Press Releases
15 Regional Lawmakers Urge No Changes to Reagan National Airport Perimeter Rule
WASHINGTON - As Congress prepares to begin work on the 2017 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation, a bipartisan coalition of 15 regional members of Congress today urged their colleagues not to further overburden operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by adding more flight traffic. In their letter, the members point out that when Congress established the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) in 1986, it was charged with operating, … Continue Reading
April 05, 2017
Kaine Delivers Senate Floor Speech On Nomination Of Neil Gorsuch
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine delivered a speech on the Senate floor about the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. In his remarks, Kaine shared his belief that Gorsuch has repeatedly taken an activist approach to cases involving a woman's right to make her own health care decisions. "I don't think you have to be an activist on everything to be an activist. But, I do believe he is an activist. It shows through in no area clearer than in cases dealing with … Continue Reading
April 05, 2017
Warner & Kaine Introduce Bill To Reform Black Lung Benefits Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, along with U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), reintroduced the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2017 to reform the federal program that provides benefits to coal miners suffering from black lung disease. The legislation would amend the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA) of 1973 to ensure that claims for benefits for coal miners and their family members are processed in a fair and timely manner. Federal law requires that coal … Continue Reading
April 05, 2017
National Capital Region Delegation Calls For Federal Investment In WMATA Safety Improvements
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Gerry Connolly, along with U.S. Senators Ben Cardin, Mark Warner, Chris Van Hollen and Representatives Steny Hoyer, Eleanor Holmes Norton, John P. Sarbanes, John Delaney, Don Beyer, Barbara Comstock, Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin, have sent a letter to Congressional appropriators calling for continued federal investment in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for safety and other improvements to Metrorail. The … Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
On Equal Pay Day, Warner & Kaine Reintroduce Paycheck Fairness Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today on Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to reintroduce the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. According to the National Women's Law Center, today's wage gap in Virginia would cost a woman on average $482,000 over a 40-year career, when compared to a man. In Virginia, on … Continue Reading
April 03, 2017
Kaine Leads Bipartisan Group Of Senators Calling On President Trump To Raise Case Of Imprisoned Egyptian-American Aya Hijazi With President Al-Sisi
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, along with U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mark Warner (D-VA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), wrote a letter to President Donald Trump to request that he raise the case of Aya Hijazi when he meets with Egyptian President al-Sisi today. Hijazi, a dual … Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Kaine & Warner Applaud Senate Committee Passage Of Bill To Approve 400 Years Of African American History Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources unanimously passed the bipartisan 400 Years of African American History Commission Act, introduced by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, that would establish a commission to plan programs and activities in 2019 across the country to recognize the arrival and influence of Africans and African Americans in America. The bill was also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Cory Booker, and a companion version … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Bipartisan Group Of Senators Urges President Trump To Restore Funding To Appalachian Regional Commission
WASHINGTON - Ten U.S. Senators representing six states and both political parties are urging President Donald Trump to reverse his proposal to eliminate federal funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission. Since ARC was created in 1965, the federal-state partnership has partnered with states, localities and the business community to support the creation of thousands of new jobs and helped leverage billions of dollars in new economic investments across the Appalachian region, but the White … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Kaine Calls On President Trump To Veto Resolution Gutting Internet Privacy Rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today calling on President Trump to veto a resolution that guts landmark privacy protections for customers of internet and telecommunications companies: "President Trump should veto this bill, which jeopardizes the privacy of Virginians. This is an effort to weaken a regulation that prohibits broadband and other telecommunications companies from selling information about their customers without consent. Customers are … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Kaine & Wicker Announce Bipartisan Push To Enhance Cybersecurity Scholarships
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) Co-Chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus and Roger Wicker (R-MS) Co-Chair of the Community Colleges Caucus, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced legislation to further improve the cybersecurity workforce pipeline by expanding and enhancing an existing federal scholarship program for students pursuing degrees in cybersecurity fields. The Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act would expand and improve … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Kaine Statement On Nomination Of Neil Gorsuch
