Press Releases

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 calling on the Department of Education to immediately fix a glitch in the Public Service Loan Relief (PSLF) program that penalizes borrowers who pay more than their minimum required monthly loan payments. This so-called “pay ahead” status leads borrowers to unknowingly make payments that do not qualify toward lo...Continue Reading

~ Virginia newspapers have already reduced pay and furloughed staff to deal with loss of advertisement revenue during health crisis ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined their Senate colleagues in a letter calling for funding to support local journalism and media to be included in any future COVID-19 relief package. In a letter to Senate leadership and the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senators warn that the wide...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, as well as Representatives Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, A. Donald McEachin, Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger, and Jennifer Wexton sent a letter urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to provide Virginia maximum flexibility to use funding from the coronavirus economic relief package to help address budget shortfalls and prevent harmful budget cuts to services vital to addressing the economic and health c...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s reported speech aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt: “Based on the transcript I’ve read, Secretary Modly’s comments were completely inappropriate and beneath the office of the Secretary of the Navy. It’s deeply disappointing that he would deliver a speech on board a U.S. aircraft carrier suggesting that Captain Crozier might be &...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senator Tina Smith and 13 of their Democratic colleagues to announce plans to introduce a legislative fix that would make dependents 17 and older count toward what a family gets in direct payments from the bipartisan coronavirus relief package signed into law last week. “Virginians know the coronavirus pandemic is not just a health emergency, it’s an economic emergency too,” Kaine said. “...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statements after the President granted a Major Disaster Declaration to help Virginia respond to COVID-19, allowing FEMA to provide emergency protective measures to the Commonwealth at a 75% federal cost share for eligible assistance like medical care; purchase and distribution of food, water, and medicine; and Emergency Operation Center (EOC)-related costs: “This disaster declaration will trigger imp...Continue Reading

The current public health emergency will exacerbate a longstanding “homework gap” without immediate action by Congress WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined 33 of their colleagues in a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting robust funding for all K-12 students to have adequate home internet connectivity given school closures due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Senators expressed their disappointment with the lack of su...Continue Reading

Funding will help support housing for individuals with low- and moderate-incomes, as well as people experiencing homelessness and those living with HIV/AIDS WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $52,292,406 in federal funding to support access to safe and affordable housing throughout Virginia. The funding is part of the first allocation of grants from the coronavirus relief package signed into law last week. “We’re pleased to see s...Continue Reading

Letter Comes After IRS Releases Guidance that Contradicts Provisions of the CARES Act that Explicitly Give Treasury Authority to Provide Direct Assistance to Social Security Beneficiaries who Do Not File Taxes WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and 37 of their colleagues in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Social Security Administration Commissioner Andrew Saul ...Continue Reading

~ Reports indicate that more than 100 sailors have tested positive for COVID-19 ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today expressed concern with the health and welfare of military personnel aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt – an American aircraft carrier that has been reported to have more than 100 sailors aboard who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In a letter, the Senator...Continue Reading

This critical funding was included in the emergency economic relief package that passed Congress and was signed into law on Friday. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a bipartisan push by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), the emergency economic relief package that passed the Senate by 96-0 and the House by voice vote last week included $1 billion in supplemental funding for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program.  CSBG serves more than 1,000 entities across the countr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after President Trump signed the bipartisan coronavirus (COVID-19) economic relief package into law: “We’ve worked in a bipartisan way to move legislation across the finish line that will put workers, families, and small businesses first, and we need to make sure it’s implemented without delay. This economic package will backstop low- and middle-income Americans who are losing earnings, support sma...Continue Reading

~ Title 32 approval would provide federal funding for Virginia’s National Guard emergency response missions amid the health crisis ~ 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), Don Beyer (D-VA), A. Donald McEachin (D-VA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Elaine Luria (D-VA), Denver Riggleman (R-VA) Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) sent a letter to President Donald T...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate approved a bipartisan coronavirus (COVID-19) economic relief package. The legislation includes Kaine’s priorities to provide direct payments to Americans, protect small businesses, expand access to child care, provide much-needed assistance to state and local governments, strengthen our health care system, ensure that funding for larger businesses is used to protect their employees, fund impro...Continue Reading

~ Designation would enable more Virginia families to get access to food during the health crisis ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) sent a letter to the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging for swift approval of Virginia’s request to operate a Disaster Household Distribution Program. This designation by the Food and Nutrition Service would allow food banks to distribute USDA foods dir...Continue Reading

Video of Kaine’s speech: https://timkaine.box.com/s/bcw156ivjat444q2dhfsh1fq2esenud4 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered a floor speech pushing for passage of a coronavirus economic relief package that backstops low- and middle-income Americans who have lost earnings, supports small businesses, ensures that funding for larger businesses is used to protect their employees, provides ...Continue Reading

Senators Call on President to Outline Defense Production Act Plan to Mobilize Private Industry and Meet National Supply and Equipment Shortages WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined their Democratic colleagues in a letter to President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence demanding answers about supplies and equipment in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) critical to addressing the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pande...Continue Reading

~ School closures have increased demand for child care services ~ WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, urging the agency to issue clear guidance for child care providers to determine whether these centers should remain open amid the nationwide COVID-19 outbreak. School closures across the country have increased demand for child care services, yet these providers ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led 19 of his colleagues in a letter calling on President Trump to reverse course on efforts to repeal, sabotage, or undermine healthcare coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act. In the letter, Kaine criticized the Administration’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and put millions of Americans’ health care at risk during a pandemic. Kai...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Todd Young (R-IN) wrote a letter calling for investments in child care to be included in the forthcoming coronavirus (COVID-19) economic relief package. In the letter, Kaine and Young urged Senate leadership to increase funding, flexibility, and eligibility for the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to support child care providers and h...Continue Reading