Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, U.S. Congressmen Scott Rigell, Bobby Scott, and Rob Wittman, as well as Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim and Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms hosted a regional conference on sea level rise at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. The forum focused on meeting the challenges Hampton Roads faces due to sea level rise and land subsidence and how to promote action at the federal, state and local level to address the region’s needs. The two panels o...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on Senate passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): “I’m proud to support the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation that streamlines the nation’s workforce development system,” said Kaine. “By allowing states like Virginia the flexibility to better tailor programs to meet real employment and workforce demands, we can...Continue Reading

Madam President, I rise to discuss the current crisis in Iraq. In particular I want to discuss an important question: Would Congress need to approve any U.S. Military combat action in Iraq? Last week the President summoned Congressional leadership to the White House to discuss the deteriorating situation in Iraq and a potential United States response. Press reports of the meeting had members quoted the President as saying he had all necessary authority for military action already and some accoun...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the announcement that Phase I of the Silver Line is scheduled to begin service on July 26, 2014: “Today’s announcement that Phase I of the Silver Line will begin service on July 26th is news we’ve been anticipating for years.  This was one of the most challenging infrastructure projects I worked on as Governor, and it wouldn’t have been possible without years of hard work and innovati...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today after three Al Jazeera journalists were convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison: “The conviction today of foreign journalists in Egypt is most troubling.  There are few democratic principles so well-established as the right of reporters to inform the public without fear of persecution. &...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senators Kay Hagan and Lisa Murkowski in supporting the Sportsmen's Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation that contains 12 bills to ensure sportsmen's traditions are protected, provide sportsmen more access to federal lands, and support conservation efforts. “The bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act conserves public land while promoting outdoor recreation activities that support jobs across the Commonwealth,”&n...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) announced today that a consortium of universities including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University have received a $5 million grant to conduct crucial research and development of energy efficient and environmentally sustainable modes of transportation. The Department of Transportation grant, which was awarded to the Mid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability University Transportation Center...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s announcement on Iraq today:  “I am encouraged that the President is dispatching Secretary of State John Kerry to the Middle East to first try to improve political conditions in this challenging environment. The current situation in Iraq is ultimately a crisis of gov...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Mr. President, I rise today to talk about an American memory and the absence of a memory. And the lesson that I draw both from the memory and the absence compels me to introduce a resolution today. First the memory. I would submit that the most known photograph in the history of the United States is the Alfred Eisenstadt photo of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square. If you google V.J. Day photo, you'll find more than 31 million links. Joy, celebration, gratitude, the phot...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, Richard Burr (R- NC), Ranking Member on the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees, will introduce a resolution to recognize Veterans Day, November 11, 2014, as a special “Welcome Home” commemoration for all who have served in the military since Congress passed the 2001 Autho...Continue Reading

Background: As the United States draws down its forces in Afghanistan after 13 years at war, it is more important than ever to recognize the men and women who served and sacrificed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 to protect our nation and way of life. Every year, Veterans Day is the time to reflect on the service and sacrifice of all generations of veterans. The history of Veterans Day goes back to the Armistice that ended hostilities in World War I on November 11, 1918.  In 1938, Novemb...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kaine released the following statement on the recent kidnapping of three young Israeli men: "I was saddened to hear about the kidnapping of three young Israeli men - Eyal Yifrah, 19, from Elad, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, from Talmon, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, from Nof Ayalon in the Hebron area - and strongly condemn this cowardly act. Many indications point to Hamas' involvement. Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not recognize Israel's right to exist, and kidnappi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s comments on Iraq earlier today:  “The President spoke today about the seriousness of the situation in Iraq.  I agree that the unraveling crisis requires leadership and inclusiveness by the Iraqi government. It also demands leadership from the Administration and...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a meeting in Washington, D.C. yesterday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and visiting Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez agreed on the need for joint efforts to tackle Honduras’s pressing development and security challenges.  They discussed the importance of appropriate U.S. assistance to counternarcotics and security programs, and acknowledged that American drug consumption contributes to Honduran insecurity. They also discussed the current humanitarian crisis...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to Fernando O. Rivera, Network Director of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Capitol Health Care Network, and Daniel F. Hoffman, Network Director of the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network, expressing concern over the results of the VA Access Audit report released this week. The audit identified problems within the VA’s scheduling system and lengthy wait times for veterans at numerous VA Medical Centers (VAMCs), ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in supporting bipartisan legislation to give students and families a better estimate of college costs before they apply to schools. By increasing awareness of scholarships and financial aid, the bill would also encourage more low and middle-income students to pursue higher education. “College affordability is an issue students and families are dealing with here in the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a classified Armed Services Committee briefing today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, issued the following statement on the situation in Iraq: “The security situation in Iraq is extremely troubling, but not surprising. The war in Syria is exacerbating the situation in Iraq and has allowed the Al Qaeda off-shoot, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), to g...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded an announcement that Virginia has been awarded $3,444,620 from the U.S. Department of Labor to explore, develop and test strategies to improve the employment of transitioning veterans in the Commonwealth. The award will support efforts to align veterans’ Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) across the Virginia Community College System, develop statewide stra...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on Senate passage of The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, legislation he introduced this week with U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, John McCain, Jeff Merkley, and Richard Burr to improve veterans’ access to health care and address serious problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): “I’m v...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, John McCain, Jeff Merkley, and Richard Burr to introduce The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and address serious problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill will allow veterans to see private doctors outside the VA system if they experience long wai...Continue Reading