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WASHINGTON — Today U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement following Prime Minister Modi’s address to a joint session of Congress:

“Prime Minister Modi’s address to Congress today emphasized the strong friendship that has been built between our two countries, fostered by a range of close economic ties and shared opportunities. I’m pleased to see President Biden and Prime Minister Modi utilize this visit to continue to deepen the bonds between our countries and expand our cooperation on defense, trade, technology, and innovation. It’s also more important than ever – in the face of rising global authoritarianism – that we respect and reaffirm the shared values that form the foundations of our respective nations, such as democracy, universal human rights, tolerance and pluralism, and equal opportunity for all citizens. As the Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, I look forward to this continued partnership because I know that the U.S.-India relationship is one that’s worth investing in.”

Earlier this week, Sen. Warner introduced legislation to streamline the United States’ ability to consider defensive military sales to India under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act (AECA). This legislation would support ongoing security cooperation between the two nations by adding India to a list of counties outlined under the AECA – like Australia, Japan, Israel, New Zealand and South Korea – that have access to an expedited 15-day consideration and a higher financial threshold for deals that trigger Congressional review. He also joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution celebrating the relationship between the U.S. and India.

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WASHINGTON – Today, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and John Cornyn (R-TX), co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, introduced legislation that would streamline consideration of defensive military sales to India under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act (AECA), supporting ongoing security cooperation between the two nations.

The AECA outlines requirements for Congress to be notified prior to the finalization of foreign military sales. Under standard consideration, a presidential administration is required to notify Congress 30 calendar days before any deal for defense articles, services, or training above a certain financial threshold becomes final. However, for certain countries outlined under the AECA – like Australia, Japan, Israel, New Zealand and South Korea – the law provides an expedited 15-day consideration period for Congress, and raises the financial threshold for deals that trigger that review. Sens. Warner and Cornyn’s legislation would list India as one of the countries that receives expedited consideration, reflecting the importance of this security relationship, and ultimately supporting more resilient defense supply chains. This legislation does not intend to address membership in any formal alliances, and instead addresses domestic U.S. arms export regulation.

“The relationship between the United States and India is a crucial one,” said Sen. Warner. “Streamlining our nation’s ability to consider defense sales to India will strengthen our defense partnership as well as our supply chains – both of which are crucial as we grapple with threats to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

“India’s transition from Russian-made weapons to military equipment made in the U.S. and India is a step towards ensuring this critical ally has the defense capabilities it needs without enriching one of our adversaries,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By increasing investment by U.S. companies and expediting the process of purchasing military equipment, we can remove barriers to U.S.-India cooperation and increase our own national security at the same time. ” 

As co-chairs of the India Caucus, protecting and advancing the partnership between the United States and India is a priority for Sens. Warner and Cornyn. The Senators have introduced a version of the legislation as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act every year since 2019.

A copy of the bill text is available here. 

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in introducing the Working Families Tax Relief Act, legislation that would cut taxes for low- and middle-income American workers and families by expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The American Rescue Plan, which Warner and Kaine helped pass, expanded these tax credits during the pandemic, but the expansion expired in December 2021; this bill would make the expansions permanent to continue to help families. 

The expanded CTC provided up to $300 in monthly tax refunds per qualifying child to help low- and middle-income families with children under 18 years old pay for basic necessities like food, housing and utility bills, education costs, and health care. It helped lift 2.1 million children out of poverty. In Virginia, the expanded CTC helped 1.7 million children— including 249,000 children living in poverty. The expanded EITC, which lowers taxes for low-income childless workers, provided up to $1,500 in annual tax relief to more than 400,000 workers without children in Virginia.  

“The expansion of the CTC and EITC helped many workers and families in Virginia pay for necessities like food, housing, and health care,” said the senators. “Permanently expanding these tax credits will offer more financial stability to families, keep children out of poverty, and put money back in the pockets of millions of hardworking American families and workers.”

 Specifically, the Working Families Tax Relief Act would:

• Increase the annual CTC to $3,000 for low- and middle-income families with children ages 6-17 and $3,600 for low- and middle-income families with children ages 0-5, which is the rate it was in 2021. This CTC would be delivered in monthly payments as it was in 2021, providing a reliable source of financial stability.
• Make the CTC “fully refundable” so that the lowest-income families can receive the credit. Under current law, many of these families are not able to benefit from the CTC.
• Nearly triple the maximum value of the EITC for low-income workers without children.
• Extend the EITC to workers starting at age 19 and eliminate the maximum age. The EITC can currently only be claimed if you are between 25-65 years old.

