Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded the Biden administration for increasing the amount of federal dollars that Virginia will receive for five emergency projects across the Commonwealth. By adjusting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s federal cost share from 75 percent to 100 percent, the Biden administration will help deliver an additional $22,915,050 in federal funding to cover the cost of communicating COVID-19 w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that Virginia will receive $79,907,625 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support 26 community health centers across the Commonwealth. The funding – which was made possible through the American Rescue Plan – will be awarded beginning in April by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  “For the past year, our ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2021 to fix a flawed formula that results in disproportionately low Medicare payments for hospitals in rural and low-wage areas. The bill would provide additional financial support for rural hospitals that are already operating on very thin margins and shutting down at record rates durin...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner reintroduced the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act, legislation that would add a total of 5,600 acres to two existing wilderness areas within the George Washington National Forest in Bath County, Virginia. A wilderness designation is the highest level of protection for public land under federal law. These additions were recommended by the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 and endorsed by members of the GW National Forest S...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today in commemoration of Belarus’s Freedom Day and in solidarity with Belarusian demonstrators: “103 years ago, the people of Belarus exercised their fundamental right to self-governance and declared the establishment of a free and independent Belarusian National Republic. Today, I join Belarusians all around the world in commemorating Freedom Day and express my support for their ongoing effort to ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after Governor Northam signed legislation today ending the use of capital punishment in Virginia: “I’m proud to see Virginia abolish this brutal and racist institution,” Kaine said. “As the death penalty capital of the United States, Virginia gives hope that work done for justice is not in vain and that progress is possible for all. I will continue pushing legislation in the Senate to end the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $2,390,400 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide much needed infrastructure improvements around the Commonwealth. The funding was awarded through the Community Facilities Direct Loans & Grants Program and the Community Facilities Loan Guarantees Program, both administered by USDA’s Rural Development. These programs offer direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced the Revitalizing American Priorities for Infrastructure Development (RAPID) Act, which would streamline the application process for the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program and increase transparency in vetting the projects requesting these funds.   “TIFIA loans have supported numerous important transportation projects in Texas, but the arduous application process...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Housing Supply and Affordability Act to create a new grant program that would provide funding to help localities develop and implement comprehensive housing policy plans. This program will provide technical assistance to help states, localities, and regional coalitions increase housing supply, improve housing affordability, and reduce barriers to new housing development while avoi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), along with U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Don Beyer (D-VA), A. Donald McEachin (D-VA), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Elaine Luria (D-VA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and Bob Good (R-VA) requested that the Biden administration prioritize the Norfolk Harbor Widening and Deepening project by including at least $83.7&nbs...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Amy Klobuchar and their colleagues in reintroducing the Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act to allow Medicare to negotiate the best price of prescription drugs for seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies, not Medicare. By harnessing the bargaining power of the nearly 46 million seniors enrolled in the program, Medicare co...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $4,387,500.00 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to support COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Virginia. “As more Americans receive one of the three COVID-19 vaccines, the supply of available vaccines still can't meet the demand,&rdqu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that seven Virginia tribes have been awarded $724,246 in federal funding for housing assistance as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.  “We’re pleased to announce this funding to expand access to affordable housing for Virginia’s tribes during this health crisis,” the Senators said. “These grants will help ensure the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced the Safeguarding Internet Freedom in Hong Kong Act. Since July 2020, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has implemented a “national security law” that violates the basic freedoms of Hong Kongers including the freedom to peacefully assemble and the right to freely access and share information online. The bill supports firewall circumvention infrastructure in ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Andy Levin (D-MI-09) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) reintroduced the Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act. This legislation would better support today’s students by making high-quality, shorter-term education and training programs eligible f...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the subcommittee that oversees the Western Hemisphere, today introduced a resolution recognizing the 9 th Summit of the Americas and reaffirming the United States’ commitment to a more prosperous, secure, and demo...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the nominations of Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Rachel Levine as Assistant Secretary for Health were sent to the Senate floor for confirmation: “The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most mismanaged crises in Amer...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is supporting two major projects designed to increase the reliability of rural electric utility systems in Virginia. The Senators today announced two low-interest loans of $25 million to the Northern Neck Electric Cooperation in Warsaw, Va., and $16 million to the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative in Palmyra, ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged congressional leaders to quickly confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees to oversee the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which has experienced unacceptable delays under the current Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy. Once Biden’s nominees to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors are confirmed, they can provide strict oversight over DeJoy’s ten-year strategic plan for postal operat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) highlighted some of the ways in which the American Rescue Plan will help families, workers, small businesses and local governments across Virginia defeat COVID-19 and recover from the health and economic impacts of the virus.  “The American Rescue Plan will help us defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and put our nation on a clear path to rebuild from this crisis. Already, Virginians are seeing the benefits, w...Continue Reading