Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement today after voting against consideration of the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act (SAFE): “Today I voted against consideration of a bill that would have labeled millions of innocent people fleeing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II as enemies of the United States. Instead of allowing amendments that would actuall...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations & Armed Services Committees and co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, released the following statement on Implementation Day of the Iran nuclear deal and Iran’s release of four American prisoners: “Today is a good day for international security. Significant, concrete steps have now been taken to ensure that Iran cannot create or acquire a nu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded an announcement by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) that it intends to acquire a 60-acre land parcel on Route 50 east of Winchester for construction of a new $98 million FBI records facility. The FBI Central Records Complex, which has been in the planning stages for more than a decade and which included a GSA evaluation of at least three potential sites in or near Winchester, will consolidate pap...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced the two Virginia students selected to represent the Commonwealth in the 54th Annual United States Senate Youth Program. Monica Marciano of Front Royal who attends Wakefield Country Day School and William Shangraw of Sterling who attends Potomac Falls High School will each receive a $5,000 scholarship and spend one week in March participating in the program in Washington. This year’s program will include major...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on Congressman Scott Rigell’s retirement: “Scott Rigell has played a unique role in the House of Representatives throughout his three terms. There are few Members of Congress who are as focused on doing what's right and working with any and all partners to find common ground. I am thankful for Scott’s service to the Commonwealth and I will really miss working together." ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has designated Carroll County and Grayson County as Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA). The designations will enable each county to receive federal resources and tools to improve drug control efforts and coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement. “Too many families throughout the Commonwealth are suffering from t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined a bipartisan group of 12 Senators in urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to change inconsistent and burdensome regulations placed on “Blue Water Navy” veterans seeking health care and benefits for conditions resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals during their service aboard Navy ships in Vietnam. Prior to 2002, veterans serving in Vietnam as well as within the territorial waters had pre...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after President Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address: “Tonight, President Obama reflected on the significant progress our country has made over the past seven years and challenged us to reach higher. After assuming office in the midst of a global fiscal collapse and two open-ended wars, President Obama has patiently worked to rebuild a more sustainable economy, inspire an innovative and cleaner...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, condemned the attacks in Turkey and Iraq over the past two days. “I’m saddened by yet another wave of suicide attacks in the Middle East, including today in Istanbul and yesterday in Iraq,” said Kaine, who was just in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square on Saturday. “The continued slaughter of innocent civilians is savage and unjustified, and the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today: “The deadly incident on the Yellow Line on this day last year was the low point of a bad year for WMATA. There’s been some progress in the past year - a new chief executive in place, new accountability for the WMATA Board, full funding of federal infrastructure grants - but trust in Metro’s safety and reliability won’t be restored overnight. It will take the hard work of following through on...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced that his guest to President Obama’s final State of the Union address on Tuesday will be Don Flattery, a resident of Alexandria who lost his son Kevin – a 26-year-old graduate of UVA and Gonzaga College High School – to an opioid overdose in 2014. Kaine has spoken with families, law enforcement and businesses across Virginia about the devastating impact that drug abuse has had on their communities and has worked ac...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the executive actions President Obama announced to reduce gun violence: “Virginia knows all too well the tragedy and pain of gun violence. When I was Governor, Virginia suffered the deadliest mass shooting to date on the campus of Virginia Tech. More recently, the nation witnessed the terrifying shooting of two young journalists from our Commonwealth on live television. And there are too many incident...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senate and House colleagues in filing an amicus brief in the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole, which is currently pending before the Supreme Court of the United States and represents the most comprehensive challenge to the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Roe v. Wade in nearly a decade. In the brief, Democrats call on the justices to uphold Roe v. Wade and reject efforts to undermine a woman’s constituti...Continue Reading

RICHMOND, VA – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on Congressman Robert Hurt’s retirement: “From his start in local politics on the Chatham Town Council‎ to his tenure in the General Assembly and three terms in Congress, Robert Hurt has made a strong mark on his community. I'm proud of our work across the aisle to help move projects like Commonwealth Crossing Business Center and Berry Hill Mega Park forward, and I'm grateful for his partnersh...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, along with U.S. Senators Ben Cardin, Chuck Schumer, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Gary Peters, Michael Bennet, Ron Wyden, Jeanne Shaheen, Debbie Stabenow, Heidi Heitkamp, Bill Nelson, Ed Markey, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bob Casey, Mark Warner, Cory Booker, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, Barbara Mikulski, and Jeff Merkley expressed profound concern in a letter to Pres...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which provides discretionary funding for the entire federal government for the next fiscal year. “The bipartisan budget deal helped pave the way for this legislation, which restores some of the most harmful sequester cuts and provides certainty to our military and to Virginia shipyards. It provides much-needed additional resources to improve cyberse...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) wrote to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt, seeking more information on the agency’s efforts to inform consumers and health care providers about prescription drug costs and maximize CMS’ existing authorities to contain cost. “In 2014 alone, spending on prescription drugs rose by 12.2%.&nb...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today announced that the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority will receive a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding – made available by HUD’s Jobs Plus Program – will help Norfolk public housing residents find employment by providing tools and resources that will assist them in gaining job skills and increasing their earned income. “These funds ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) welcomed legislation that passed the Senate this afternoon to renew the Federal Perkins Loan Program, a critical lifeline for 7,800 low-income college students in Virginia. Though the program had the support of a bipartisan majority of Senators, including Sens. Warner and Kaine, the Federal Perkins Loan Program lapsed on September 30, 2015, cutting off the ability for approximately 1,500 colleges and universities across the c...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded the Senate’s confirmations of Dana J. Boente to serve as a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and John P. Fishwick, Jr. to serve as a United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Mr. Boente – a 37-year veteran of the Justice Department and experienced trial lawyer –is the current interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mr. Fishwick – c...Continue Reading