Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine celebrated the opening of the Silver Line Extension, connecting customers to six new stations, adding 11.4 miles of track to the Metrorail system, and beginning operations at a modern rail maintenance facility. The Silver Line Extension gives customers a new connection to Washington Dulles International Airport and new service between Reston and eastern Loudoun County. The grand opening also marks the completion of the Silver Line project, a g...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro requesting an update on a study commissioned by the Navy to assess the number of amphibious warships needed in the future fleet. In the letter, the senators explain that senior flag officers continue to report a major fleet buildup for the Chinese Navy, and that further delays in American shipbuilding could have serious ramifications for our national defense. ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) pushed Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Assistant Secretary, Chris Williamson, for answers on the delayed announcement of a new silica standard for miners across America, especially Appalachia.  The Senators said in part, “In September 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) provided that a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was expected to be r...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding the shooting at the University of Virginia, which took three lives and injured two others on November 13, 2022: “We are heartbroken to hear about the tragic shooting at UVA and are praying for those who were injured, the families who lost loved ones, and the entire UVA community. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and urge everyone to follow the directions of local l...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $703,900 in federal funding for communities throughout Southwest Virginia in order to boost economic development and upgrade old and out-of-date equipment used for critical public services. The funding is awarded through two programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development division, which aims to support economic development and essential services that improv...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) released the following statements after welcoming members of Virginia and Maryland’s African diaspora community to the U.S. Senate for a briefing and panel discussion by the U.S. Department of State and other key stakeholders. Senators and Kaine and Van Hollen both serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and on the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, which is chaired by Senator Van Hollen...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $682,479 in federal funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for projects in Carroll County and the towns of Hurley and Whitewood. The funding will go toward expanding access to broadband and supporting recovery efforts following devastating flooding in Buchanan County. “We are proud to announce these investments in Southwest Virginia,” said the Senators. “This funding wi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $76,530,000 in federal funding for the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, also known as Jefferson Lab, in Newport News to support multiple projects that are critical to ensuring the U.S. remains a leader in science and technology. The funding was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation Warner and Kaine helped pass in August to lower costs for Virginians and build a strong foundatio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced two direct loans for Virginia from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program: a loan of up to $82.6 million to help finance the I-81 Regular Project—which is focused on various improvements in Roanoke County, including the construction of additional lanes and bridge replacements—and $15 million for the I-81 Rural Proje...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $115,675,266 in federal funding to help low-income individuals and families in Virginia pay for home heating costs, cover unpaid utility bills, and make cost-effective home energy repairs that will lower their heating and cooling bills ahead of the winter season. The funds are being awarded through the Administration for Children and Families’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and they we...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) announced that the Silver Line expansion to Washington Dulles International Airport will open on Tuesday, November 15, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday: “We are pleased to see WMATA move forward on its promise to safely open the Silver Line’s service to Dulles—just in time to provide Virginians with a more conve...Continue Reading

Photos of the lawmakers’ visits are available here WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)—a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues—and U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13)—the first Dominican American elected to Congress, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Sta...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $30,810,000 in federal funding to help Virginia schools purchase 81 clean and zero-emission school buses that will accelerate the transition to zero-emissions vehicles and produce cleaner air in communities across the Commonwealth. The funding, awarded through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Warner and Kaine helped pass last year. “Th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced an agreement with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) that will allow for the opening of the Silver Line ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday: “After brokering productive discussions with WMATA and Metro Safety Commission last week and over the weekend, we are pleased to see a plan that will allow ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine—who serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee—issued the following statement regarding the newly released 2022 National Assessment of Education Progress: “In the wake of the unprecedented challenges brought on by COVID-19, teachers, students, and their families need and deserve our support. That’s why Congress made historic investments in K-12 schools in the COVID relief bills, which provid...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) announcement establishing a national center to expand and strengthen the direct care workforce. Direct care workers and family caregivers provide critical support to older Americans, people with disabilities, and individuals living with chronic conditions. Kaine, who has long advocated for the direct car...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding the status of the Silver Line extension: “The United States government, the Commonwealth of Virginia, local governments, taxpayers and commuters have spent billions to construct a state-of-the-art Silver Line. It’s taken decades to realize the dream of Metro service to Dulles and now travelers along the corridor can see tracks, gleaming new stations, and test trains...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $4,165,000 in federal funding for four economic development projects in Southwest Virginia. “We are excited to support this investment in Southwest Virginia’s economic development. These funds will create jobs, increase recreational opportunities, improve public health, and make necessary advancements for Virginia’s underserved communities as we continue to support increasingly diverse local...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Biden Administration works to establish two crucial semiconductor initiatives authorized by CHIPS and Science Act, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to take full advantage of the contributions, assets, and expertise available in states nationwide. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the Senators advocate for a decentralized “hub...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) released the following statement calling for the passage of their bill to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The 2002 AUMF was signed into law nearly 20 years ago—on October 16, 2002—and authorized the use of military force against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. “Decisions as important as whether to send service members into harm’s way warrant careful deli...Continue Reading