Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., along with U.S. Senators Tim Scott, R-S.C., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., today reintroduced the “Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act of 2021,” which would authorize the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) within the Department of Commerce to establish up to 10 business centers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to serve rural and underserved c...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) today introduced an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act that would urge the U.S. Department of State, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to share excess COVID-19 vaccines with countries in need. “Ending the global pandemic as quickly as possible should be a top priority for the United States,” said Sen. Moran. “With millions of excess vaccin...Continue Reading

Video: https://timkaine.box.com/s/zc5jic9d0ryhqp5p9gignu0oegpowgmv WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, highlighted the stories of Virginians from Chesterfield, Fredericksburg, Norfolk, and Alexandria at a HELP Committee hearing on paid sick leave. The stories included negative experiences from employees who lacked paid sick leave and a positive experience from an employee with paid sick leave...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $2,040,321 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the A.L. Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership, also known as GENEDGE, in Martinsville. GENEDGE is a part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network, based at NIST. The partnership aims to help small and medium-sized manufacturers l...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) asking the agency to examine the barriers that prevent infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families from receiving Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA) services, known as Part C. Part C of the IDEA serves near...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and 26 of their Senate colleagues in calling for an immediate ceasefire agreement in Israel and the Palestinian territories to prevent further loss of life and further escalation of violence. Along with Senators Kaine and Ossoff, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined today by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, in calling on the Biden Administration to develop a comprehensive strategy that addresses the severe COVID-19 crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean and focuses on vaccine access for developing countries in the Americas. As the pandemic continu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $10,575,962 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help fund projects at 7 airports across the Commonwealth. The funding was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which supports infrastructure improvement projects at airports across the nation. A portion of the funding also comes from the&n...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $1,037,043 in federal funding through the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support seven AmeriCorps VISTA projects across Virginia. The AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program is a national service program that supports organizations dedicated to reducing poverty and increasing economic opportunities in the United States.  “Since ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Over the last 24 hours, here’s just some of what Virginians have been reading about the $7.2 billion in relief funds that are headed to the state and local governments thanks to the American Rescue Plan: Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia cities to get double boost from American Rescue Plan as money starts to flow Virginia will receive $4.3 billion, or $500 million more than previously expected, under the American Rescue Plan Act, while Richmond and other cities will get...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine introduced the Preventing the Misuse of Tear Gas Act to address state and federal law enforcement’s use of tear gas. The bill would require federal law enforcement agencies to set policies stating that the use of riot control agents like tear gas should be avoided wherever possible against non-violent civilians and that their use to quell violent activity should minimize any impact on those not participati...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) sent a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, calling on the agencies to address the harmful retaliatory tariffs that inhibit trade of whiskey, other spirits, and wine between the United States and European Union (E.U.) and United Kingdom (U.K.). The letter comes as the European Union tariff on American whiskey is schedu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine praised the Biden Administration’s decision to make Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants available to “any individual who is or was enrolled at an eligible institution on or after March 13, 2020” and who demonstrates need. Under the Trump Administration, only students who filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) could apply for HEERF grants, but some financially needy students, such a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded the Treasury Department’s launch of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, established by the American Rescue Plan Act.  “We welcome the $7.2 billion in relief for Virginia and are pleased the Biden Administration has listened to our calls to give states, localities, and tribes significant flexibility in determining how best to use these emergency funds,” said the Senators. &ldquo...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Senate Military Families Caucus, and John Boozman (R-AR) announced the reintroduction of the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act to address military spouse unemployment and access to affordable childcare. This bill would amend the tax code to incentivize businesses to hire military spouses and create new flexible sp...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.), U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today led more than 50 colleagues in calling on the Biden Administration to strengthen the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and ensure that America’s teachers, social workers, public defenders, service members and community health care workers, along with many other public servants, receive the student loan forgiveness they have earned. &ldqu...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine—Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues—released the following statement today on the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly’s vote to dismiss the nation’s top judges and attorney general:  “By rubber-stamping President Bukele’s move to fire the country’s top judges and attorne...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the International Press Freedom Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill that would promote global press freedom by creating a Coordinator for International Press Freedom at the State Department. The legislation would also authorize new funding for programs that help keep foreign journalists safe; use existing funding to prevent, investigate, and prosecute crimes against journalists overseas; and create a new visa...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), along with Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John Thune (R-SD), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021. The CONNECT for Health Act will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve health outcomes, and make it eas...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON — Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined today by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) in introducing the Safeguarding Human Rights in Arms Exports Act of 2021. As foreign governments intentionally or inadvertently use U.S.-sold arms and defense services to perpetrate human rights abuses against innocent civil...Continue Reading