Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine, Ben Cardin, and Chris Van Hollen wrote to President Biden requesting that the administration include at least $30 million in their FY25 budget request for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to specifically address the agency’s operational costs related to national security and counterterrorism. This request comes as WMATA faces a $750 million budget shortfall that threatens safety and services starting next s...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today called on President Joe Biden to urge the governments of Israel and Egypt to protect press freedom and allow journalists into Gaza to cover the war. In their letter to the president, the senators underscored the importance of safe access into Gaza for journalists and the need for accurate and independent reporting from inside the warzone. “We ask you t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $4,962,986 for Hampton University to establish an Interdisciplinary Climate Science Degree Program. The program will be embedded in a National Center for Climate Modeling Research. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. “Our nation’s HBCUs make tremendous contributions to our communities, and HBCU graduates are often leading the way, working to find solutions to important global challenges,” said...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), released the following statement following the White House’s announcement that the Kerem Shalom border crossing would open for direct delivery of humanitarian assistance. Kaine called for the opening of Kerem Shalom to expedite the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. “As Israel brings Hamas to account for its horrific terrorist attacks on October 7, it is crucial t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded Senate passage of legislation they cosponsored with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) to provide back pay, retroactive promotion dates, and other needed administrative fixes for military officers whose promotions were delayed in the Senate. Passage of this legislation comes one week after Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) released his months-long block of more than 400 military promotions. “The brave m...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Tina Smith (D-MN) reintroduced the Improving Data Accessibility Through Advancements (DATA) in Public Health Act, legislation to modernize our nation’s public health data infrastructure. This bill would increase timely and accurate information sharing between local, state, and federal public health departments to improve our preparedness and ...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), applauded Senate passage of their bipartisan bill to prohibit any President of the United States from withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) without Senate approval or an Act of Congress. The legislation was included in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed by a bipartisan vote of 87-13. “NATO has...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Chair of the SASC Subcommittee on Seapower, applauded the Senate’s bipartisan vote to pass the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bipartisan bill includes several provisions secured by Kaine to support our national security and Virginia’s defense community. As a member of SASC, Kaine played a key role in shaping the legislation and served as a member of the co...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) praised an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it will extend the re-registration period for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants from countries including El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Sudan. The announcement follows a Warner-led letter to advocate for TPS for migrants from Sudan and a Kaine-led letter to advocate for TPS for migrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicara...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded the HELP Committee’s passage of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act and the Advancing Research in Education (AREA) Act. The bills, which now head to the Senate floor, include several provisions Kaine secured to support individuals recovering from substance use d...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $532,435 in federal funding to help low-income families in Central and Southwest Virginia make critical housing improvements. The funding was awarded by U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. “Every Virginian should have access to safe housing,” said the senators. “This federal funding is critical to helping low-income Virginians make repairs to their homes to protect their health and safety.” The funding w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement calling for the rule of law and peaceful transfer of power to be upheld in Guatemala in the lead up to President-elect ?Bernardo Arévalo’s January 2024 inauguration. “Friday’s announcement by Guatemalan prosecutors to strip President-elect Arévalo of his legal...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Strengthening Communities of Recovery Act to reauthorize and expand resources for individuals experiencing substance use disorder (SUD). Individuals in recovery often struggle to reintegrate into society due to stigma, lack of support, and limited access to resources they need. The Strengthening Communities of Recovery Act would support tho...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in a letter urging the Department of Education to provide clear guidance and communication to students, families, educators, college access counselors, and schools leading up to and after the release of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The redesigned FAF...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who serves as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and previously worked as a missionary in Honduras, concluded a bicameral congressional delegation visit to Guatemala and Honduras to meet with elected officials, the private sector, and civil society leaders. Kaine led the delegation, which included U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) an...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $25,668,909 in federal funding to make safety improvements along the Virginia Beach Trail and in Richmond. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program, which funds initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The program was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which the senators helped pass. “It’s critical that our transportat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine and Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) sent a letter to the Virginia District Manager of the United States Postal Service (USPS) requesting answers and improved transparency regarding the recent mail delivery issues in the Richmond area. In their letter, the lawmakers urge Virginia District Manager Gerald Roane to address these issues and communicate directly with impacted residents.  “We write to advocate on behalf of o...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and U.S. Representatives Norma J. Torres (D-CA-35) and Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-3) released the following statement regarding the Guatemalan Attorney General’s attempt to nullify the fair election of anti-corruption reformist President-elect Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President-Elect Karin Herrera: “We categorically condemn and reject the Guatemalan Attor...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and one of the most forceful voices who pushed to end Senator Tuberville’s reckless hold on military promotions, joined U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) in introducing the bipartisan Military Personnel Confirmation Restoration Act of 2023 to provide back pay to military officers who were denied promotions for months. “By denying servicemembers’ military promotions at the time they we...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $2,000,000 in federal funding to study huge improvements to passenger rail in Virginia and surrounding states by potentially extending Amtrak service to new cities, increasing frequency, and creating faster routes. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program, which supports comprehensive intercity passenger rail plann...Continue Reading