Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, reiterated the need to pass his bipartisan legislation to address the child care crisis following a new report released by The Century Foundation. The report found that child care costs in Virginia have increased by 11% since 2019, while child care employment levels fell by 18 percent from 2019 to 2023. In Virginia, the average cost for an infant in a center is ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after the Senate approved a temporary funding bill to prevent a government shutdown on October 1. This bill – passed earlier today by the U.S. House of Representatives – will keep the government open through December 20 by extending Fiscal Year 2024 spending levels. “Nobody hurts more than Virginia when Congress fails to do its job of keeping the government open. With just a few days un...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) applauded a final rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding ID requirements for the purchase of tobacco products at retail establishments. The rule will go into effect on September 30. This rule was required by Kaine and McConnell’s bipartisan Tobacco-Free Youth Act, which became law in...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $1,945,692 in federal funding for Lee and Wise counties and the Town of Clintwood to support infrastructure projects that will improve and extend waterline and sewer systems to additional homes. The funding is awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission, an economic development partnership that invests in building community and strengthening local economies. “High-quality water infrastructure is crucial...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), announced the introduction of a bipartisan resolution to designate September 21-29, 2024, as “Blue Star Welcome Week.” Blue Star Welcome Week is a nationwide campaign to build a better sense of belonging and community for military families, many of whom face frequent moves and transfers.  “Many servicemembers and their families are stationed in Virginia, and I’...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, (both D-VA) announced $3,517,754 in federal funding to support behavioral health across Virginia. The funding will help expand mental health and substance use disorder services at community health centers, which are often a primary source of care for individuals who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicaid. It was awarded through the Hea...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) introduced a bicameral resolution expressing concern about Spanish-language disinformation and misinformation across Latin America and the Car...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, today introduced bipartisan legislation that provides the administration with the authority to sanction foreign adversary entities that provide support to China’s maritime militia. The Targeting Illicit Disruption and Encroachment in Seas (TIDES) Act aims to expand our toolkit to r...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in the midst of the National Suicide Prevention Month, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced $4,549,848 in federal funding for suicide prevention efforts targeted towards Virginia’s veterans. The funding, courtesy of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, will support community-based prevention efforts to meet the needs of veterans and their families through outreach, preven...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, reintroduced legislation to support survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. The Survivor Outreach and Support on Campus Act, or S.O.S. Campus Act, would require that every college and university that receives federal funding have an independent advocate dedicated to campus sexual assault prevention and response. “Students deserve to live and learn in healthy...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked the Right to IVF Act, legislation he cosponsored to protect and expand access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) services nationwide: “It is deeply unfortunate that some of my colleagues have once again blocked the Right to IVF Act – legislation to saf...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd Austin urging the DOD to boost the defense industrial base (DIB) workforce by guiding transitioning servicemembers and veterans towards opportunities in the DIB, including in the welding, automotive, aviation, submarine, and shipbuilding industries. The DIB is facing a critical workforce shortag...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced his cosponsorship of the Family Building FEHB Fairness Act, which would expand and protect access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other types of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for millions of Americans. This legislation would require that insurance providers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program—which covers more than 8 mi...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $5,048,650 in federal grant money from the Federal Transit Administration for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) to modernize passenger ferry slips in Jamestown for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. “Nearly a million vehicles use the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry every year,” said the senators. “This over-$5 million grant will be instrumental to the Virginia Department of Rail and Publ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, introduced the bipartisan Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act. This legislation aims to advance our diplomatic, economic, and security interests in the critically important Indian Ocean region by requiring a multi-year strategy and implementation plan for U.S. engagement with regional partners and allies. “The People’s ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a resolution recognizing USS Carney Commander Jeremy Robertson and the USS Carney crew for their heroism and bravery in the interception of missiles and drones. U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida after an eight-month deployment to the Middle East. This historic deployment saw 51 engagements with Iranian-backed terrorists, t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced legislation to rename the Petersburg Post Office after John Mercer Langston, a Louisa County native, and 19th century attorney, abolitionist, educator and politician. Langston attended Oberlin College and studied law following his graduation. At 24, he became the first Black American to be admitted to the bar in the state of Ohio. Langston went on to serve as the founding dean of the law school at Howard ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: “Today, I’m praying for the families and loved ones of all those we lost in Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. We must never forget the heroism of the first responders, servicemembers, and other individuals who risked their lives to save others on that day and defend our freedom in the decades after the attack. Toda...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Retirement Security for American Hostages Act to protect the Social Security benefits of Americans who have been held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. “Americans who have been wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad face far too many financial hurdles when they come home – some immediate, and some they won’t feel until they re...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS), both of whom serve on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a bipartisan group of 18 senators in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in support of delaying the institutional reporting deadline for the new Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations to July 2025. The senators’ request comes as ED works through significant challen...Continue Reading