Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Ron Wyden and nine other Senators in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to examine the protections for consumers facing tax liens and foreclosure in light of consumer abuses revealed in recent media reports. A letter from Warner, Kaine, Wyden, and Senators Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Robert Menendez, Christopher Murphy, Bill N...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule on future power plants: "This summer, I asked EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to release separate carbon standards for new coal and gas power plants to reflect key differences in those technologies. I appreciate that the EPA has done so and will now begin a dialogue with constituents and energy experts to determine whether the announced standar...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, discussed the importance of security training for State Department personnel during the confirmation hearing today for Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security nominee Gregory Starr. During his questioning, Kaine highlighted a July 2013 hearing where Starr described the advantages of building a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) in Fort Pickett, Virginia. According to Starr, Fo...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on today's shooting at the Washington Navy Yard:  "My thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by today’s tragic shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. As we learn more about the horrific events that unfolded this morning, my deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of the victims, as well as the surrounding community. I am thankful for the bravery of the first responders ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan urging him to take additional steps to help Virginia housing authorities alleviate the worst effects of severe budget cuts caused in part by sequestration. Sens. Warner and Kaine called on HUD to help authorities streamline program operations while ensuring resident and community needs are met. In addition to serving as a safety net for Virgin...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement on the U.S.-Russian agreement on a framework for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons:  "The announcement of a tentative deal between the U.S. and Russia regarding Syria's chemical weapons is promising and demonstrates real progress. While much work remains, we would not have reached this point without American resolve to ensure that use of che...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, discussed the situation in Syria today on the Senate floor, outlining why he believes Bashar Al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons to kill Syrian civilians must have consequences, as well as praising current efforts to pursue a diplomatic path with Russia and Syria – an opportunity he argues would not have been possible without American pressure and resolve. “The Ameri...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel urging him to consider relocating the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) from Germany to Hampton Roads. The joint letter followed the release of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report  on Monday which was critical of the Defense Department’s lack of transparency when it decided earlier this year to maintain its AFRICOM headquarters in Europe. GAO est...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today in commemoration of the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001:  “It’s been twelve years since thousands of lives were lost in New York, Pennsylvania, and Northern Virginia. As we continue to mourn those we lost, we honor their memories and keep their friends and families in our prayers. Today we give thanks for the heroic effort...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement in response to President Obama’s address to the nation on Syria tonight:   “Tonight the President made a strong case to the American people for why Bashar Al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons to kill Syrian civilians must have consequences. At stake is an international norm against chemical weapons that’s not only protected ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today on the proposal that Syria place its chemical weapons under international control and abide by the terms of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.   “I’m pleased that the President’s decision to seek congressional authorization for a military strike in Syria – and a subsequent...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner are urging the White House to include funds in the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget to move forward on the Craney Island eastward expansion project at the Port of Virginia.   The Virginia senators made their request in a joint letter today to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Civil Works. The text of the letter is be...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, held a roundtable today with veterans and members of the Norfolk community to discuss the issue of war powers and the process of consultation between the executive and legislative branches on military action. Kaine has long called for the President to fully consult with Congress before initiating military action in response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons in viola...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, traveled to Petersburg for a campus tour of Virginia State University and met with Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. During his visit, Kaine discussed the ongoing debate in Congress over the use of military force in Syria to respond to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons to kill civilians, listening to the perspective of cadets and members of th...Continue Reading

U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded a $12 million grant to strengthen and re-deck two structurally deficient Interstate 64 bridges over the Maury River in Rockbridge County. More than 9,000 vehicles a day travel across these I-64 eastbound and westbound bridges connecting Covington and Lexington. The bridges, which were built in 1976, recently rated a score of 4 on a scale of 9 in terms of their structural integrity ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today after a resolution authorizing use of military force in Syria was passed out of the Foreign Relations Committee: “Today I voted for a limited authorization for the use of military force in Syria to respond to Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons to kill civilians, including more tha...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, participated in a Foreign Relations Committee hearing today on the President’s request for authorization of the use of military force in Syria. During the hearing, Kaine questioned Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey about the use of chemical w...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine continued to voice support this weekend for the President’s decision to seek congressional approval of military action in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons and has expressed confidence that Congress will come together with the Administration to respond to the violation of an international norm that’s been in place for 90 years. Kaine has been active on the issue of consultation between the executiv...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today in response to the President’s announcement that he will seek congressional authorization for military action in Syria: “I strongly support the President’s decision to seek congressional approval of military action in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. Our nation is stro...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, and the Virginia Seafood Council on the Rappahannock River today to view public oyster grounds and oyster sanctuaries before touring Rappahannock River Oyster Company.  Throughout the day, Kaine applauded Virginia’s continued oyster restoration efforts that have allowed the Chesapeake Bay oyster population to rebound in recent years. “As g...Continue Reading