Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, pressed top United States Air Force officials in a hearing today on the issue of sexual assault in the military including the arrest of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, chief of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response branch, on charges of sexual battery in Arlington, Virginia.  In his questioning, Kaine expressed his concern over the signal these news accounts send to current and future servi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act by a vote of 69 to 27. Last week, Kaine discussed the Marketplace Fairness Act across Virginia including in Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, Falls Church and Leesburg: “Merchants across our Commonwealth play by the rules and collect sales tax but big internet retailers have been shielded from that same responsibility. I am pleased we took a bipartisan step...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine visited the Eden Center in Falls Church today to meet with members of the Asian-American business community and discuss the ways immigration reform would have a positive impact in the region and throughout Virginia. Kaine, a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, noted that an improved legal system would continue to draw talent to Virginia’s schools and businesses and develop the state’s overall competitiveness. "For years we've...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made stops in the Shenandoah Valley today including a roundtable with women business leaders at James Madison University in Harrisonburg and a downtown tour of Waynesboro to learn more about growing the economy in the region. In Harrisonburg and Waynesboro, Kaine discussed the importance of a business-friendly atmosphere to revitalizing local economies. Kaine also discussed the upcoming vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act to level the playing fiel...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Roanoke Mayor Dave Bowers and members of the local business community today to tour the city’s downtown and discuss economic development in the region. During the discussion, Kaine expressed his support for the Marketplace Fairness Act that will level the playing field for small businesses in Roanoke and across Virginia that are a major source of job creation. "I support the Marketplace Fairness Act for two reasons," said Kaine. "First...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, began his in-state work week in Emporia with families of National Guardsmen and women who were recently activated to discuss ways he can support them in the Senate and thank them for their sacrifices on behalf of the nation. The Emporia-based unit will be the first Virginia National Guard unit to enter federal active duty since last year. "When I sit in Budget Committee hearings or Armed Services hearings ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON –U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to take action to reduce the current backlog of veterans’ disability claims. Currently, the average claim takes over 300 days to be resolved. In the letter, Sens. Warner and Kaine, who were joined by 65 other members of the Senate, cited long delays in cities across the country in making the case for swift action to reduce the backlog. “After a decade of war, and ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey on the impact of sequestration cuts on readiness, as well as how the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) proposal in the defense budget would potentially affect Virginia and whether it’s the best way to reduce overall costs. “I worry about the sturm und drang of BRAC. When BRAC is a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced the Troop Talent Act of 2013. The bipartisan bill will help ease the transition of servicemembers from active duty to the civilian workforce by improving the alignment of specialty skills acquired in the military with civilian credentials or licenses required for post-service employment. The Troop Talent Act is Kaine’s first bill in the U.S. Senate. Last week, Kaine, a ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine held a roundtable with Mayor John Tarr and other local leaders in Chincoteague today following a tour of Assateague Island. During the tour of Assateague, Kaine visited the beach and discussed the issue of preserving access to Assateague beach with Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service officials, noting that preservation of this Virginia landmark needs to remain a top priority while still protecting Chincoteague's local economy that relies heavily...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine toured the NASA Facility on Wallops Island today and spoke with employees about the planned launch of the Antares rocket in April and other projects at the flight facility. During his visit, Kaine toured the Antares rocket at the Horizontal Integration Facility and later viewed the pad it will launch from. The Antares rocket will be launched April 17th and will get stood up vertically on the pad on Saturday.  Throughout the tour, Kaine
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(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mark Begich (D-AK), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Al Franken (D-MN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to urge Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and other members of the Un...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Budget Committees, visited HDT Robotics today for a discussion about budget uncertainty and the need for Congress to finish FY2013 appropriations and pass an FY2014 budget.  Kaine began with a discussion on how Congress’ habit of “budgeting by crisis” has affected businesses like HDT Robotics. During a tour of the Fredericksburg defense contractor, he discussed his efforts to find op...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a new member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, continued his defense tour across Virginia today with stops in Staunton, Stafford, and Quantico to discuss the harmful impact budget uncertainty and sequestration are already having on military readiness and the future of our national defense. Kaine began the day in Staunton, meeting with members of the Virginia National Guard 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and touring their facilities. The 11...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a new member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced Secretary of State John Kerry today at his first major foreign policy speech. Addressing the crowd at the University of Virginia, Kaine praised Kerry’s decades of service and foreign policy expertise, emphasizing his belief that Kerry will strike a critical balance between the diplomatic and military strength of the nation in his new role. A former Chairman and 28-year veteran of the Foreign ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a new member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, kicked off his three-day defense tour today with stops in Hampton Roads to discuss military readiness, shipbuilding, and the damaging effects of sequestration already being felt in Virginia. Kaine began the day in Newport News, touring the Huntington Ingalls shipyard that employs more than 22,000 people. “The construction and repairs done by workers at Newport News Shipyard is second to none and integral...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine continued to argue against letting sequester cuts hit today at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with members of the military. In his opening, Kaine cited a roundtable discussion he had with wounded warriors at Fort Belvoir on Monday whose concerns were not of medical care, but instead of the budget uncertainty and its effects on their future. “I expected I would do a lot of talking about medical care for active duty and veterans but th...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today met with more than two dozen defense contractors in Northern Virginia to discuss the possible impact of sequester cuts on the defense industry and on Northern Virginia’s economy, as well as ongoing uncertainty over the current year’s appropriations. During the roundtable, Kaine listened to the ideas and concerns of industry leaders and renewed his commitment to averting drastic acros...Continue Reading

Arlington, Va. – Today Northern Virginia Representatives Jim Moran, Frank Wolf, Gerry Connolly, and Rob Wittman and Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement on efforts to relocate the FBI Headquarters to Northern Virginia. The lawmakers convene a stakeholders’ meeting with local and state officials to coordinate the region’s work to bring the FBI to Virginia. “As the GSA begins the process of finding a new location for the FBI Headquarters, w...Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. – As Vice President Biden continues his meetings with stakeholders this week in an effort to develop a new set of policies to reduce gun violence, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) today expressed his support for a specific and comprehensive set of proposals. "No one can deny that gun violence is a serious problem in this country,” said Senator Kaine. “As Mayor of Richmond and Governor of Virginia, I learned through painful experience that there are specific, concr...Continue Reading