In addition to Warner, Kaine, Brown, Bennet, Booker, Warnock, Wyden, and Durbin, the legislation was cosponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to lower costs and improve tax fairness for Virginia workers and families. The senators helped pass the American Rescue Plan, which originally expanded the CTC and EITC. Expanding the CTC and EITC are priorities in Kaine’s Roadmap to Recovery, a legislative action plan to help America build on the progress made since the pandemic.

Full text of the bill is available here.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $4,285,652 in federal funding to make infrastructure improvements at airports across Virginia. The funding was awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) FY 2023 Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which funds airport infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, airport signage, airport lighting, and airport markings.

“Our local airports make it easier to travel and play an important role in our economies,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding will make improvements at airports across the Commonwealth and help ensure Virginians and visitors can safely get where they need to go.”

The funding is distributed as follows:

• $1,229,342 for the Lynchburg Regional Airport/Preston Glenn Field in Timberlake to construct an apron.
• $819,000 for the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News to reconstruct its taxiway.
• $774,000 for the Farmville Regional Airport in Farmville to reconstruct its taxiway.
• $501,300 for Ingalls Field in Hot Springs to update the Airport Master Plan and seal pavement surfaces and pavement joints on its runway.
• $270,000 for the Dinwiddie County Airport in Sutherland to seal pavement surfaces and pavement joints on its apron and taxiway and repair signs and markings on its runway.
• $270,000 for the New Kent County Airport in Quinton to seal pavement surface and pavement joints on its runway and $161,010 to mark, remove, or light non-hazardous obstructions like nearby buildings and towers in its airspace.
• $261,000 for the Twin County Airport in Hillsville to rehabilitate its taxiway.

Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to improve airports across the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, the senators announced $29.4 million in federal funding to make improvements at three Virginia airports. The senators have also announced over $1 million in funding for the Luray Caverns Airport in Luray and over $13 million in federal funding for regional airports in Abingdon, Suffolk, Manassas, Danville, Chesapeake, & Chesterfield County.

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, announced that a pair of bills that would build on the important progress that has been made to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease advanced the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee by a 20-1 vote.

More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s costs our nation an astonishing $345 billion per year, including $222 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. If we continue along this trajectory, Alzheimer’s is projected to claim the minds of 13.8 million seniors by 2060 and nearly surpass $1 trillion in annual costs by 2050. In 2022, family caregivers provided 18 billion hours of unpaid care for loved ones with dementia.

“I lost my mother to Alzheimer’s after a courageous decade-long fight, so I understand the toll this terrible disease takes on seniors and families,” said Sen. Warner. “Today’s resounding bipartisan vote is a great step towards reauthorizing some of the most powerful tools we have to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. I look forward to getting it across the finish line.”

The NAPA Reauthorization Act—authored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and co-led by Sens. Warner, Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)—would reauthorize the National Alzheimer’s Project through 2035 and modernize the legislation to reflect strides that have been made to understand the disease, such as including a new focus on promoting healthy aging and reducing risk factors. The National Alzheimer’s Project brings the whole of government together to make recommendations to improve policies and care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers and families.

The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act—also authored by Sens. Collins, Warner, Capito, Markey, Moran, Menendez, Murkowski, and Stabenow—would continue through 2035 a requirement that the Director of the National Institutes of Health submit an annual budget to Congress estimating the funding necessary to fully implement NAPA’s research goals. Only two other areas of biomedical research – cancer and HIV/AIDS – have been the subject of special budget development aimed at speeding discovery.

The NAPA Reauthorization Act and Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act are endorsed by the Alzheimer’s Association and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. The NAPA Reauthorization Act, as reported out of Committee, also includes updated language in recognition of the need to include underserved populations, including individuals with Down syndrome, who are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s as they age. The reported bill is endorsed by the National Down Syndrome Society, the National Down Syndrome Congress, and LuMind IDSC Foundation.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement ahead of a Senate Commerce Committee markup on legislation to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs:

“The single runway at DCA is already the most congested in the country. Ahead of the Senate Commerce Committee markup this morning, we want to be clear that we will strongly oppose any FAA reauthorization that expands the number of flights or passengers into and out of National. Any such expansion would disrupt the balance among the region’s airports and create additional delays and problems at National, an airport just one-fourteenth the size of Dulles.”

