Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made a passionate case for passage of the “Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2013” – a bill that would grant federal recognition to six of Virginia’s Native American tribes.  Kaine has long-supported federal recognition for the six tribes - the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the first full meeting of the bipartisan Budget Conference Committee today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, one of 29 conferees, called on his colleagues to "surprise the cynics" and accomplish what bicameral legislatures all over the United States do each year, compromise and agree on a budget. Since passage of the Senate budget in March 2013, Kaine has consistently called for a budget conference between the House and Senate in hopes of returning to normal...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the first public meeting of the Senate and House 2013 farm bill conference committee members on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined 38 Senate colleagues to urge the conferees to fight against harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Senators also urged the negotiators to reject eligibility changes along the lines of the House bill’s $40 billion in SNAP cuts that would prevent millions of children, senior...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced that the Department of the Interior will fund projects from the Sandy supplemental relief bill to protect marshes, wetlands, and coastal communities in Virginia. These projects include $24.9 million toward the restoration of Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Alexandria, $553,425 toward oyster reef restoration in Chincoteague, and $3,130,000 to enhance the resiliency of Great Dismal Swamp.  “Chincoteague, Dyke Marsh, and the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement tonight after voting in support of a bipartisan agreement to end the government shutdown and prevent default. The measure, which included a provision introduced by Senators Kaine and Warner to guarantee back pay for federal workers who were furloughed for the past 16 days through no fault of their own, was passed 81-18.   "Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of my Senate colleagues, tens of thousands of furl...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine applauded leaders in the Senate for reaching a bipartisan agreement to re-open government, pay our nation’s bills and avert default, and begin long-term budget talks between the House and Senate. The Senate is expected to vote on this proposal later today. “This is what America wants us to do,” Kaine said. “They want us to work together in the Senate - Democrat and Republican. They want us...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement tonight on the status of a bipartisan proposal in the Senate to re-open government and pay the nation’s bills: "Yesterday the Democratic and Republican Senate leadership announced progress on a bipartisan deal to re-open government, ensure that America honors its fiscal obligations, and, at long last, begin a two month budget conference between House and Senate negotiators to find a long-term fiscal com...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the proposal announced by House Republicans yesterday: "I am happy to see Republicans in the House of Representatives move away from jeopardizing America's full faith and credit by repudiating default as a negotiating strategy.  But, their continued insistence that government remain shut is wrong.  By refusing to negotiate on a budget compromise since March, the House guaranteed that shutdown wou...Continue Reading

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine submitted the following comments to Virginia’s Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission in response to its request for public input on the decision of whether or not to expand Medicaid in Virginia. Full text of Kaine’s comments is below: I write to commend the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission for soliciting public input on the issue of Medicaid expansion in Virginia.  I appreciate the opportunity to comment and strongly support expansion. The Pat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement on the State Department’s announcement regarding U.S. assistance to Egypt today. “The U.S.-Egypt strategic relationship is important for regional security and stability. I support our partnership with the Egyptian military and the people of Egypt and want to see a stronger Egypt emerge through a de...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement today following Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's announcement on death gratuities for family members of fallen servicemembers. “I applaud Secretary Hagel and the Department of Defense for finding a solution to restore benefit payments to families of fallen soldiers. This is the least we can do for our nation’s military families who sacrifice so much.” #...Continue Reading

 WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Speaking on the steps of the U.S. Capitol today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine highlighted the ongoing negative impact of the government shutdown in Virginia, and again urged House Republican leaders to re-open government, pay the nation’s bills on time and negotiate on a long term budget. Kaine and Warner were joined by fellow members of the Senate Democratic caucus. Sen. Warner highlighted the impact of the shutdown at the National Science F...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today: "The compromise spending bill passed by the Senate a week ago would fund all government agencies, including important ones to Virginia like Veterans' Affairs, National Parks and the military. "Speaker Boehner can and should re-open the entire government by letting the House pass the Senate's compromise - which has the precise spending level proposed by the House and was previously supported by the Speaker. Pi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, October 3, Senator Kaine spoke on the Senate floor on the need to reopen government. A full transcript of his remarks is below: “Madam President, I rise to talk about the need to reopen government, and not to reopen government in a piecemeal way, one bit this week and then another bit next week, which seems to be the newest gambit on the table, but to reopen government because government of this country should never have shut down in the first place. F...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland to introduce a bill, the “Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act,” that would guarantee that federal workers who were furloughed because of the lapse in federal funding or government shutdown would receive their full pay. “This irresponsible shutdown adds insult to injury for many of our federal workers, many of whom have already had to endure f...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on his vote earlier today to reject the latest attempt by House Republicans to use the threat of keeping the government closed to delay a key part of the Affordable Care Act. A motion to table a request to go to conference on an interim spending measure to fund the government was agreed to by the Senate, 54-46.  “House Republicans let the United States government shut down at midnight because they would n...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement tonight on the shutdown of the federal government: "The House of Representatives has shut down the government of the United States by rejecting an interim spending measure passed by the Senate, even though that bill accepted the House's own spending target through November 15.  This action hurts the American economy and millions of Americans.  The House should reconsider its action and re-open government i...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on his vote to reject continued attempts by House Republicans to use the threat of government shutdown to delay or defund the Affordable Care Act. A motion to table House amendments to an interim spending measure to fund the government was agreed to by the Senate, 54-46. “I have now twice voted for a clean spending bill that would keep the government funded through November 15. The spending bill is a compromis...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement tonight after the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to secure and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. “The United Nations Security Council resolution passed tonight that legally binds Syria to eliminate its chemical weapons stockpile is a tremendous step forward. I'm pro...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on his vote for a clean spending bill to fund the government through November 15 and avert a government shutdown. The continuing resolution passed the Senate 54-44.   “Today I voted in support of a spending bill to continue funding the government and prevent an unnecessary shutdown of operations that would have serious economic consequences in Virginia and across the country.  The interim spending me...Continue Reading