Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement on the President’s remarks at West Point earlier today: “America is strongest when its military, economic, diplomatic, and moral example are balanced. I was pleased to hear the President articulate such an approach for continued U.S. engagement around the world in his commencement address at West Point today, as well as h...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chairs of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to establish a Presidential Career and Technical Scholars Award program to better recognize and value the efforts of American students who have chosen CTE pathways. President Obama, who highlighted the importance of CTE training in his State of the Union Address, is scheduled ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as one of eight national Critical Conservation Areas, a new designation that ensures Bay region producers are eligible to receive a portion of more than $100 million in annual funding to help implement a variety of conservation projects and increase the sustainability of regional water, soil, wildlife and natural resources...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement today on Ukraine’s election: “The people of Ukraine today sent a clear message to the international community: by peaceful means, they alone will determine their country’s future.   The government in Kiev has a fresh mandate that Moscow must respect.  Today’s election marked a triumph not only for Ukrainian democracy an...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today on Lebanon’s Presidential election: “I was disappointed with Parliament’s failure to elect a new President in Lebanon.  Political consensus and stability are essential to addressing the myriad of internal and external challenges currently facing Lebanon.  I urge all parties to eng...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced the advancement of critical funding priorities for Virginia in the Fiscal Year 2015 Senate Appropriations bill for Military Construction, Veteran Affairs, and Related Agencies that was voted out of committee yesterday. Last month, Warner and Kaine weighed in with Appropriations Committee Chairwoman U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski and Vice Chairman U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, as well as the leadership of the Appropriations ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement on the current situation in Libya:  “Yesterday I met with a high-level State Department official to review safety measures for U.S. citizens and personnel in Libya, especially given the increase in fighting this week between rival groups. I wanted to understand clearly the contingencies that are in plac...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined a bipartisan group of 46 senators to send a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting a 120-day public comment period for its proposed regulation of greenhouse gases from existing coal-fired power plants. EPA is expected to release the first ever greenhouse gas (GHG) performance standards for existing power plants on June 2. In their letter, the senators stressed that utilities, rural elect...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) introduced The Foster Care Tax Credit Act yesterday, legislation to provide tax relief for foster families to help cover the costs of caring for a foster child.  The Foster Care Tax Credit Act would help cover the costs of caring for children in foster and kinship care by establishing a tax credit of up to $1,000 each year. The bill, introduced during National Foster Care Month, would also direct the ...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Robert Menendez, Barbara Boxer and Ben Cardin  introduced legislation today repealing the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) Against Iraq that passed in 2002.  The legislation was introduced following a hearing yesterday in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the AUMFs for Iraq and Afghanistan. "The open-ended nature of the Authorizations for the Use of Military Force in both the wars in Iraq a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today praised the committee’s Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes key provisions Kaine supported that benefit Virginia’s defense community. The bill was reported out of committee today with a bipartisan vote of 25 to 1. Prior to the markup, Kaine sent a letter to Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) voicing support for these priorities and a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today announced Senate passage of the House-approved Water Resources Development Act, sending the bipartisan legislation to the President for his signature. The final legislation successfully included Warner-Kaine amendments which resolved issues specific to three Virginia water projects: One advances the Craney Island expansion at the Port of Virginia, a second authorizes funding for Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration progr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today expressing disappointment about Russian and Chinese action at the UN. “Today I commend the international community and the UN for bringing to a vote a Security Council resolution that would have empowered the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute war crimes in Syria, no matter the p...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine questioned officials from the Department of Defense and State Department on the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). Kaine expressed serious concerns about the breadth and indefinite mandate of the AUMF approved by Congress nearly 13 years ago in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks and urged Congress to take action to refine the open-ended authorization.  &ld...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) markup in the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine applauded the inclusion of an amendment mirroring the Servicemembers’ Compensation Empowerment Act, a bill Kaine recently introduced with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to ensure military servicemembers’ preferences on pay & benefits are considered by the Military Compensation and Retirement Moderniz...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine signed on as a co-sponsor of the Advanced Clean Coal Technology Investment in Our Nation (ACCTION) Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp to stimulate large-scale federal and private sector investment to reduce carbon pollution through advanced clean coal technologies. “I am proud to cosponsor the ACCTION Act because it recognizes that the solution to our energy and climate challenges is American innovation.  C...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) markup in the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine expressed his support for an NDAA provision that would pave the way for an expansion of Arlington National Cemetery: “Thank you Madam Chairwoman, and just briefly – one provision in the package before us that I want to draw attention to and also provide some thanks for is this ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – In an effort to tighten rules on corporate tax avoidance through “inversions,” U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined a group of 13 Senators today to introduce The Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2014, legislation to address the practice of reincorporating offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes. The bill is designed to prevent the loss of billions of dollars in revenue through corporate tax-driven inversions, a loss that would add either to the deficit or to the tax burden of...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today on India’s election: “The people of India marked another milestone on their seven decade long democratic journey, completing the largest election in world history. They made their choice clear. On behalf of the United States Senate, I congratulate the Bharatiya Janata Party on its victory and con...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement on the London 11 Ministerial meeting: “I applaud the communique released by the ‘London 11’ Core Group of the Friends of Syria.  The communique broadly condemns Assad’s actions, including the Syrian regime’s decision to hold an illegitimate election on June 3.  I was pleased...Continue Reading