Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine will announce the Servicemember Education Reform and Vocational Enhancement (SERVE) Act of 2013 at veterans events in Winchester and Richmond today. The SERVE Act, which is a companion to Kaine’s first bill, the Troop Talent Act, will improve the quality of education received by servicemembers and veterans. The legislation will also create pilot programs to facilitate the use of veterans’ education benefits for employment and on-the-job...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine addressed the pattern of Republican obstruction of women appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, raising the question of whether there is a double standard for women nominees to this court. Since Kaine took office eleven months ago, two supremely qualified women nominees, Caitlin Halligan and Patricia Millett, have been filibustered in part because of a Republican argument that the D...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), released the following statement today after its final passage, 64-32:  “Today the Senate affirmed with bipartisan support that workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation will not be tolerated. This important legislation will ban employers from denying job opportunities to LGBT employees, subjecting them to harassment, or firing them just ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, participated in a hearing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the impact of sequestration cuts on each branch of the military. In his opening comments, Kaine reiterated how sequester cuts have disproportionately impacted Virginia, as well as noted the important role the Budget Conference Committee, of which he is a conferee, can play in finding a bipartisan solution to reversing the non-strateg...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 an end to sequestration and urged his committee colleagues to find a sensible solution that would reverse the across-the board-cuts. Kaine, who delivered his maiden floor speech on this issue in February, reiterated how the non-strategic cuts have had a devastating impact on national security – from grounding U.S. combat aircraft, to reducing carrier ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined a bipartisan group of 40 U.S. Senators to call on the Obama Administration to release federal heating aid funds that would help millions of Americans who are struggling with their energy bills as winter approaches. The Senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urging her to release Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds as quickly and at as high a level as...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after a minority in the Senate blocked the nomination of Pattie Millett, of Alexandria, Virginia, to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit:  “There is simply no excuse for blocking Pattie Millett’s appointment to the federal judiciary. She has served under both Democratic and Republican Solicitor Generals, has argued more cases before the Supreme Court and circuit courts t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made a passionate case for passage of the “Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2013” – a bill that would grant federal recognition to six of Virginia’s Native American tribes.  Kaine has long-supported federal recognition for the six tribes - the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the first full meeting of the bipartisan Budget Conference Committee today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, one of 29 conferees, called on his colleagues to "surprise the cynics" and accomplish what bicameral legislatures all over the United States do each year, compromise and agree on a budget. Since passage of the Senate budget in March 2013, Kaine has consistently called for a budget conference between the House and Senate in hopes of returning to normal...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the first public meeting of the Senate and House 2013 farm bill conference committee members on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined 38 Senate colleagues to urge the conferees to fight against harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Senators also urged the negotiators to reject eligibility changes along the lines of the House bill’s $40 billion in SNAP cuts that would prevent millions of children, senior...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced that the Department of the Interior will fund projects from the Sandy supplemental relief bill to protect marshes, wetlands, and coastal communities in Virginia. These projects include $24.9 million toward the restoration of Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Alexandria, $553,425 toward oyster reef restoration in Chincoteague, and $3,130,000 to enhance the resiliency of Great Dismal Swamp.  “Chincoteague, Dyke Marsh, and the...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement tonight after voting in support of a bipartisan agreement to end the government shutdown and prevent default. The measure, which included a provision introduced by Senators Kaine and Warner to guarantee back pay for federal workers who were furloughed for the past 16 days through no fault of their own, was passed 81-18.   "Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of my Senate colleagues, tens of thousands of furl...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine applauded leaders in the Senate for reaching a bipartisan agreement to re-open government, pay our nation’s bills and avert default, and begin long-term budget talks between the House and Senate. The Senate is expected to vote on this proposal later today. “This is what America wants us to do,” Kaine said. “They want us to work together in the Senate - Democrat and Republican. They want us...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement tonight on the status of a bipartisan proposal in the Senate to re-open government and pay the nation’s bills: "Yesterday the Democratic and Republican Senate leadership announced progress on a bipartisan deal to re-open government, ensure that America honors its fiscal obligations, and, at long last, begin a two month budget conference between House and Senate negotiators to find a long-term fiscal com...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the proposal announced by House Republicans yesterday: "I am happy to see Republicans in the House of Representatives move away from jeopardizing America's full faith and credit by repudiating default as a negotiating strategy.  But, their continued insistence that government remain shut is wrong.  By refusing to negotiate on a budget compromise since March, the House guaranteed that shutdown wou...Continue Reading

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine submitted the following comments to Virginia’s Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission in response to its request for public input on the decision of whether or not to expand Medicaid in Virginia. Full text of Kaine’s comments is below: I write to commend the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission for soliciting public input on the issue of Medicaid expansion in Virginia.  I appreciate the opportunity to comment and strongly support expansion. The Pat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement on the State Department’s announcement regarding U.S. assistance to Egypt today. “The U.S.-Egypt strategic relationship is important for regional security and stability. I support our partnership with the Egyptian military and the people of Egypt and want to see a stronger Egypt emerge through a de...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement today following Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's announcement on death gratuities for family members of fallen servicemembers. “I applaud Secretary Hagel and the Department of Defense for finding a solution to restore benefit payments to families of fallen soldiers. This is the least we can do for our nation’s military families who sacrifice so much.” #...Continue Reading

 WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Speaking on the steps of the U.S. Capitol today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine highlighted the ongoing negative impact of the government shutdown in Virginia, and again urged House Republican leaders to re-open government, pay the nation’s bills on time and negotiate on a long term budget. Kaine and Warner were joined by fellow members of the Senate Democratic caucus. Sen. Warner highlighted the impact of the shutdown at the National Science F...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today: "The compromise spending bill passed by the Senate a week ago would fund all government agencies, including important ones to Virginia like Veterans' Affairs, National Parks and the military. "Speaker Boehner can and should re-open the entire government by letting the House pass the Senate's compromise - which has the precise spending level proposed by the House and was previously supported by the Speaker. Pi...Continue Reading