Acknowledging the physical limitations at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), Congress has since 1986 restricted the number of nonstop flights that can originate out of DCA to airports outside of a 1,250-mile perimeter, while Washington Dulles International (IAD) was planned as the growth airport for the region’s aviation needs. However, in past FAA reauthorization bills, Congress has made changes to these rules that have disrupted the balance in this two-airport system by adding additional flights from Reagan to destinations outside the 1,250-mile perimeter. These changes in flight activity have produced significant stress on DCA’s facilities, from strained roadways and limited parking availability to overburdened baggage systems, and created frustrations for travelers, businesses, and local residents. Those changes have also prevented Dulles, whose size allows for larger planes to land and take off, from realizing its full potential as the primary long-haul flight destination for the Washington metropolitan area. In March, Sens. Warner and Kaine were joined by the two senators from Maryland in sending a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee, which has responsibility for drafting legislation to reauthorize the FAA, strongly opposing any further changes at airports that serve residents of the National Capital Area. Sen. Warner, Kaine, Cardin, and Van Hollen also penned an op-ed yesterday urging their colleagues to oppose changes to the current slot and perimeter rules at DCA.

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WASHINGTON – The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence passed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (IAA) today by a unanimous 17-0 vote. The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).

“The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 reflects the Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan commitment to ensuring America’s intelligence agencies have the resources they need to protect our country,” said Committee Chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA). “This year’s bill increases the IC’s ability to track threats posed by adversarial nations, including technological and economic competition with China. It also promotes a reform of the nation’s security classification system, strengthens the security of our election systems, and furthers the Committee’s efforts to reform the security clearance process, so that the IC can attract and expeditiously on-board a talented, diverse, and trusted workforce to meet the emerging challenges we face.”

“The United States is in a moment of great power conflict where our adversaries—namely China and Russia —are colluding to destroy the international ruled-based system while undermining the United States and our alliances,” said Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “The Intelligence Community (IC) must rapidly adapt and work aggressively to position the United States to focus on and counter the unprecedented global threats we face. This year’s IAA begins to equip the IC with the tools needed to enhance intelligence collection and improve objective intelligence analysis. Importantly, the committee-passed IAA also includes a prohibition DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis from collecting information on U.S Persons. This IAA further enables the IC to provide support to policymakers to make the right decisions that protect our national security, promote economic prosperity for all Americans, and uphold our values.”

Background:

The IAA for Fiscal Year 2024 authorizes funding for the IC and ensures that it has the resources, personnel, and authorities it needs to protect our country and inform decision makers, while ensuring continued robust congressional oversight. The bill’s provisions focus on the following key areas:

• Increases oversight of the national security threats posed by the People’s Republic of China, including its predatory economic practices, political influence operations, military capabilities, and investments in, and attempts to dominate the supply chains of artificial intelligence (AI), next-generation energy technologies, and biotechnology, among many others.
• Establishes a new IC atrocities coordinator to increase collection, analysis, and intelligence support to government-wide efforts to hold China accountable for its egregious human rights abuses.
• Promotes reform of the nation’s security classification system, including by reducing overclassification; establishing a new system of interagency governance and accountability; preventing mishandling of classified information; and promoting better use of technology to facilitate declassification and enhance public trust.
• Strengthens the security of America’s voting systems by requiring that they undergo simulated attacks as part of their standard certification process, allowing for the discovery of potential vulnerabilities before these can be exploited by adversaries.
• Requires the IC to conduct a “lessons-learned” assessment of Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine and the long-term implications for United States national security and the NATO alliance.
• Improves the IC’s procurement, adoption, and integration of emerging technologies by requiring the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to establish policies for the IC’s acquisition, adoption, development, and use of AI.
• Protects against foreign counterintelligence risks at Department of Energy National Labs.
• Enhances insight into the Venezuela Maduro regime’s imprisonment of United States persons.

• Ensures the IC has a workforce that is second-to-none, by instituting improved IC workforce recruitment through education-based assistance; improving workforce mobility among IC agencies to meet national security needs; increasing recruitment priorities for candidates with financial intelligence and technical expertise; and requiring a standard procedure for investigating CIA sexual misconduct complaints, among other measures.

