Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s malicious prosecution of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey:  “I’ve had my differences with James Comey in the past, but I can spot trumped-up charges a mile away. Trump said he’d go after him, then fired a superb, ethical prosecutor when he refused to bring frivolous charges against those whom Trump perceived to be his enemies. Now he has i...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement on the memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last night regarding agency preparations for a potential government shutdown: “America deserves a leader focused on solving problems, not someone who treats chaos and disruption as tools of governing. Instead of threatening government employees and the American public with even more mass layoffs and federal dysfunction, Preside...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $3.2 million in funding for the Lee County Sewer Improvement Project, which will provide wastewater service to hundreds of households and over 1,000 residents and businesses not currently being served by a public wastewater system. “High-quality water infrastructure is critical to the health and wellbeing of all Virginians,” said the senators. “We are thrilled to be announcing further funding for this project so ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) returned from Ottawa, Canada, where he joined Virginia FREE on a trade mission that included Virginia business leaders and a bipartisan group of current and former state government officials. During the trade mission, the group engaged with Canadian businesses and leaders to discuss the Virginia-Canada trade relationship. Kaine also participated in a fireside chat with Canadian Senator Peter Harder at the Canada 2020 Policy Forum, and in bi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Democratic leadership on government funding: “President Trump instructed Republicans to craft a budget bill without dealing with Democrats. Now he’s canceled a negotiation meeting with Democratic leadership that he just agreed to Sunday. President Trump’s unwillingness to engage with Democrats on a path forward underscores how litt...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Protecting Students with Disabilities Act to ensure that special education programs within the U.S. Department of Education continue, despite the Trump Administration’s repeated efforts to gut the Department. The legislation reaffirms the Department’s statutory responsibilities under the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced almost $600,000 in funding to address substance use disorder in Southwest Virginia by expanding recovery resources and promoting workforce entry. The funding was awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)’s Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which seeks to address the substance use disorder (SUD) crisis across Appalachia. “Our country’s substance use ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s forcing out of Erik Siebert, interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, because Siebert was unwilling to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James that Trump demanded after Siebert’s office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud: “The American people are begging for lower costs and f...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement after Republicans voted down legislation to fund the government, protect Virginians’ access to health care, and prohibit the Trump administration from illegally withholding funding appropriated by Congress: “While Republicans may have acted unilaterally when they passed their Big Ugly Bill, keeping the government open is not something they’re going to be able to do on their own. Today,...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and a group of Senators introduced legislation that would reverse recent foreign policy changes made by the Trump Administration that have shut down global HIV prevention programs and cut off access to HIV preventative medications, especially for at-risk populations around the world. The HIV Medication Access Act would amend the Foreign Assistance Act to clarify that HIV prevention, including PrEP, is lifesaving humanitarian assistance. The legislat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate colleagues introduced the Sanctioning Harbors and Dodgers of Western Sanctions, or SHADOW Fleets Act, which would vastly expand U.S. sanctions authorities to target a collection of older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues. This collection of oil tankers is known as the Russian shadow fleet. The bill w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined a group of colleagues in calling on President Donald Trump to recognize a Palestinian state. The resolution—the first of its kind in the United States Senate—calls for U.S. recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel, in accordance with international law and the principles of a two-state solution. It underscores how urgent U.S. action would preserve the best...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced a War Powers Act resolution that would block use of U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities against certain non-state organizations following multiple unauthorized military strikes on unverified alleged drug trafficking operations in the Southern Caribbean Sea. “President Trump has no legal authority to launch strikes or use military force in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. The Administra...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, released a new analysis of the harm resulting from Republicans’ war on health care, including their repeated attacks on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will lead to dramatic premium spikes and coverage losses for millions of Americans: “The math is clear: unless Republicans join us to extend the healt...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and his fellow SASC Democratic colleagues urged SASC Chairman Roger Wicker to hold a hearing with Department of Defense (DOD) leadership to evaluate President Donald Trump’s ongoing military deployment to American cities and examine his efforts to direct DOD resources away from core military missions to support the Department of Homeland Security. The senators call for the hearing to provide...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) filed bipartisan legislation to challenge President Donald Trump’s tariffs on billions of dollars of goods from Brazil. The tariffs, imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, were put in place by President Trump. The legislation is privileged, so the Senate will be required t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $2,776,555 in federal funding to improve airport infrastructure at Richmond International, New River Valley, and Culpeper Regional Airports. The funding, allocated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will be used to expand and improve existing infrastructure, construct new rescue and safety buildings, modernize taxiways and aprons to meet current standards, and increase revenue of three airports ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced their support for legislation crafted by Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) to fund the federal government through October 31; protect Americans’ health care by reversing Republicans’ Medicaid cuts and preventing Affordable Care Act premiums from skyrocketing; and prohibit the Trump Administration from illegally withho...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement following new reporting by the Washington Post on the “serious safety risks” present at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on the night of the deadly crash over the Potomac River and the “political and economic forces” that perpetuated those conditions: “Air traffic controllers and pilots are only human – their workload and work environment should reflect that. Unfortunate...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) led their colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon opposing the Department of Education’s proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would limit eligibility for PSLF by disqualifying certain public service employers. The changes would also make it harder for curre...Continue Reading