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on his intent to vote against cloture and final confirmation for the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court: "After meeting with Judge Gorsuch and reviewing his testimony and past decisions, I've observed that he has repeatedly taken an activist approach to cases involving a woman's right to make her own decisions about her health. He has made the astounding argument that bosses have an individual … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Warner & Kaine Introduce RECLAIM Act
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine introduced the RECLAIM Act. This legislation accelerates $1 billion in funding from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AML) Fund over the next five years to revitalize coal communities hit hardest by the downturn of the coal industry. It promotes economic revitalization, diversification, and development in economically distressed communities through the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Kaine Statement On Clean Power Plan Executive Order
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding President Trump's Executive Order that dismantles the Clean Power Plan and starts to undo progress made under President Obama to fight climate change and improve public health: "The Clean Power Plan requires the U.S. to reduce its carbon pollution by about 1/3 over 15 years. America went to the moon in half that time. For people who say they want to make America great again, I'm struck by President Trump's … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Warner & Kaine Announce More Than $410, 000 In Grants To Rural Virginia Through Programs That Would Be Cut Under Trump Budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $410,581 in federal funding for infrastructure project planning in Augusta County and Smyth County and agricultural research at Virginia Tech. Future grants like these could be endangered by President Trump's budget, which proposes to eliminate programs like the Economic Development Administration (EDA). "Today's funding will continue promoting economic growth and agricultural research in the Valley and Southwest … Continue Reading
March 24, 2017
Kaine To DOD On ‘Marines United’: Online Harassment Must Be Eliminated
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined a bipartisan group of Senators calling on Defense Secretary James Mattis to better combat sexual harassment in the military in light of the "Marines United" scandal and requesting the Pentagon develop a proactive plan to eliminate intimidation, harassment, and reprisal online and in the barracks. "We write to you regarding reports that Active Duty and Reserve service members posted degrading … Continue Reading
March 24, 2017
Kaine Statement On Trumpcare Vote Being Pulled Down
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement regarding today's vote on TrumpCare being pulled down in the House of Representatives: "It's clear there is little support for TrumpCare, a bill that takes away health care from 24 million Americans, makes older Americans face higher premiums, burdens states with dramatic Medicaid cuts, and deprives women of access and coverage. And all … Continue Reading
March 24, 2017
Warner & Kaine Introduce Legislation To Overhaul Broken VA Appeals Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined a group of fourteen Senators in introducing legislation to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs' broken appeals process. The process has not been updated since 1933, and more than 450,000 appeals are currently pending. Because of redundancies and inefficiencies in the current process, most veterans wait years for a decision on their appeals. By replacing the current process, the Department of Veterans Affairs … Continue Reading
March 23, 2017
Kaine, Warner Call On President Trump To Reconsider Federal Hiring Freeze
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to a January memorandum from President Donald J. Trump, Senators Kaine and Warner, along with 16 of their colleagues, called on President Trump to reconsider his decision of halting all hiring in key government agencies. The memo, which placed a wide-ranging hiring freeze on the civil federal workforce, is currently impacting dozens of federal agencies and their ability to serve the American people. The budget blueprint released by the administration last week … Continue Reading
March 22, 2017
Warner, Kaine Call For Reversal Of Proposed EPA Cuts That Would Threaten Americans’ Clean Air And Water
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Jeff Merkley and 35 of their colleagues in opposing President Trump's proposal to inflict a more than 30 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget. Expressing "extreme concern" over the cuts, the Senators wrote to appropriations leaders, "During the President's February 28, 2017 address to Congress, he pledged to 'promote clean air and water.' Such a pledge is meaningless when the President … Continue Reading
March 22, 2017
Kaine Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Improve Quality Of Care For Women Veterans At Department Of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), John Boozman (R-AR) and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) to introduce bipartisan legislation to improve services and access at the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) for women veterans. The Deborah Sampson Act addresses gender disparities at the VA to ensure that women veterans are getting equitable care. The bill will provide enhanced access to VA care and will ensure women veterans are getting the benefits … Continue Reading