• Increases transparency by strengthening Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) funding and reporting requirements.
• Builds upon the Committee’s work in reforming the nation’s outdated security clearance system by requiring the codification of new timeliness standards for processing personnel vetting determinations.
• Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis from collecting information or intelligence on U.S. persons.
• Maintains strong congressional oversight of and protections for whistleblowers who come forward to report fraud, waste, or abuse.
• Ensures continued support to the victims of anomalous health incidents (AHIs or “Havana Syndrome”) by improving the CIA’s funding flexibility for payments to qualified victims; and requiring each IC element to issue regulations and procedures for implementing HAVANA Act of 2021 authorities.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,599,645 in federal funding through the Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence program to address teacher shortages by supporting Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) RTR teacher residency program. The funding will be used to recruit and support more teacher candidates from diverse backgrounds and provide them with the skills they need to teach in high-need schools. It will provide training and development through the Virginia Adult Literacy Resource Center (VALRC) and Multilingual Ambassador Program (MAP) to prepare teachers to support bilingual and multilingual students and provide a pathway for bilingual and multilingual adults to become teachers. The program will also offer professional development and an alumni network to retain a diverse teaching workforce. The RTR program partners with Richmond, Petersburg, Chesterfield County, and Henrico County public schools.

“As Virginia and our nation face educator shortages, it’s critical that we’re recruiting more Americans to fill these roles and providing them with the skills they need to help our students succeed,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding will help address teacher shortages and increase diversity in the teacher workforce to better meet students’ needs, especially in such a diverse community like Central Virginia.” 

The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence (Hawkins) program, which supports the establishment of centers of excellence at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) with a state-accredited teacher preparation program to help increase the number of well-prepared teachers, including teachers of color. VCU was designated an AANAPISI in 2022. The majority of students in our nation’s public schools are students of color, but the teaching workforce is only comprised of 20 percent teachers of color. 

Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to address the teacher shortage and expand diversity in the field. Kaine has introduced the PREP Act, which would address teacher and principal shortages, particularly in rural communities, and increase teacher diversity. Kaine also introduced the DIVERSIFY Act, which would strengthen the Teacher Education Assistance for College and High Education (TEACH) grant program, helping attract more teachers to the field and expand teacher diversity. Kaine has also introduced legislation to address educator shortages and increase children’s access to a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce by strengthening the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), co-chairs of the Community Development Finance Caucus, along with Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo held an event today on Capitol Hill with corporate and banking leaders to announce that members of the Economic Opportunity Coalition have reached their goal of securing $1 billion in committed deposits in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) in order to expand their lending power for underserved communities and small businesses emerging from the pandemic. 

The private sector funding will boost public efforts to strengthen and grow the lending capacity of CDFIs and MDIs, which included a record $12 billion federal investment to help underserved communities access affordable capital secured by Sens. Warner and Crapo as part of the bipartisan COVID relief package approved by Congress at the end of 2020. The additional deposits announced today will help to bring down loan-to-deposit ratios at these institutions, which will allow them to increase their lending further while ensuring they maintain adequate liquidity.

“Strengthening minority and community lenders will help unlock the economic potential of some of our most overlooked communities,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m glad to see the private sector working with us to leverage returns on public investment while investing in entrepreneurs and small businesses in communities of color and other financially underserved areas.”

“This exciting benchmark is just the beginning of support for underserved and rural communities across the country,” said Sen. Crapo.  “The private sector’s partnership in investing in these communities is crucial for the long-term sustainability and economic growth of areas most in need.”

“Our economy works best when capital is unlocked across races and regions,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “Today’s announcement reflects the impact of a coordinated partnership between the public and private sectors to address economic inequality across the nation and maximize the impact of the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented investments in underserved communities.”

“CDFIs and MDIs are proximate to communities. They exist to support small businesses, aspiring homeowners, community infrastructure needs, and the development of affordable housing,” said Michael Roth, Co-lead of the Economic Opportunity Coalition and Co-CEO of Next Street. “Moving deposits to these kinds of community-based lenders facilitates access to credit in communities where traditional financial services are limited, unavailable, or unaffordable. That’s why this EOC milestone is really also a call to action. We know 1 billion dollars isn’t enough; it's just the start.” said Roth.

