Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, met with President Juan Orlando Hernández of Honduras to discuss economic and human rights conditions in the country and the fight against government corruption. Photos of today’s meeting are available here.   “It was great to sit down with President Hernández to discuss the issues mutually important to our nations,” Kaine said....Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources unanimously passed two bipartisan bills introduced by U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine - one that would recognize the resilience and contributions of African Americans to the United States since 1619 and another that would add additional historically significant areas around the City of Petersburg to Petersburg National Battlefield. These bills will now advance to the floor for a full Senate vote. “...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously in support of bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Dean Heller (R-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) to help students make smart decisions in the financing of their higher education. The Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act would promote financial literacy by providing students who are recipients of federal financial aid with comprehensive counseling servic...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling in Philippines v. China: "I was encouraged to see the final ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the case of the Philippines v. China over competing claims in the South China Sea.  Today’s decision at The Hague demonstrates that existing international frameworks like the United Natio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today: “The shootings in Dallas last night were a brazen and calculated attack on brave police officers doing their jobs to protect their fellow citizens. I join Americans across the country in condemning this horrific act of senseless violence, mourning the loss of five law enforcement heroes and praying for the recovery of those wounded.” ###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced their support for legislation to establish a coordinated regional response to effectively address the endemic violence and humanitarian crisis driving women and children to flee from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The Secure the Northern Triangle Act calls for increased refugee processing in the region, and orderly and humane processing of individuals who reach the U.S.-Mexico border seeking protection....Continue Reading

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, along with Senators Dick Durbin, Chris Murphy, Jeanne Shaheen, and Barbara Boxer sent a letter to President Barack Obama, urging him to carry a message to world leaders at the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Warsaw, Poland: success in Ukraine and resistance to Russian aggression, including through the rotational deployment of NATO troops to Eastern Europe,...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and Representative Bobby Scott applauded unanimous House passage of a bipartisan bill that would recognize the resilience and contributions of African Americans to the United States since 1619. Kaine and Warner introduced the Senate version and Scott the House version of the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act in February. The bill would establish a commission to plan programs and activities across the coun...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the Obama Administration’s announcement regarding troop levels in Afghanistan: “I support the President’s decision to adjust the trajectory of U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan through the end of next year and believe this informed strategy---based on the security situation, rather than an arbitrary calendar-based timeline---affirms our commitment to the people of Afghanistan and will help ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Congressional representatives from Virginia and the District of Columbia today announced that the National Park Service (NPS), jointly with the District Department of Transportation, has been awarded a $90 million FASTLANE Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for repairs to Arlington Memorial Bridge, which carries 68,000 vehicles daily. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Reps. Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly and Barbara Comstock jointly i...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the passing of Abner Mikva: "I was truly sorry to hear the news about Abner Mikva's death. I came to know him nearly 30 years ago when a close college friend, Jim Pfander, married his daughter Laurie.    And over the years, Ab, Zoe and the entire Mikva family have treated me like one of the family when I've visited Chicago. What an amazing public servant, veteran, Congressman, philanthropist,...Continue Reading

RICHMOND, VA – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine hosted a roundtable discussion in Richmond with Virginia public health officials and health advocacy organizations to learn more about the Commonwealth’s Zika virus preparedness efforts, including community outreach and prevention efforts. Kaine discussed how the federal government can work in tandem with local and state officials to effectively fight the spread of Zika as mosquito season gets underway. “State and local health offici...Continue Reading

Washington – U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are pushing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) for an update on a local pilot program designed to improve the quality and accessibility of health care for our nation’s veterans. In a letter to V-A Secretary Robert A. McDonald, the Senators expressed continued concern about long wait times for veterans seeking health care, and pressed the Secretary for an update on the implementation of the National Capital Regio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – As we head into Independence Day weekend, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (V-A) will award $166,336 to the Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority (HRHA) to help homeless veterans find affordable and stable housing. “The brave men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform deserve to know that their country will take care of them when they...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and 129 Members of Congress have filed an amicus brief in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Christiansen v. Omnicom Group, Inc., arguing that workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is already prohibited under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 since these types of discrimination are inherently linked to sex discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of sex is banned under Title VII of the Civil R...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced that Virginia will receive federal preparedness grants totaling more than $18 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help combat terrorism and respond to other disasters and emergencies. The funding was made available through grant programs run by DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA also allocated over $53 million to the National Capital Region, which includes Northe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate passed legislation addressing the Puerto Rican debt crisis:  “The 3.5 million people who call Puerto Rico home are American citizens, and they deserve better,” Kaine said. “For years, Puerto Ricans have faced uncertainty about their jobs and livelihoods due to an unsustainable debt situation. This bill is far from perfect, but it is necessary. On Friday Puerto Rico would have ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON— As the Senate considers Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations legislation, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 21 Democratic colleagues in a letter urging Senate leadership to remove from the funding bills any measures that undermine gun safety research, including one known as the “Dickey amendment.” A 1996 Republican appropriations rider authored by former Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) prohibits federal funds from being used to “advocate or promot...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R.  Warner (D-VA), Dean Heller (R-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced bipartisan legislation to help students make smart decisions in the financing of their higher education. The Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act would promote financial literacy by providing students who are recipients of federal financial aid with comprehensive counseling services. Nationwide, Americans owe more than $1.3 trillion in...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that the City of Lynchburg will receive $597,250 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund construction of a new air traffic control tower at the Lynchburg Regional Airport/Preston Glenn Field. “The existing air traffic control tower at Lynchburg Regional Airport is more than 50 years old and has been slated to be replaced for many years,” said the Senators. “We are pleased that the City ...Continue Reading