for hearings in the Judiciary Committee on both the Justice in Policing Act, introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and the JUSTICE … Continue Reading
June 19, 2020
Warner & Kaine Applaud More Than $11 Million For Williamsburg And Blacksburg Transit
WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded $11,297,535 in federal funding for public transportation in Williamsburg and Blacksburg. The funding, for the Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) and the town of Blacksburg, was authorized by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Senators Warner and Kaine. "As more Virginians begin to go back to work and engage in their … Continue Reading
June 19, 2020
Hoeven & Kaine Introduce Legislation To Ensure States, Communities Can Fully Utilize Disaster Resiliency Funding
Bill Would Extend Deadline for NDRC Awardees, including Minot & Norfolk, to Spend Funds to 2025 WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) today introduced legislation to extend the deadline for National Disaster Resiliency Competition (NDRC) awardees to utilize the program's funding until September 30, 2025. This three-year extension will help ensure awardees, including the City of Minot, North Dakota, and the City of Norfolk, Virginia, are able to fully implement … Continue Reading
June 18, 2020
Kaine Statement On Supreme Court Decision Saving DACA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the Supreme Court's decision in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California: "President Trump's decision to end DACA plunged hundreds of thousands of innocent young people into legal limbo and wreaked havoc upon nearly every area of American life. I'm so thankful the Court has put an end to this Administration's ill-conceived broken promise. Congress should now pass the HEROES … Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
Bicameral, Bipartisan Resolution Condemns Discrimination Against Iranian Americans
Lawmakers call for probe of discriminatory CBP directive to detain and question Americans of Iranian origin following killing of General Soleimani WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) and Francis Rooney (R-FL) led the introduction of a resolution denouncing discriminatory treatment of Iranian Americans. This bicameral, bipartisan resolution comes after earlier this year, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office … Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
Kaine Praises Senate Passage Of The Great American Outdoors Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement applauding Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA): "The Great American Outdoors Act is a historic, bipartisan win for Virginia and the environment. I'm proud of the leadership displayed by my colleague and friend, Senator Mark Warner, who helped usher this bill to passage and championed the parks maintenance provisions in this package. These funds will address the deferred maintenance backlog … Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
Senate Passes Rubio, Kaine Resolution Supporting GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, issued the following statements after the U.S. Senate passed their resolution supporting GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance (S.Res.511). "GAVI remains a leading organization in providing critical support to advance global health security by ensuring access to life-saving vaccines and immunizations," Rubio said. "I'm happy to see the Senate unanimously approved this … Continue Reading
June 16, 2020
Video: Kaine Joins Booker, Colleagues To Call For Passage Of Comprehensive Policing Legislation
You can watch video of Kaine's floor speech here. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine delivered a floor speech calling for passage of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. Last week, Kaine joined Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris to introduce the legislation, the first comprehensive legislative approach to ending police brutality and changing the culture of law enforcement departments. The bill would hold police accountable in court for misconduct, increase transparency … Continue Reading
June 15, 2020
Warner & Kaine Call For Permanent Expansion Of Telehealth Following COVID-19 Pandemic
Telehealth Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries Up More Than 11,000% In Just Over A Month WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in calling for the expansion of access to telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic to be made permanent. Provisions from the CONNECT for Health Act, legislation cosponsored by Senators Warner and Kaine, that have allowed Medicare beneficiaries in all areas of the … Continue Reading
June 15, 2020
Kaine Statement On Supreme Court Decision Barring Gay And Transgender Employment Discrimination
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: "No one should be fired because of who they are or whom they love. I am so relieved the Supreme Court recognized that basic truth today and grateful for the brave men and women who brought forth these cases." … Continue Reading
June 12, 2020
Warner & Kaine Applaud More Than $60 Million for Hampton Roads Transit
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded $61,731,853 in federal funding for public transportation in Hampton Roads. The funding, for Hampton Roads Transit, was authorized by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine. "Throughout this crisis, our community's transportation systems have been forced to deal with extraordinary challenges to meet the needs of … Continue Reading
June 11, 2020
Kaine Secures Virginia Wins, Ban On Use Of Military Against Peaceful Protesters In 2021 Defense Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes numerous provisions he championed to benefit Virginia's defense community, shipbuilding industry, and military families. The Committee also adopted Kaine's amendment to prevent the use of military force against American citizens exercising their first amendment … Continue Reading
