Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, the U.S. Senate passed key provisions of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s first bill, the Troop Talent Act of 2013, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2014. Kaine secured inclusion of the provisions during committee markup of the legislation in June 2013. “I’m proud that key provisions of the first piece of legislation I introduced, the Troop Talent Act, were included in the 2014 defense bill that was passed with b...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON - Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)  to strengthen military whistleblower protection laws to ensure those who report sexual assault and other misconduct are not further victimized by retaliation passed the Senate and will become law. The Military Whistleblower Protection Act was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a bipartisan 85-14 vote and will now...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today hailed final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2014 – the annual defense bill that includes important provisions Kaine advocated for Virginia during committee markup of the legislation in June 2013. The measure was passed, 84-15. “With passage of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014, I’m pleased we will be able to provide our nati...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following joint statement after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that some individuals who had their health plans cancelled will be automatically eligible for a hardship exemption that allows them to purchase a catastrophic plan on the health insurance marketplace. The Senators raised the issue...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, joined by their Senate colleagues Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), led an effort in the Senate urging Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kathleen Archuleta to allow federal workers the opportunity to take advantage of the new Treasury/IRS rule allowing a $500 rollover of unused health Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) funds towards out-of-pocket health care costs and help keep families an...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern, Southern and Central Asian Affairs, today applauded committee action on the Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act of 2013, of which he is a co-sponsor. The bill, introduced by Senators Roy Blunt, Carl Levin and Bob Casey cites growing instances of religious persecution in the Middle East and calls for the creation of a special envoy within the State Department to brin...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the bipartisan Budget Conference Committee, released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, 64-36. “With Senate passage of a two-year budget agreement tonight, I’m proud to say that we’ve achieved two of my highest priorities for my first year in office – getting a budget agreement through the House and Senate and offsetting the worst effects of sequestration that hav...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation to repeal and replace the proposed $6 billion cut to military pensions included in the Bipartisan Budget Act. The compromise budget agreement, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and is scheduled for a Senate vote today, would cut $6 billion over 10 years by reducing cost-of-living adjustments (COLA)  for working-age military retirees by 1 percent beginning in January 2015. &nbs...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Budget Conference Committee, called for Senate passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reverses many of the across-the-board sequester cuts that have disproportionately impacted Virginia and restores certainty to the U.S. economy, as well as families and businesses across the Commonwealth. Since taking office last January, Kaine has consistently called for a return to normal budget orde...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on Congressman Frank Wolf’s announcement that he will retire after 17 terms in Congress: “For more than 30 years, Frank Wolf has exemplified the best in public service through his dedication to the people of Virginia’s 10th District. Frank’s passion has also extended to the global stage through his leadership on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and longtime support for religious fr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a press conference on Capitol Hill today to highlight how the Affordable Care Act ensures up to 17 million children across the country, including 438,000 in Virginia, with pre-existing conditions are guaranteed health insurance, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine highlighted the story of Ashleigh Campbell, an 18-year-old Old Dominion University student from Staunton who was born with congenital heart disease and other serious medical conditions. “Ashleigh was born...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the bipartisan Budget Conference Committee, released the following statement on the budget deal reached today: “Ever since I took office last January, I made it a mission to do everything I could to replace the across-the-board sequester cuts that have so severely hurt Virginia and return to normal budgetary order. I even delivered my maiden floor speech last February on the urgent need to find compromise and avert sequestration....Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia today introduced legislation to improve sibling connections in the child welfare system.  “Child welfare experts tell you and common sense tells you children benefit when they’re kept together and have strong relationships,” Grassley said.  “Our bill removes barriers to federal law that prevent families of siblings from knowing when a child is placed in foster care or siblings from los...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Patricia Millett, of Alexandria, Virginia, to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit:  “With Pattie Millett's confirmation to the D.C. Circuit, the court gains a supremely qualified jurist with a strong record of bipartisan public service under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Pattie’s career has prepared he...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to prevent more than 1.3 million long-term unemployed workers from losing their unemployment insurance at the end of December -- and millions more from having no benefits after their initial 26 weeks of unemployment insurance (UI) are exhausted during the course of 2014 – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined 31 U.S. Senators to send a letter urging Congress to preserve federal unemployment insurance for another year. With just 23 days before federal UI b...Continue Reading

  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a visit to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet (NAVCENT) in Bahrain, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine toured the Norfolk-based USS San Jacinto and met with Virginians serving with the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “I had the chance to board and visit the crew of the USS San Jacinto which deployed out of Norfolk a few months back when the Harry S. Truman deployed. They’re in dock here in Bahrain and I had...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced today that Virginia has received a $1 million grant from the Department of Agriculture to improve water quality in Wise County. The $1 million grant, combined with a $276,000 loan, will help fund a public sewer system in the communities of Osaka and Roda, which have faced public health issues and environmental concerns due to direct sewage discharge into streams. The project will serve 73 households in Wise County. “E...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela:  "The world has lost a great leader and advocate for equality with the loss of President Mandela but his legacy lives on in a democratic and free South Africa. I join millions across the globe in mourning his passing and hope his life will continue to inspire new generations of leaders to fight for more inclusive and just societies." ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine visited high-tech manufacturing facility PlasticsOne Inc. to learn about the growth of manufacturing in the Roanoke Valley and discuss the importance of developing a talented workforce to meet the needs of a 21st century global economy. While at the facility, Kaine tested the ORIGOSafeTM product, a cell phone dock that aims to reduce distracted driving collisions and enhance road safety by limiting drivers to ha...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Budget Conference Committee, visited BAE Systems Ship Repair in Norfolk today to meet with shipyard workers and tour the facility. During the tour, Kaine learned more about the toll sequestration has taken on the ship repair industry, putting both the nation’s security and the regional economy at risk. Throughout the tour, Kaine spoke with BAE employees ...Continue Reading