Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) —members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees, respectively— released a joint statement praising the $1 billion increase for early childhood learning and care included the government funding package. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 includes a $725 million increase for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced their co-sponsorship of the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, legislation to address the growing concern around rising home prices, lack of access to home-buying assistance, and the widening wealth and homeownership gaps in Virginia and throughout the country. The bill would provide federal grants, administered through local entities, to aid first-generation homebuyers with qualifying expenses toward purchasing their f...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today filed the Strengthening Tracking Of Poisonous Tranq Requiring Analyzed National Quantification Act, otherwise known as the STOP TRANQ Act. The STOP TRANQ Act would add a statutory requirement for the State Department to include reporting on xylazine, or “tranq,” in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), a country-by-country report that track...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) introduced the Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2024 to help at-risk youth find summer or year-long jobs that can set them up for success in future careers. The legislation would provide federal funding to local communities so they can build strategic partnerships with businesses to create job opportunities and provide career training, mentori...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues, joined Senate and House colleagues in urging the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to immediately redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. They further called on the Biden administration to pause all deportation flights to Hai...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led their colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure regarding persistent coverage gaps in Essential Health Benefits (EHB). In the letter, the senators called on the HHS to initiate rulemak...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), alongside Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Ben Cline (R-VA-06), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Morgan Griffith (R-VA-01), Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA-02), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), wrote to the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to express their strong support for an implementation award for the Advanced Pharm...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-MD) sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate Commerce and House Transportation & Infrastructure Committees opposing any changes to the slot and perimeter rules, which govern the number of flights that can safely operate out of DCA and the distance of those flights, in the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act. The senat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced legislation to rename Lynchburg VA Clinic after Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, a highly revered Medal of Honor recipient from Lynchburg who saved dozens of lives in World War II. “When his country called on him to serve, Lynchburg native Desmond Doss was able to square his deeply-held pacifist beliefs with the need to take a stand in a battle of good versus evil,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m proud to introd...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) in introducing the Time Off to Vote Act, legislation that would require employers—upon the request of the employee—to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave in order to vote in federal elections. This allotted time can be used to vote at a polling place, return a mail-in ballot, or take time for other voting-related activities, such as curing a ballot or driving someone to the polls. “Voting is the foun...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine led his colleagues, including Senator Mark R. Warner and Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Bob Good (R-VA-05), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), in sending a letter to the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Inspector General (IG) sharing stories of Postal Service disruptions and delays across Virginia. The USPS OIG is currently auditing the Richmond Regional Process...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Senate confirmation of Jasmine Yoon to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia (WDVA): “We’re thrilled the Senate voted to confirm Jasmine Yoon to the federal judiciary. She has a remarkable track record and a profound commitment to public service. With today’s confirmation, she cements herself in history as the first Asian American federal judge in Virginia. We know she’ll be a tremendous asset to...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) announced $1,000,000 for the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector project in Newport News, VA. The funding, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act's Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, will support the designing and planning of the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector. Decades ago, the Southeast Newport News Community was almost completely cutoff from downtown due to the constructi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, cosponsored the Showing Up for Students Act, which provides $280 million in additional funding for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education. The OCR is responsible for protecting the civil rights of students in schools, including from incidents related to antisemitism and Islamophobia. Amid a notable increase in reported incidents of antisemitism ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Tina Smith (D-MN) sent a letter to the Biden Administration regarding the mounting humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. As the country confronts an ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by armed conflict and climate chaos, the senators urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) released the following statement after legislation to end legacy admissions became law in Virginia. The legislation mirrors the senators’ bipartisan Merit-Based Educational Reforms and Institutional Transparency Act (MERIT Act), which would end the practice of colleges and universities giving preferential treatment in the admissions proce...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded congressional passage of legislation to avert a partial government shutdown and fund key of the government for Fiscal Year 2024. This legislation funds major priorities across several federal departments, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as their related agencies. Specifically, this legislation includes more than $...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cosponsored a bipartisan bill to increase access to job counseling services for spouses of members of the Armed Forces who died while on active duty through the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program. The program, which is housed within the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service at the Department of Labor, currently provides every state with funding to hire specialists who provide individuali...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding tonight’s State of the Union address: “The State of the Union is always an important day. It was extra special this year because I was joined by Elizabeth Carr, who helped me shine a light on the need to protect reproductive freedom across the country, including IVF access. I’m glad President Biden emphasized that in his speech tonight—and that he laid out a vision for how we can build on our economic pro...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced two witnesses from Virginia at a HELP hearing regarding the need to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA) , which provides nutritional services, family caregiver support, long-term care programs, and more to older Americans, helping them age in their homes and communities. The population of older Americans is growing rapidly, which is increasi...Continue Reading