Launched by Vice President Harris last July, the Economic Opportunity Coalition is a group of more than two dozen corporations and philanthropies that committed to making major investments in communities of color to address economic disparities and accelerate economic opportunity. Representatives of the Coalition at today’s event included leaders from Wells Fargo, Next Street, KeyBank, TIAA, Citi, and Bank of America. 

“Senators Warner and Crapo and Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo have been amazing champions of getting resources to CDFIs and MDIs that are serving communities of modest financial resources.  The Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) was a true game-changer, providing equity investments that mission-based financial institutions could use to attract $8 of additional deposits and debt for every $1 of ECIP investment.  Hence, the $8+ billion of ECIP investments will over time create $100 billion of lending capital that can be recycled at least 3 times over a 10-year period,” said Martin Eakes, CEO, Self-Help Credit Union. “I know this sounds complicated, but the bottom line is that the actions of these leaders and their associates will produce more than 1 million new homeowners and tens of thousands of new businesses in communities of color, and in other rural and lower wealth communities all across the country.” 

“Black-owned Optus Bank has exponentially grown its balance sheet and, more importantly, its impact on high-potential underestimated communities,” said Dominik Mjartan, President and CEO of Optus Bank. “With transformational investments from the private sector, we have been able to leverage the recent ECIP investment to more than double the bank’s loan portfolio in 2022 while directing more than 90% of our loans to mission-aligned communities.”

“These commitments ensure that CDFIs and MDIs are equipped to significantly expand impact to working Americans who have historically struggled in the pursuit of economic prosperity,” said Darrin Williams, Southern Bancorp, Inc. CEO. “Combined with the ongoing support from Congress and Treasury, our industry has never before been as equipped to fulfill our mission of reaching the financially underserved – from rural America to our urban centers – we are building the capacity to finance the positive economic change needed in our country.”

“Public and private investments are essential to closing wealth gaps in America and enabling lasting financial health and resilience, including throughout retirement. As a founding member of the EOC, TIAA is proud to contribute to this critical funding milestone and to advance collective engagements that unlock resources for innovators, business owners and other leaders in underserved communities,” said W. Dave Dowrich, CFO at TIAA. “Supporting the holistic financial well-being of communities to help achieve longer-term equitable growth goes hand-in-hand with our efforts to ensure all Americans can retire with dignity and financial security. As too many Americans navigate economic challenges, these investments demonstrate that bipartisanship and cross-sector collaboration can deliver scalable and sustainable solutions that can meaningfully change lives and improve communities.”

“We are strong supporters of the Economic Opportunity Coalition and congratulate the organization on reaching the goal of $1 billion in deposits that will be placed with CDFIs and MDIs.  These organizations are a critical part of the lending ecosystem for underserved communities, and we look forward to helping them grow and better serve their local markets,” said Charlie Scharf, CEO of Wells Fargo.  

“Citi is able to use our robust balance sheet to provide access to capital for our MDI partners that have historically faced higher burdens for raising capital, enabling them to enhance their support for individuals and businesses in underserved communities,” said Citi CFO Mark Mason. “In addition to joining in the Economic Opportunity Coalition’s $1 billion announcement today, Citi and the Citi Foundation are deepening our efforts to support CDFIs and MDIs and we are eager to work with the EOC to expand the net even further to help solve the significant, unmet need.”

“KeyBank embraces the opportunity to partner with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) through the Economic Opportunity Coalition,” said Chris Gorman, CEO and Chairman of KeyCorp. “At Key, our purpose is to help our clients and communities thrive. In partnership with CDFIs and MDIs, we are bringing that purpose to life by expanding banking services in our neighborhoods and bringing more capital-building tools to underserved communities. We appreciate the leadership of Senators Warner and Crapo, and the Treasury Department's commitment to an inclusive economy.”

“Promoting investment and economic opportunity in underserved communities is critical to reaching the U.S.’s potential to enable growth that is also inclusive. McKinsey & Company is proud to be a founding member of the Economic Opportunity Coalition, and will to continue working with our partners to support this critical goal,” said Bob Sternfels, McKinsey’s Global Managing Partner.

“Today’s one billion funding announcement reflects the Coalition’s commitment to taking meaningful actions to accelerate economic opportunity in underserved communities across the country,” said Nat Hoopes, Vice President and Head of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Upstart. “Upstart is proud to contribute both dollars and our AI technology to support CDFIs and MDIs in their important work to expand access to affordable credit.”

