Press Releases

WASHINGTON – After hearing firsthand from hundreds of Virginians regarding continued widespread U.S. Postal Service (USPS) delays, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) fired off a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General urging him to address the troubling delay of life-saving medicines, groceries, supplies, and much more in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In their letter, the Senators call on U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to rescind policy changes that are delaying m...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $1,022,77 in federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Loudoun County. Specifically, the funding will be used to support efforts to store, handle, transport, distribute and administer the vaccine against COVID-19. “We are glad to announce that these federal dollars will go towards getting vaccines out to more folks in Loudoun County,&rdq...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Tom Carper in re-introducing legislation to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state of the United States. The Washington, D.C. Admission Act would establish congressional boundaries for the 51st state and grant D.C. residents full congressional representation. The bill would also ensure that the citizens and elected leaders of the District of Columbia have full authority over local...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Patty Murray (D-WA) in introducing the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. A study conducted by the Commonwealth Institute found that approximately 1,018,000 Virginians would have their wages raised under the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, while another 254,000 Virginians who make just above the new minimum would see increases as wel...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Todd Young (R-IN), and Susan Collins (R-ME) in reintroducing the bipartisan Gateway to Careers Act to help expand economic opportunity for hard-working Americans and support innovative businesses in need of a strong workforce.  Amid high unemployment rates across the country exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, innovative businesses continue to face challenges in hiring the skilled work...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement ahead of the vote to confirm Antony Blinken as Secretary of State: “At his confirmation hearing, Antony Blinken assured me of his commitment to keeping the State Department non-political, restoring America’s standing on the global stage, and respecting the dedication of our career State Department employees. Given these assurances, his impressiv...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $2,283,147.93 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide support for the distribution COVID-19 vaccines in Arlington County. These funds will go toward supplies to ensure proper storage of the vaccine, transportation support, staffing needs, PPE for staff, and the necessary equipment to ensure facilities ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement ahead of voting to confirm retired General Lloyd Austin as the Secretary of Defense: “Lloyd Austin is committed to civilian control of the military and is well-equipped to lead the Department of Defense as it protects us from enemies foreign and domestic, including the troubling growth of white supremacist and other extremist mindsets within our o...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lodged today a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee concerning the behavior of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) related to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.  As the senators note, the Senate has the exclusive power to determine whether the members’ action...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office during the historic 59th Presidential Inauguration: “Today, we begin a new chapter as President Biden and Vice President Harris restore compassion and competence to the White House. The President and Vice President have shown they are committed to healing our country from the minute they step into office. I’m thrille...Continue Reading

You can watch Senator Kaine’s full questioning here WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nomination of retired General Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine asked General Austin how the military should address the rise of white supremacy and extremism among military personnel. According to a Military Times survey, more than one-third of active-duty servicemembers and more than half of minority servicemembers sai...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and U.S. Reps. Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, and Jennifer Wexton (all D-VA) today issued the following statement on the agreement between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States Secret Service (USSS) authorizing the use of Virginia State Police assets, resources, and personnel, to assist with the closure of bridges spanning the Potomac River during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony: “The...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the incoming Biden Administration announced its American Rescue Plan, an emergency relief package to address the ongoing economic and public health crises. “I’m encouraged to see the Biden Administration already unveiling a comprehensive plan to better address COVID-19. Their plans to speed up vaccination efforts and deliver direct relief to those hit hardest will provide a ladder for Americ...Continue Reading

Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) in announcing the reintroduction of the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act of 2021, bicameral legislation to prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level and require re-sentencing of those currently on death row. “I have long been morally opposed to the death penalty and believ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined their Senate colleagues in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar demanding the Trump Administration take immediate action to fix the significant failures of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as coronavirus cases continue to climb. In the letter, the senators call out the Administration’s failure to develop and implement a comprehensive national vaccine plan despite havi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement upon the certification of the Electoral College results: “Today’s certification makes official what we have known since November: that at noon on January 20th, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will lead our nation to a healthier, fairer, more prosperous future.   “But we all must condemn—in the strongest possible terms—th...Continue Reading

You can watch the full speech here  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to his GOP colleagues’ objection to certifying the Electoral College votes. Kaine highlighted the danger of the GOP’s objection. He also talked about the responsibility of his colleagues to honor the will of the American people. “We should be coming together today, after acts of violence, as the United States Senate to affirm the votes of all w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Senate voted 81-13 to override President Trump’s veto of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):  “I’m glad my colleagues on both sides of the aisle stood by our servicemembers and rejected President Trump’s veto. For 60 years in a row, the NDAA has provided necessary support for our troops and natio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after President Trump vetoed the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed both the House and the Senate with strong bipartisan support: “By vetoing this bipartisan legislation, President Trump ekes out one final betrayal of our nation’s military. The President’s veto stands in the way of a pay raise for troops, vetera...Continue Reading

Bill to offer millions of Americans COVID relief and avert a government shutdown heads to the President’s desk WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Senate passage of the bipartisan, bicameral spending bill to fund federal programs crucial to Virginia and keep the federal government open through 2021. The legislation also includes comprehensive measures to help Americans amid the ongoing economic and public health crisis caused by the COVID-19...Continue Reading