Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the bipartisan Success for Military Connected Students Act, legislation to extend the maximum student to teacher ratio directive for Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools around the world. Included in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by Congress, the maximum teacher to student ratio for grades K-3 were set at 1:18 and approximately 1:24 for grades 3-12. D...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in introducing the Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2023, legislation that would expand the fertility treatments and family-building services covered under servicemembers’ and veterans’ health care. While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) currently offer some forms of fertility treatment ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine applauded the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for taking a first step to better protect the merit-based federal workforce system and safeguard federal employees from losing due process rights: “From protecting national security to inspecting food to ensure it’s free of disease, federal workers do critical work to serve the American people. Every American benefits from having federal workers who are hired on the basis of their qualifications, ...Continue Reading

Letter Text (PDF) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, along with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), today called for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement a pilot program to provide mental health, substance use, and other supportive services for people experiencing homelessness, at ris...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor to call for an end to Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) hold on military promotions, which Tuberville has issued to protest a rule the Biden Administration issued to protect servicemembers’ access to reproductive health care. Kaine, who is also Chair of the SASC Subcommittee on Seapower overseeing the Navy and Marine Corps, has been vocal about how the hold hu...Continue Reading

**WATCH: Kaine, Murray, Sanders, colleagues reintroduce Child Care Stabilization Act** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in introducing the Child Care Stabilization Act to extend vital federal child care stabilization funding—which is set to expire at the end of this month—and ensure that child care providers can keep their doors open ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill authorizing the formal designation of an African Diaspora Heritage Month, traditionally celebrated by the diaspora community in September, recognizing and reaffirming the significant contributions of the African diaspora to the growth and prosperity of the United States. “The African diaspora makes our Commonwealth and country stronger,” said Kaine. “I’m proud to introduce this...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced his cosponsorship of the bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act, legislation to establish new, independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), including the BOP facilities in Pennington Gap and Hopewell, Virginia. Kaine’s cosponsorship of the legislation follows a number of concerning reports regarding Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Petersburg in Hopewell. In June, two FCI Petersburg employees were indicted for wil...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees, joined Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in cosponsoring the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act. The legislation would expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS), including long term services and supports (LTSS), for aging veterans and improve the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s support for veterans and careg...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $17,259,239 in federal funding to improve infrastructure at airports across Virginia. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s 2023 Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Grant Program, which funds airport infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, airport signage, airport lighting, and airport markings. In 2023, Virginia’s regional airports have alr...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded $939,669 in federal funding to help people in recovery from substance use disorder rejoin the workforce in Southwest Virginia. The funding was awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which provides funding across Appalachia to address the substance use disorder crisis. “In addition to expanding access to substance use treatment p...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) praised an announcement by United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai that the Republic of India will reduce prohibitively high tariffs on U.S. turkey products – an important Virginia commodity. “For months we’ve urged the U.S. Trade Representative to work to reduce the tariffs that make it difficult for Virginia’s producers to export poultry products to India. Today, we’re proud to report that ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during National Recovery Month, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mike Braun (R-IN), members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Providing Empathetic and Effective Recovery (PEER) Support Act, legislation to help peer support specialists serving individuals recovering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder. Specifically, the bill would elevate the role of ‘peer support specialists,’ individuals who have...Continue Reading

Video of Senator Kaine’s remarks is available here. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) hearing, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of SFRC and Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, highlighted the importance of the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) partnership and his work to make sure the AUKUS agreement—in which Australia will purchase Virginia-class submarines—is implemented effectively. The AUKUS partnership is critical to strengthenin...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine sent a letter to the National Park Service urging them to designate the Town of Bedford as an American World War II Heritage City. The American World War II Heritage City Program was created in 2019 and allows one designation per U.S. state or territory. Receiving this designation would acknowledge the Town of Bedford’s critical role during World War II and help ensure the town’s contributions are recognized for generations to come. “The Town of Bedford ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) introduced the End Shutdowns Act, legislation to prevent government shutdowns and the senseless pain they inflict on federal employees, government contractors, and millions of Americans who rely on government services. Kaine has been outspoken against the use of government shutdowns as a negotiating tactic. In an effort to take that option away, this bill would initiate an automatic continuing resolution...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $16,395,565.20 in federal funding, courtesy of the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, awarded to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation (MBC) to deploy broadband and expand access to high-speed internet throughout Virginia. The funding will be used to construct approximately 130 miles of new fiber to build eight open-access middle mile fiber segments, the physical high-capacity fiber optic...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing concerns about ongoing efforts to undermine the pre-electoral and primary processes leading up to critical presidential elections scheduled in Venezuela in 2024.  “The Venezuelan people cannot afford to see another fraudulent election, which will only bring further s...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Press Glass Inc.’s decision to expand their operations at the Commonwealth Crossing Industrial Park in Henry County. Press Glass Inc. will invest $155.2 million and construct a 360,000-square-foot addition to its facility, and this will create 355 new jobs. “We’re thrilled that Press Glass Inc. is expanding their operations at Commonwealth Crossing—a site we’ve been proud to support during our time in the Senate,” sai...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine applauded the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement of the first ten drugs covered under Medicare Part D that will be eligible for the drug price negotiation program. The Inflation Reduction Act, which the senators helped pass last year, allows CMS to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for the first time in history. Private insurers regularly negotiate with drug companies for the cost of prescript...Continue Reading