“This milestone is a testament to the power of public private partnerships in accelerating economic opportunity,” said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. “Continued investment in CDFIs and MDIs is critical to building thriving communities and creating transformative change. PayPal is proud to be a founding member of this effort and we look forward to the continued collaboration.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and 13 of their Senate colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to help streamline health insurance enrollment for low-income families. In their letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the senators urged the Administration to support state-level “Easy Enrollment” initiatives, which make it easier for uninsured, low-income families to sign up for health insurance by allowing them to sign up when filing their state income tax returns. Nearly 30 million Americans do not have health insurance and, as of this year, about 18 million who are eligible for programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Advanced Premium Tax Credits still aren’t covered. State-based Easy Enrollment programs aim to close this gap. The senators called on HHS and CMS to address administrative barriers that reduce the efficiency of states’ Easy Enrollment programs, in order to make it easier for low-income families to access health care.

In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation establishing an Easy Enrollment program. The first phase of Virginia’s Easy Enrollment program started this year and checks for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility.

“Easy Enrollment efforts ultimately aim to let uninsured tax filers request automatic enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP, or zero-premium Marketplace coverage, but these initiatives are facing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. To reach as many eligible uninsured as possible, these states seek to limit the need for people who have already filed their tax returns to complete further paperwork before obtaining health care coverage,” they wrote.

To help states streamline their Easy Enrollment initiatives, the senators urge the Administration to allow states to:

• Verify filers’ financial eligibility for programs like Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• Confirm their citizenship status using existing electronic records.
• Waive tax reconciliation penalties for consumers who choose to automatically enroll in zero-premium Marketplace plans after they have enrolled in health care coverage.

The senators note, “With these three flexibilities, States could strengthen Easy Enrollment programs so that numerous uninsured people who are already known to be U.S. citizens could choose to be enrolled automatically into Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace plans, based on qualifying income shown on their state income tax returns.”

“Given the large and growing number of states pursuing Easy Enrollment initiatives, we recommend that CMS develop one or more templates making it easy for states to obtain federal approvals needed to maximize coverage gains from this promising approach. In the meantime, we urge the Administration to work proactively with states and to quickly approve state proposals to take the above steps. Easy Enrollment requires coordinating policy and operations between state health and tax agencies, so planning for 2024 Easy Enrollment has already begun. Clear and early guidance showing federal support for automating enrollment, as outlined in this letter, would give our states and others the confidence to innovate boldly and effectively in closing America’s large, persistent, and inequitable enrollment gap,” the senators concluded.

Sens. Warner, Kaine, and Van Hollen were joined in sending this letter by Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Fetterman (D-PA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Ed Markey (D-MA).

A copy of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Becerra and Administrator Brooks-LaSure:

We are writing to urge the Biden-Harris Administration to strengthen its efforts to support state initiatives to automate the enrollment of eligible, uninsured families into health programs for which they qualify.

Such initiatives address a serious problem: America’s enrollment gap. Roughly two-thirds of our country’s uninsured residents – more than 18 million people -- qualify for but are not enrolled in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or low-cost Marketplace plans bought with advance premium tax credits (APTCs). Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, most people in the enrollment gap qualify for zero-premium insurance but are not enrolled, often because of administrative barriers or because they do not know about available health programs. People of color and workers without college degrees make up a disproportionate share of uninsured families caught in the enrollment gap.

To close that gap, ten states that, together, include one-third of America’s Medicaid-eligible uninsured population—California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—have enacted “Easy Enrollment” programs that let families use state income tax returns to jumpstart health care enrollment. Uninsured tax filers can check a box asking to have their return information forwarded to state health agencies to see if their families qualify for free or low-cost insurance. Easy Enrollment efforts ultimately aim to let uninsured tax filers request automatic enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP, or zero-premium Marketplace coverage, but these initiatives are facing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. To reach as many eligible uninsured as possible, these states seek to limit the need for people who have already filed their tax returns to complete further paperwork before obtaining health care coverage.

