Press Releases
Kaine Seeks Accountability For War Crimes In Syria
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following a recent report accusing the Bashar al-Assad regime of atrocities in Syrian prisons, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined a bipartisan letter from Senate Foreign Relations Committee members to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seeking an update on U.S. plans to demand accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Syrian civil war. "In light of Amnesty International's report and the exhaustive documentation by Caesar and other courageous … Continue Reading
February 23, 2017
Kaine Statement On President Trump’s Decision To Roll Back Guidance On Civil Rights Protections For LGBTQ Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on President Trump's decision to roll back mandatory guidance on protecting the civil rights of transgender students in public schools: "I am disappointed by the Trump Administration's decision to roll back protections for transgender students in public schools. All students are entitled to a safe learning environment, and I worry this … Continue Reading
February 22, 2017
Kaine Meets Pope Francis In Vatican City, Discusses Global Refugee And Migrant Crisis
VATICAN CITY - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine attended a general audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City and spoke with the Pope about the Holy See's work to address the global refugee and migrant crisis. A photo of the meeting is attached and included below. "I had a chance to visit with Pope Francis to discuss the global crisis of refugees and migrants which is relevant around the world and to my work in the Senate," Kaine said. "As the Pope stated so clearly yesterday, it is a 'moral … Continue Reading
February 22, 2017
Kaine Introduces The Bipartisan Trafficking In Persons Report Integrity Act
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) was joined by Bob Menendez, (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Cory Gardner (R-CO) in reintroducing the Trafficking in Persons Report Integrity Act (TIPRIA), legislation designed to comprehensively reform the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP). The TIP process came under scrutiny after questions were raised over the rankings of certain countries despite failures to meet minimum legal standards prescribed by Congress. As … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017
Kaine Joins Colleagues In Dissent Cable Letter To Secretary Tillerson
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined his Democratic colleagues on the Committee in a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, urging him to take full and appropriate advantage of the State Department's 'Dissent Channel.' In the letter, the Senators said that the White House Press Secretary's recent statement that Foreign Service Officers who had signed a dissent cable in opposition to the Administration's Immigration … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017
Kaine Calls For Answers About ICE Raid Near Alexandria Church
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine wrote a letter requesting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials provide details on the operation that may have targeted a church shelter in Alexandria, Virginia, which reports indicate led to the arrest of six Latino men. "This incident is of great concern to me because members of this congregation believe that this church was targeted by your agency," said Kaine. "I appreciate any detailed information you can provide about … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017
Kaine Introduces Bill To Rescind Trump’s Massive Deportation Executive Order
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and 18 of their Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to rescind President Trump's Executive Order on Interior Enforcement, which directs the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize the deportation of a vast majority of undocumented immigrants living and contributing to U.S. communities, penalizes sanctuary cities, and drives undocumented communities deeper into the shadows by charging local … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017
Warner, Kaine Reintroduce Bill To Aid Rural Virginia Hospitals
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government and are able to remain open and functioning, especially in Virginia's underserved and economically struggling regions. The budget-neutral Fair Medicare Hospital Payments Act of 2017 (S.397) would correct a flawed formula that results in disproportionately low Medicare reimbursement payments to hospitals … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017
Kaine Introduces Bill To Ban Religious, Racial And Discriminatory Profiling By Law Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, along with more than two dozen original cosponsors, has introduced an updated version of his legislation to ban discriminatory profiling at all levels of law enforcement nationwide. The End Racial and Religious Profiling Act of 2017 (ERRPA), is designed to enforce the constitutional right to equal protection of laws through changing policies and procedures for law enforcement and promoting best practices in community-based law enforcement. The End … Continue Reading
February 16, 2017
Kaine On Opposing Mulvaney For OMB: His Budget Policy Won’t Keep America’s Fiscal Credibility Sound
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, voted against Congressman Mick Mulvaney's nomination to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, Kaine cited Mulvaney's record of opposition to bipartisan budget efforts to roll back sequestration, his support for policies that unfairly target federal employees, his willingness to use the full faith and credit of the United States as … Continue Reading
