Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today upon the passing of former Virginia Lieutenant Governor John Hager: “John Hager served his city, Commonwealth, and country well. He inspired me. I’m proud to call him a friend, and Anne and I are thinking about Maggie and his wonderful family.”  ###

~ Furloughs would wreak havoc on the livelihood of Virginia families and delay the processing of essential petitions and applications ~  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) expressed deep concern with plans by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to furlough more than 13,000 employees, including more than 750 in Virginia. In a letter, the Senators urged USCIS Acting Director Joseph Edlow to continue to pay its employ...Continue Reading

~ Letter follows controversial changes to the Postal Service that could affect mail-in voting ~  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged Virginia’s election registrars to do everything in their power to ensure that all Virginians can access their right to vote amid controversial reforms to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and the ongoing public health emergency. In a letter, the Senators strongly encouraged the Commonwealth’s 133 re...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the entire Senate Democratic caucus to demand answers from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on significant operational changes he directed that have caused serious delays for postal customers in Virginia and across the country. In a letter, the Senators called on DeJoy to testify before Congress and provide clear, tra...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), along with U.S. Reps. Robert Wittman (R-VA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Don Beyer (D-VA), A. Donald McEachin (D-VA), Elaine Luria (D-VA), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), sent a letter to ensure that children in Virginia have access to healthy foods during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they may be participating in distance learning from home and therefore unable to easily access school-provided breakfast and lunch. In a ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a deal that will lead to normalization of diplomatic relations and suspend Israel’s annexation of Palestinian territory: “I applaud the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE, two valued U.S. allies. I appreciate the work of the Trump Administration on this accord. And I am so...Continue Reading

Letter follows reports that USPS indicated to state election officials it will depart from long-standing practice of prioritizing election mail, delaying delivery times unless states pay more WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Tom Carper (D-DE), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schume...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), along with Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), led eight of his Democratic SFRC colleagues in a letter to Secretary Pompeo expressing concern over reports that the Trump Administration has made it harder for same-sex married couples to transmit citizenship to their children born abroad by insisting that a child is only born “in wedlock” if the child is bio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $8,978,420 in federal funding to help Virginians access affordable housing across the Commonwealth. The funding was awarded through the Housing Choice Voucher Program and authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Warner and Kaine. “As housing insecurity continues to rise for many Virginians, now more than ever...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine introduced legislation to strengthen the public’s ability to evaluate the impacts of natural gas pipelines being considered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This bill makes it easier for the public to offer input and clarify the circumstances under which eminent domain should and should not be used. Among other guidelines, this bill requires public comment meetings to be held in every lo...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine questioned Louis Bremer, the President’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, regarding reporting that the Tier 1 Group—where he has served on the Board of Directors for a number of years—may have trained Saudi nationals who were later implicated in the assassination of Washington Post journalist and Virginia resident Jamal Khashoggi. You c...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-Idaho), and Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), along with Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), released a joint statement ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the bombings of the U.S. Embassie...Continue Reading

~ New bridge would double rail capacity, alleviate significant choke point along the East Coast ~ WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced legislation to allow for the construction of a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River – a move that would double the capacity of the rail crossing between Virginia and the District of Columbia (D.C). The Long Bridge Act of 2020 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to transfer&n...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine cosponsored the Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act of 2020, legislation that would establish a $120 billion revitalization fund to help independent restaurants deal with the long-term structural challenges facing the industry because of COVID-19 and support the reemployment of 11 million workers. “Virginia’s independent restaurants have been e...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced a bill to tackle the lack of representation of rural students, underserved students, and students of color in the physician pipeline. The Expanding Medical Education Act would provide grants through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to colleges and universities to establish or expand allopathic (M.D. granting) or osteopathic (D.O...Continue Reading

Watch the video here. WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, following President Trump’s threat to delay the election, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing pressed Secretary Pompeo on the issue, asking, "Can a president delay a presidential election?" Pompeo refused to answer and deferred the question to the DOJ, saying: “In the end, the Department of Justice and others will make that legal determination.” Kaine responded saying, "A president canno...Continue Reading

~ Cases have spiked as a result of this Administration’s transfer of detainees from COVID-19 hotspots in Florida and Arizona ~  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged President Trump to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to create and deploy teams of epidemiologists to the immigration detention center in Farmville, Va., where nearly every detainee has contracted COVID-19. This disastrous situation comes...Continue Reading

Bill named in honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, who died by suicide while serving on frontlines of pandemic WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, legislation that aims to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals. Health care professionals have long experienced high levels of...Continue Reading

“Such a project has no relevance whatsoever to the public health and economic recovery assistance Americans so urgently need.” WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (Both D-Md.) and Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (Both D-Va.) are calling on Senate leadership to reject the Trump adminstration’s attempt to add funding for a downtown headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the latest COVID-19 relief package. The four senators urged t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement today in response to the release of the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act – the proposal put forward by the White House and Senate Republican leaders as a starting point for bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on another COVID-19 relief package: “The Democratic House passed the HEROES Act ten weeks ago. Since then, the health and economic crisis...Continue Reading