President Biden signed an Executive Order on his first day in office calling on federal agencies to overcome “potential barriers that underserved communities and individuals may face to enrollment.” In its effort to implement this executive order, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) highlighted the importance of lightening the administrative burdens families face. OMB also reported that “administrative burdens…do not fall equally on all…, leading to disproportionate underutilization of critical services…often by the people and communities who need them the most.” The President thus signed an additional Executive Order calling on federal agencies “to the maximum extent permitted by law… to ensure eligible individuals are automatically enrolled in…critical benefit programs.”

By leveraging income-tax filing to streamline and automate enrollment, Easy Enrollment programs could reach most of America’s uninsured families. In 2021, 94% of uninsured adults filed federal income tax returns, including 90% of uninsured adults with incomes below 150% of the federal poverty level, 93% of uninsured people of color, and 93% of uninsured adults who never graduated high school.

The Administration has compiled a remarkable track record bringing health insurance to an ever-widening circle of families in America. To build on that record, we urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Treasury Department to issue guidance allowing three flexibilities for state Easy Enrollment programs, all of which are well within current statutory and regulatory authority:

• States should be allowed to verify citizenship through electronic records, without requiring families to submit redundant paperwork. Applicants for health programs must complete forms attesting, under penalty of perjury, to U.S. citizenship or satisfactory immigration status. To facilitate auto-enrollment efforts, CMS should waive that requirement under Social Security Act §1115 and Affordable Care Act §1411(c)(4)(B) when a state has already confirmed that an uninsured applicant is a U.S. citizen, based on matches between identifying information on the tax return and federally approved sources of citizenship data.

• States should be allowed to base financial eligibility for Medicaid on state income tax records. Financial eligibility for Medicaid reflects current income. A state implementing the option for “Express Lane Eligibility,” or ELE, can qualify children as financially eligible based entirely on information from other income-based programs or the family’s state income tax return. CMS should make clear that it is willing to grant §1115 waivers permitting states to use ELE’s tax return option to establish financial eligibility, not just for children, but for adults as well.

• States should be allowed to have tax reconciliation penalties waived for consumers they automatically enroll into zero-premium Marketplace plans. Someone enrolled into a zero-premium plan may owe federal tax reconciliation payments if their annual income turns out to exceed expected levels. For states to reliably promise that zero-premium plans will truly cost enrollees nothing, CMS and the Treasury Department should make clear that ACA §1332 allows waivers of tax reconciliation for people the state auto-enrolls into such plans.

With these three flexibilities, States could strengthen Easy Enrollment programs so that numerous uninsured people who are already known to be U.S. citizens could choose to be enrolled automatically into Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace plans, based on qualifying income shown on their state income tax returns.

Given the large and growing number of states pursuing Easy Enrollment initiatives, we recommend that CMS develop one or more templates making it easy for states to obtain federal approvals needed to maximize coverage gains from this promising approach. In the meantime, we urge the Administration to work proactively with states and to quickly approve state proposals to take the above steps. Easy Enrollment requires coordinating policy and operations between state health and tax agencies, so planning for 2024 Easy Enrollment has already begun. Clear and early guidance showing federal support for automating enrollment, as outlined in this letter, would give our states and others the confidence to innovate boldly and effectively in closing America’s large, persistent, and inequitable enrollment gap.

Sincerely, 

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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement after voting to raise the debt ceiling:

“Today, we fulfilled a basic responsibility by raising the debt ceiling and avoiding an economic meltdown with catastrophic consequences for individuals and the global economy alike. However, this deal is not perfect. I am disappointed by the inclusion of language pertaining to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and I believe Congress missed an important opportunity to lower the national debt when they refused to look at revenues and make our tax system a little bit fairer. At the end of the day, I voted in favor of this bill because raising the debt ceiling is the right thing to do for our country and for the millions of Americans who are trying to get out of debt, purchase a home, save for retirement, and so much more.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) joined by U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01) today introduced legislation to test innovative portable benefits designs for the growing independent workforce. The Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act seeks to provide workers with access to insurance protections typically provided through traditional full-time employment. This legislation would establish a $20 million grant fund within the U.S. Department of Labor to incentivize states, localities and nonprofit organizations to experiment with portable benefits models.

“Each year more and more Americans engage in part-time, contract or other alternative work arrangements to support themselves and their families. But despite these shifts, our retirement and savings programs aren’t keeping up to help these workers,” said Sen. Warner. “This program will encourage experimentation at the state and local levels to support the realities of a 21^st century workforce.”

