Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an announcement that House Republicans will attempt to defund Planned Parenthood in legislation that will be considered through the Senate’s “fast-track” reconciliation process to repeal the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan calling on Congressional Republicans to drop attacks on the nation’s largest women’s health care provider and put the health and wellbeing of women ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Kirsten Gillibrand, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, applauded the U.S. Army decision this week to reform its policy to allow brigade-level commanders to permit Sikh servicemembers to serve without having to abandon their articles of faith. Previously, the Army granted religious accommodations at the Secretary level; such accommodations were often short-term and required a lengthy approval process, during which time Sikh ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senate colleagues in introducing a bill requiring President-Elect Trump to release his recent tax returns in order to give the public honest insight into the President-Elect’s and future presidential candidates’ actions, values and foreign business dealings.  “Transparency is a fundamental pillar of democracy, and we should not ignore the important precedent of disclosing tax returns set by presidential candida...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – At the start of the new Congress, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Amy Klobuchar, Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen, Tammy Baldwin, Angus King, Sherrod Brown, Patrick Leahy, and Al Franken today introduced legislation to lower prescription drug prices for seniors. The lawmakers have introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical compa...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During remarks on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Chris Murphy introduced the lead amendment to stop Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and strip health care away from tens of millions of Americans. Sen. Kaine and Murphy’s amendment would prevent the Senate from considering fast-track legislation that increases health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Americans, reduces the number of Americans with ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined 22 of his colleagues in sending a letter to Chairman Lamar Alexander calling for the confirmation hearing for Secretary of Labor nominee Andrew Puzder to include outside witnesses who can provide the Committee with knowledge of and context on Puzder's business practices and values regarding the treatment of workers. "Mr. Puzder's tenure at CKE and his...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine led a group of moderate Senate Democrats urging Republican Congressional leadership to discuss meaningful improvements to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) before rushing to fast-track a repeal of the landmark health care law that would strip 30 million Americans of health care insurance. In a letter sent to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Health Education Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, and Finance Committee Cha...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the passing of former Virginia State Senator Charles “Chuck” Colgan:  “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of my friend Chuck Colgan, and I extend my condolences to his family. Throughout his career as a businessman and public servant, Chuck set an inspiring example of how we should do all that we can to serve our community. There are few Virginians who have contributed as much to the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senate Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to President-elect Donald Trump outlining specific steps his Administration should take to help Congress bring down the cost of prescription drugs.   “It is undeniable that more and more families are struggling to access medications, and in many cases, are forced to choose between paying for prescription drugs and other necessities, like food and shelter. The American public is fed ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), along with 32 of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging him to oppose any efforts to restrict federal funding from supporting Title X family planning centers. “The economic security of women and their families is directly tied to a woman’s access to reproductive health care, including birth control and counseling,” wrote the Senators in the letter. “Despite num...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who will join the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) next year, visited an opioid/methadone treatment facility in Newport News to discuss how recent legislation will help address the opioid epidemic hitting Virginia, which claimed more lives in the state in 2014 than vehicle crashes and has been declared a public health emergency. Kaine toured the facility, which is a residential and day treatment program for r...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced his appointment to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) during a discussion on health care access with health care providers and advocacy groups in Richmond.  “I’m excited to announce that I will be a member of the Senate HELP Committee in the next Congress and will have the chance to work on two long-time passions of mine, healthcare and education. This is a critical moment for...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement following President-elect Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Rep. Mick Mulvaney to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):  “I’m worried by President-elect Trump's nomination of Rep. Mike Mulvaney as Director of OMB due to his past unwillingness to support bipartisan budget compromises, his pro-shutdown record, his advocacy...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine introduced the RECLAIM Act last week, legislation that will provide funds to states and Indian tribes for the purpose of promoting economic revitalization, diversification, and development in economically distressed communities through the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining. “We have a lot of work to do to ensure that communities that have historically relied on coal are ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in an effort to assess progress on Phase II of the Silver Line, Kaine rode the Metro from Tyson’s Corner to the Wiehle-Reston stop with Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld and received a tour and briefing on construction of the extension to Dulles International Airport from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) officials. As Governor of Virginia, Kaine made securing $900 million in federal funding for Phase I of the Silver Line project...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement following President-elect Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State:  “I have significant concerns about the nomination of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State that I intend to explore thoroughly as part of the confirmation process. His close connection to Vladimir Putin and the Russian...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was in Chesterfield to meet with members of Paralyzed Veterans of America and discuss veterans’ healthcare. In the Senate, Kaine has been a strong advocate for improved healthcare services at the VA. “My work on the Senate Armed Services Committee keeps me very involved in veterans’ healthcare and service reform issues, so I was glad I had the chance today to hear directly f...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine applauded final passage of the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act), also known as the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes water infrastructure projects across the nation. This bill makes investments in harbor dredging, maintenance of locks and dams, flood control, ecosystem restoration and other water-related priorities. Additionally, the bill includes a package of measu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on his vote for a spending bill to fund the government through April 28 and avert a government shutdown: “I voted in favor of this short-term spending measure because the alternative—a government shutdown—would be disastrous for Virginia. But the default to a continuing resolution rather than a long-term appropriations package is a Congressional failure that has real-world consequences across the C...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award $17,631,822 in grants for various health care organizations, medical research and Head Start programs across the Commonwealth. “This funding is an investment in the health and education of our communities,” the Senators said. “Community health centers and Head Start programs help create a strong foundation for Virginia familie...Continue Reading