February 16, 2017
Kaine Cites Effects Of Sea Level Rise On Hampton Roads In Speech Against Scott Pruitt's Nomination To Be EPA Administrator
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kaine discussed Pruitt's unwillingness to accept the basic scientific consensus that human-generated CO2 emissions are a significant cause of climate change. Kaine also spoke about the impacts of climate change on Virginia, including rising sea levels in Hampton Roads, as he made the case that the EPA … Continue Reading
February 16, 2017
National Capital Region Members Introduce Joint Resolution To Establish The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) along with U.S. Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), John Sarbanes (MD-03), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), John Delaney (MD-06), Don Beyer (VA-08), Anthony Brown (MD-04), and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) introduced a joint resolution to establish the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. Once Maryland, Virginia, and the District of … Continue Reading
February 16, 2017
Kaine, Warner, Booker & Blunt Reintroduce Commission To Recognize 400 Years Of African American History
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) reintroduced the bipartisan 400 Years of African American History Act - legislation that would establish a commission to plan programs and activities in 2019 across the country to recognize the arrival and influence of Africans in America. Kaine and Warner were the lead sponsors in the Senate when a version of this bill was introduced last Congress. Similar commissions have … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Kaine Slams Trump Administration Proposal To Rename Programs That Counter Violent Extremism
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In letters to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and acting U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Wade Warren, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, expressed his strong opposition to the Trump Administration's reported plan to rename U.S. Government countering violent extremism programs (CVE) to "Countering Radical Islamic … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Kaine Statement On Vote To Confirm Linda McMahon As Administrator Of Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on his vote to confirm Linda McMahon as Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA): "I voted to confirm Linda McMahon as Administrator of the SBA. She has received strong bipartisan backing and has decades of private sector experience. I appreciate her acknowledgement of the SBA's role as an advocate for the small business community and look forward to working with her to streamline the federal … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Kaine Statement On Flynn Resignation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the resignation of National Security Adviser Lieutenant General Michael Flynn: "The resignation of Lieutenant General Flynn cements the worst fears of many Americans and our allies about the connections between this Administration and the Kremlin. His alarming communication with the Russian government underscores the need to complete a full, independent, bipartisan, and transparent investigation of contacts … Continue Reading
February 13, 2017
Kaine Statement On Vote To Confirm David Shulkin As Secretary Of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on his vote to confirm David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs: "I voted to confirm Dr. David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. It's critical that the VA continues to implement the reforms initiated by Congress and Secretary McDonald so that thousands of veterans can receive the timely health care they deserve. From his previous role as President Obama's chief executive of the Veterans Health … Continue Reading
February 13, 2017
Kaine, Corker, Cardin, Alexander Introduce Bill To Award Congressional Gold Medal To Master Sergeant Rodrick Edmonds
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bob Corker (R-TN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced a bipartisan bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Master Sergeant Rodrick "Roddie" Edmonds in recognition of his heroic actions during World War II. As the senior noncommissioned officer responsible for 1,275 members of the Armed Forces at a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany, Edmonds orchestrated a remarkable show of unity when the Nazis ordered him to … Continue Reading
February 13, 2017
Kaine To Oppose Steven Mnuchin For Secretary Of The Treasury
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury: "I will vote against the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury. After closely following his confirmation hearings, I am not confident Mr. Mnuchin will be an advocate for working families and their financial security. His complicity in the 2008 financial crisis raises serious doubts about whether he will prioritize the … Continue Reading
February 10, 2017
Kaine Statement On FTA Decision To Withhold Transit Funds From Virginia Until Oversight Body Is Established
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) decision to withhold five percent of Fiscal Year 2017 transit formula funds from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. until a new State Safety Oversight Program (SSOP) is established for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA): "I don't agree with docking transit funds for regions of Virginia far from D.C. with their own transportation needs - including … Continue Reading