“Job opportunities in the gig economy provide workers with utmost flexibility,” said Sen. Young. “Supporting portable benefit options helps uncover creative solutions to addressing the needs of our rapidly changing workforce. I am pleased to reintroduce this bill to make it easier for Hoosiers find the job opportunity that best suits their family situation.”

“The way we work is rapidly evolving, and it is time our laws caught up. Today, millions of workers lack access to benefits like workers’ compensation and paid time off. We must act to ensure our economy works for everyone,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene. “This legislation is an important step toward ensuring benefits are accessible to all workers, regardless of their work arrangement. Whether you are a rideshare driver or an online artisan, you should have the same benefits opportunities as other workers.” 

The legislation is co-sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and John Hoeven (R-ND). 

“Independent workers make up a growing percentage of our workforce, yet they are often not eligible for many benefits typically offered by employers. North Dakotans in non-traditional work arrangements deserve access to the same benefits as the rest of the working public,” said Sen. Cramer. “These pilot programs encourage state and local governments to provide portable benefits and give independent contractors additional financial stability.”

“Information technology, analytics and the ‘gig’ economy are changing the complexion of the 21st century economy, so it’s vital that our federal policies evolve to stay in step with the reality faced by everyday workers,” said Sen. King. “Today, more and more Americans work as independent contractors, or are more regularly switching jobs to address new opportunities in the workforce – and they should have flexible benefit options for them and their families. This bipartisan bill would lay the groundwork for more portable benefits so we can effectively support independent workers as they help change and expand the modern economy.”

“As we experience a workforce shortage across the nation, offering more flexible benefits and support will help make it easier for workers across the country and in North Dakota to find the right job opportunity for them and their families,” said Sen. Hoeven.

In the past decade, the composition of the U.S. workforce has changed significantly, and those who earn all or some of their income as independent contractors, part-time workers, temporary workers or contingent workers have found it difficult and expensive to access benefits and protections that are commonly provided to full-time employees. These benefits include paid leave, workers’ compensation, skills training, unemployment insurance, tax withholding and tax-advantaged retirement savings. As the workforce changes, employers and policymakers need to consider a system that allows workers to carry these benefits with them from job to job across a lifetime in the workforce.

The Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act would establish a portable benefits pilot program at the U.S. Department of Labor. It authorizes a total of $20 million for competitive grants to states, local governments and nonprofits for pilot projects to design, implement and evaluate new models ($15 million) or assess and improve existing models ($5 million) for portable benefits for independent workers such as contractors, temporary workers and self-employed workers.

Eligible models will provide a number of work-related benefits and protections – such as retirement savings, workers compensation, life or disability insurance, sick leave, training and educational benefits, health care, and more. In order to encourage innovative thinking on these challenging issues, programs focused solely on retirement-related benefits will not be eligible. In awarding grants, the Secretary of Labor is directed to prioritize models that can be replicated on a large scale or at the national level.

Sen. Warner and Rep. DelBene originally introduced this legislation in 2017, and have continued to lead the push for policy solutions to address shifts across our economy that have changed the workforce. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Warner doubled down on efforts to include expanded benefits eligibility in relief packages.

“Grantmakers in the Arts sees firsthand the negative impact on independent workers that their lack of access to workplace benefits has on their health, their stability, their families,” said Eddie Torres, President and CEO, Grantmakers in the Arts. “We see these negative impacts because so many artists are independent workers. Health insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings, and other benefits provide essential protections for traditional workers that independent workers simply do without. With the number of independent workers growing, the introduction of the Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act comes at a crucial time. The bill will begin to lay the policy foundation to make workplace benefits available to independent workers, including artists. Grantmakers in the Arts strongly supports this legislation, and stands ready to work with Senators Warner and Young and Representative DelBene to have it signed into law this Congress.”

“The Association of Language Companies applauds Senator Warner and his colleagues for introducing the Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act,” said Susan Amarino, President, Association of Language Companies. “The language industry works in every industry in the US. We support national security, economic growth, and the provision of vital language access to health care, education, and social services. The translators, interpreters, captioners, and other skilled language professionals deserve the ability to choose independent contractor status and receive the benefits necessary to take care of their families and plan for their futures. The pilot program for portable benefits would go a long way toward supporting the 21st-century knowledge-based workforce.”

A copy of the bill text is available here.

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