Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner along with U.S. Representatives Robert Hurt, and Morgan Griffith, today introduced the Commonsense Permitting for Job Creation Act in both houses of Congress.  The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would address the longstanding controversy in Henry County over the 726-acre proposed Commonwealth Crossing Business Center, and expedite the approval of an important economic development site.  Henry County and the Martinsvill...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing today to consider a series of bills, including U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act. Kaine introduced the bill with Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) in May 2013. The bipartisan bill will preserve historical battlegrounds by extending the authorization of the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Progr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the Department of Defense’s Strategic Choices and Management Review, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s announcement that sequester cuts could result in the U.S. Navy reducing its carrier groups from 11 to eight or nine: “Secretary Hagel’s announcement about the Strategic Choices and Management Review should be yet another wake up call to Congress about the harmful impacts of seques...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT), U.S. Senator Tim Kaine laid out his priorities for comprehensive tax reform, citing input he received from stakeholders in Virginia. The letter was in response to their request for input as the Finance Committee prepares to consider comprehensive tax reform potentially later this year.  “To answer the question of how we can make the code fairer and more ef...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, joined Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) to introduce a Senate resolution commending Secretary of State John Kerry for jumpstarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and called on negotiators to focus on a two-state solution to ensure a secure, lasting peace. “I have long been a supporter of direct tal...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the passing of former U.S. Senator Harry Byrd Jr.: “Anne and I join all Virginians in mourning the passing of Harry Byrd Jr. Few families have dedicated as much to our Commonwealth as the Byrds. Harry carried on that tradition as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II and an elected representative in both the Virginia legislature and the U.S. Senate. One of the highlights of my ti...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs released the following statement on renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks: “I commend Secretary Kerry's steadfast commitment to working with both the Israelis and Palestinians since assuming his position as Secretary of State.  The resumption of direct negotiations is a promising step forward, though much work remains...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement after his trip last Friday to the detention facility at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay: “I expect the Senate to have a vigorous debate about the future of the detention facility at Guantanamo when we take up the Defense Authorizing bill in September.  In order to inform myself, I went there last Friday with Virginia Congressmen Frank...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on his appointment as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs. The subcommittee deals with all matters concerning U.S. relations with the countries of the Middle East and Arab North Africa and also encompasses U.S. relations with the countries of South and Central Asia. “I am honored to assume the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Sub...Continue Reading

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation encouraging peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula, in recognition of hundreds of Korean War veterans who will gather in the nation's capital to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. As lead sponsor in the Senate, Sen. Kaine joins the efforts of Reps. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Howard Coble (R-NC), who are the four remaining Korean War Vet...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, today joined fellow Virginia delegation member Congressman Frank Wolf, co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, at the commission’s hearing on the human rights situation in Honduras. During his testimony before the commission, Kaine reflected on his experience as a young law student working with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras and highlighted the deteriorating human rights and se...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) today introduced a bipartisan bill to provide for detailed analyses of how Congressional budgets and major pieces of new legislation would impact future generations. Kaine and Thune’s bill, the Intergenerational Financial Obligations Reform (INFORM) Act, would also require the president to provide a detailed accounting of how the administration’s budget would affect young people. The bill would ensure th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine discussed the importance of developing a talented and competitive workforce during visits to the Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley (NRV) facility in Dublin and the RCPS+ summer program at Westside Elementary School in Roanoke. In Dublin, Kaine toured the manufacturing facility and held a discussion with Volvo Trucks’ employees about the facility’s energy efficiency accomplishments and answered questions about...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the weekend, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine traveled throughout Southwest Virginia and participated in community events in Wise, Norton and Lebanon on Saturday and at the Floyd Country Store on Sunday. Kaine kicked off his weekend at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic at the Wise County Fairgrounds to volunteer and help serve the patients in need of health services. RAM, an annual program to increase access to health care, attracted ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, welcomed U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, to Newport News Shipbuilding today. During the tour, Kaine and Durbin heard from shipyard employees and officials about the unique capabilities of aircraft carriers and submarines and toured construction of the Virginia class submarine,&nb...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine wrote a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to urge the agency to adopt attainable New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for coal-fired power plants. In the letter, Kaine noted his support as Governor for the permitting of the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, a state-of-the-art coal plant in Southwest Virginia that dramatically reduced mercury and sulfur emissions. Facilities like Virginia City...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine delivered remarks on the Senate floor today to announce his efforts with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to reform the War Powers Resolution in a way that lays out a clear consultative process between Congress and the President on whether and when to engage in military action. Senators Kaine and McCain released a joint statement committing to work with their colleagues to codify such a process: “As we mark the 40th anniversary of the 1973 War Powe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, participated today in the confirmation hearing of Samantha Power, President Obama’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. During the hearing, Kaine applauded Power’s significant experience and expertise, and discussed her strong commitment to Israel.  Following the hearing, Kaine endorsed Power’s nomination and stated he’d advocate for her swift confirm...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today following the announcement of a compromise to allow confirmation votes for seven of President Barack Obama’s nominees: “Yesterday, the entire Senate body came together and did something we rarely do – listen to each other for three and a half hours. As a result, we were able to find an acceptable compromise on pending executive nominations. I’m happy we’ve been able to find simila...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined 38 other senators today in sending a letter to President Obama calling on his administration to “swiftly and comprehensively” implement the Supreme Court’s decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. The senators wrote: “We understand that your Administration is evaluating the vast number of statutes and regulations impacted, and that many laws provide Federal agencies with great discretion to provide relief to ...Continue Reading