Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in introducing the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act, bicameral legislation that would boost the availability of mental health providers in America’s public schools and help combat the alarming increase in mental health challenges among young people. “If we want students to be successful, then we need to ensure they have...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, (both D-VA) today applauded the Senate’s passage of the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, legislation they cosponsored, which will direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up a National Parkinson’s Project, under which HHS would create and update a national plan to address Parkinson’s an...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement after voting to advance border security legislation that was negotiated by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and James Lankford (R-OK), and the White House. The legislation was considered by the Senate again this week after it was torpedoed by congressional Republicans in February. “The Senate had before us a border security bill that resulted from months of bipartisan negotiations between...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, applauded the committee’s passage of two bipartisan pieces of legislation he introduced, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act to support health care provider mental health and the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act of 2024 to reauthorize public health initiatives to combat Alzheimer’s disease. “Our health c...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Tim Kaine (D-VA), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced the Investing in Digital Skills Act, bipartisan legislation that to better equip adult education programs with the resources needed to prepare individuals for the evolving demands of the digital economy, enhancing their employability and skill sets in a technologically advanced job market. “Whether someone is attempting to supplement ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) delivered a speech on the Senate floor regarding border security legislation that resulted from months of negotiations by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and James Lankford (R-OK), and the White House. The legislation is again being considered by the Senate this week after it was torpedoed by congressional Republicans in February. VIDEO of Kaine’s remarks are available here. “…It’s not lost on me how hard it is to do a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a former fair housing attorney, announced his cosponsorship of the bipartisan Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA), legislation to help Virginians afford home renovations and also encourage more development of affordable homeownership options in underserved communities. “As a former fair housing attorney, I know the difference access to an affordable, safe home can make in people’s lives,” said Kaine. “But renovation costs can make it ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, joined Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) and  Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, along with 39 House colleagues and 10 Senate colleagues in sending a letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member James Risch urging them to lift the hold on the State ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, (both D-VA) have cosponsored the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act. In April 2023, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) shared her diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, and in September of last year her diagnosis was upgraded to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare and incurable brain disorder that rapidly deteriorates...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, joined over 130 of his colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Daniel Werfel urging them to make the Direct File program permanent and expand its functionality and scope. The letter follows the conclusion of the 2024 tax season and successful implementation of the IRS Direct File pilot program in 12 states, which a...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced a Senate resolution recognizing widening threats to freedom of the press around the world and reaffirming the vital role of free and independent press in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance. Following World Press Freedom Day earlier this month, the resolution sheds...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)—Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues—led his colleagues, including SFRC Chair Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), in urging the Biden Administration to ensure U.S. policies toward El Salvador continue to prio...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Paraguay celebrates the 213th anniversary of its independence, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are introducing a Senate resolution welcoming President Santiago Peña of Paraguay to the United States, as well as commemorating the 163-year bilateral relationship between the Republic of Paraguay and the United States. “The United Sta...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced his cosponsorship of the Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (Alternatives to PAIN) Act, bipartisan legislation that would help prevent substance use disorder by expanding access to non-opioid treatments for older Americans by making alternative pain management treatments more affordable under Medicare Part D. “I’ve heard from communities across t...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $14,070,000 in federal funding for three conservation projects in the Commonwealth. The funding, courtesy of the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP), was made possible through annual Land and Water Conservation Funding (LWCF) as well as the Inflation Reduction Act, which the senators helped pass. “We are proud to announce this funding to support conservation efforts, protect wildlife, and help V...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine cosponsored the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, bipartisan legislation to extend a critical Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program that helped low-income families, including more than 450,000 Virginia households, afford high-speed internet. Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)—made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Kaine helped pass—expired in April 2024. Kaine has repeatedly urged Congress to extend ACP ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding the Senate’s ramming through of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act without a vote on their amendments regarding a dangerous provision that will add five incoming and five outgoing flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA): “The Senate abdicated its responsibility to protect the safety of the 25 million people who fly through DCA every year. J...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement in response to a letter regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and recent protest at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The letter was delivered on Monday to his office in Richmond. “Earlier this week, a group concerned by the Israel-Hamas conflict came to my office in downtown Richmond. I was not in Richmond that day, but my staff we...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced their intention to object to a plan to fast track a short-term extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act until there is a commitment that there will be a vote on their amendment to eliminate a dangerous provision in the proposed long-term FAA reauthorization bill that would add five incoming and five outgoing flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The proposed one-...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement regarding reports that the Biden Administration has paused an offensive weapons transfer to Israel: “For months, I have strongly urged the Biden Administration to prioritize Israel’s defensive needs, including restocking the Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems—which are especially critical after the Iranian attack on Israel ...Continue Reading