In The News

CAPITOL HILL— U.S. senators of both major political parties tell VOA the United States must help address Syria’s humanitarian crisis and the massive outpouring of migrants from the war-ravaged country. “As a nation we bear some responsibility for what’s happening,” said Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The Europeans have been very good in stepping up, but we are going to have to also,” said ...Continue Reading

The Iran deal rose and fell in Congress on some longstanding divisions — but the debate also showcased some new, influential foreign policy voices emerging in both parties. Particularly in the Senate, the deal challenged lawmakers to devise a process for Congress to decide whether the agreement should be implemented through a rare and unorthodox resolution of disapproval vote. The two-month review process also gave lawmakers a chance to influence not only how their colleagues wou...Continue Reading

Congress will likely pass a short-term continuing resolution to fund the federal government and avert a shutdown while it works on a larger budget deal. That's according to U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va, who spoke at a banking breakfast hosted by the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce Friday. Kaine said he believes Congress will not reach a funding deal by the end of September — the end of the federal fiscal year — and will instead pass a resolution to fund the governm...Continue Reading

A Democratic senator is demanding answers from the Obama administration on the expanding scope of the war with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the legal underpinnings of its plans to defend Syrian rebels from attacks, which could bring the U.S. into war with other groups.   "I understand your Administration is considering revising the existing Rules of Engagement (ROE) to explicitly allow for the defense of U.S.-trained Syrian fighters against attacks," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)...Continue Reading

Sometimes it’s not about preventing the next crime. It’s not about the big headlines or major arrests. Sometimes, changing a law just makes sense. It’s hard to argue that there’s a better example than Sen. Tim Kaine’s new bill, the Responsible Transfer of Firearms Act. Understandably, if you sell a gun to someone who isn’t allowed to have one under federal law, that’s frowned on. Even so, there’s usually no penalty attached. If your friend gets out...Continue Reading

Sen. Tim Kaine has co-sponsored legislation that would encourage companies to hire trained apprentices, citing Newport News Shipbuilding as an example of how to train workers for high-demand technical jobs. Kaine, the son of a Kansas ironworker, has touted the skilled trades as one way to boost the U.S. economy and the fortunes of those who don't desire or can't afford a four-year college degree. He is co-chairman of a Senate caucus on career and technical education. He joined three senators in...Continue Reading

In Virginia, it might be considered a lone cry in the forest, but U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D) is again trying to do something to stem gun violence through intelligent regulation. He is pushing legislation that would hold accountable anyone who sells firearms to people who already barred by federal law, including felons, fugitives and those with a documented history of mental illness, among others. Kaine’s latest action comes after Alison Parker, reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke and Adam Wa...Continue Reading

The backlog of unanswered calls, emails and records requests has doubled inside a troubled day care program for U.S. Army parents. A newly released internal audit details late payments, bureaucracy and poor customer service inside the U.S. Army Fee Assistance Program, which is operated by the U.S. General Services Administration. The audit was released six weeks after problems with the program were revealed in a News4 I-Team investigation. The Army Fee Assistance Program was established to ...Continue Reading

While the timing closely follows the shocking on-air shooting of a WDBJ (Channel 7) crew, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said the idea behind a new gun bill he rolled out Tuesday reflects something he’s been ruminating on for months. “I had a couple of epiphany moments over the summer,” said Kaine, a supporter of universal background checks who made a public appeal for action as recently as April during the anniversary of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. “We just couldn’t see...Continue Reading

Federal legislators return to Washington today after a five-week recess, and the infamously dysfunctional Congress will be scrambling to avoid a partial shutdown when the government runs out of money Sept. 30. Most of the congressmen and senators representing Hampton Roads - where almost half the economy is built on federal dollars - say such a possibility should be avoided at all costs. But there's no guarantee, they said. Not that the budget will be the only thing on their plates this month - ...Continue Reading

MORE THAN a year after the United States began airstrikes against the Islamic State, the results are mixed: The terrorists have been pushed back in some parts of Iraq and Syria but have expanded their territory in others, and they continue to attract recruits and inspire the creation of affiliates in countries from Afghanistan to Libya. The Obama administration has slowly ramped up its commitment of troops, its cooperation with allies and its range of operations. To all appearances, a solid majo...Continue Reading

Pese a los avances y leyes para asegurar el acceso de las minorías y grupos vulnerables a la obtención de vivienda, aún hay brechas que acortar, dijeron políticos que asistieron el martes 1 de septiembre a la inauguración de la Conferencia Nacional de Vivienda Justa 2015, realizada del 1 a . El Secretario del Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los Estados Unidos (HUD) Julián Castro dio la bienvenida al ex vicepresidente estadounidense W...Continue Reading

Sen. Tim Kaine reiterated his support for President Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran, on Tuesday, the same day two of his Democratic colleagues announced their support for the deal as well. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) became the 32nd and 33rd Democrats in the Senate to join supporters. That leaves 11 Senate Democrats undecided, including Virginia’s Sen. Mark R. Warner. The president is one vote away from blocking a GOP effort to defeat parts of the plan. &ldqu...Continue Reading

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy honored Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., during its sixth annual Leaders in Conservation Awards Gala this summer in Washington, D.C. The ATC also honored Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., at the event. Both senators were recognized for their leadership in conservation and support of the Appalachian Trail. Sen. Kaine has made great strides in preserving open space in Virginia through his sponsorship of legislation that reauthorizes key conservation programs, improves access to pu...Continue Reading

Amid swirling controversy over Amazon.com’s corporate culture, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine stopped by the company’s distribution facility in Chesterfield last week. The walk-through, scheduled before The New York Times published a scathing story on the Web retailer’s bruising management style, was part of Kaine’s recent five-day economic tour across the state. With a résumé that includes being the former governor of Virginia, former chair of the Democ...Continue Reading

The August recess for Congress allows its members time to spend with family, opportunities to meet with their constitute, and time to catch up on their summer reading. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., hit the road during the second week of his recess beginning a five-day economic tour of Virginia with a focused on economic development and job creation. Last Tuesday, Kaine’s economic tour came to his hometown of Richmond, where he met with African-American business leaders to discuss challenges ...Continue Reading

Economic development discussion often turns to education U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, the former governor of Virginia, made a stop in South Hill during his Route 58 tour on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and sat down with local leaders at The Colonial Center for Performing Arts for a roundtable discussion on economic development. The conversation often shifted to education, with leaders from South Hill and Mecklenburg County asking a number of questions geared toward what the federal and state governments could d...Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine sent a letter to federal regulators on Monday questioning whether the process to approve the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was moving too fast for the public to keep up — and if Dominion had done enough work to use existing right-of-ways. He also passed along concerns from constituents about the geology of the region, with wide areas of karst limestone that present unstable foundation for construction projects. And he raised questions key to some in the Shenandoah Valley, lik...Continue Reading

Speaking to a Veterans of Foreign Wars conference last month, President Barack Obama touted the progress being made at the Department of Veterans Affairs to alleviate lengthy wait times for those seeking health care at a VA facility. But he expressed dissatisfaction that the problem had not yet been resolved, that veterans were still waiting too long to see a health professional and that more should be done to care for those who serve in the nation's defense. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine left a recent vi...Continue Reading

Here’s a perplexing disconnect between public policy and reality: If you’re a college student who qualifies for student aid, the federal government will pay for you to study for four years — even if it’s medieval poetry, and there’s no market demand for medieval poets. Yet if you’re a low-income student who wants to learn a trade — say, welding — there’s no aid available, even though the training program is a lot shorter, a lot cheaper, and ...Continue Reading