Specifically, Sen. Warner wrote to Sec. Blinken regarding the now-closed Online Passport Renewal (OPR) System, which received more than 500,000 requests from August 2022 to February 2023. The online system has been unable to keep up with demand, leaving travelers scrambling to replace their passports at the last minute. In addition to costly delays, many constituents who filed to renew their passports online are receiving little to no information on the progress being made with applications regardless of how well in advance of planned travel their requests were filed, leaving many in limbo waiting for their documents.

“In an increasingly online age, I welcome the ability for my constituents to renew their passports through a secure paperless process,” wrote Sen. Warner. “However, the OPR system seems to be fraught with significant errors that have caused Virginians headaches, stress, and unfortunately in some instances, delayed or missed travel. Simply put, the service my constituents have received is unacceptable.”

In his letter, Sen. Warner posed a series of questions to better understand how the State Department plans to address the backlog:

• How does the agency’s handling of passport applications submitted online differ from those that are filed through traditional processes, either by applying at a Passport Acceptance Facility in person or by U.S. Mail?
• How does the agency determine the assignment of OPR applications to their Passport Agencies across the country? How does this compare to the assignment of traditional applications received?
• What is the current average processing time of an application submitted through the OPR process compared to those submitted through the traditional process? Please indicate the processing time for applications submitted under both expedited and routine processing.
• Does agency data reflect that some Passport Agencies are more successful in processing OPR applications timely than others? If so, what does the agency believe is the source of this imbalance, and how is the agency addressing this problem?
• Members of my staff have been told by Passport Agency officials that “technical issues” can at times impede the processing of an OPR application and that officials must transfer the application into the traditional system for final processing. Can you further explain these technical issues and what steps the agency is taking to fix these issues?

Sen. Warner’s constituent casework team works daily to help Virginians with a variety of federal agency needs, including help with passport renewal. Constituents experiencing any problems with new passport applications or passport renewals through both online and traditional applications can reach out to Sen. Warner for assistance through his website, available here.

A copy of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Secretary Blinken:

I write today to express my concern and frustration with the State Department’s Online Passport Renewal (OPR) system. 

The OPR system opened to the public in a pilot status in August 2022, and the agency reports it received more than 500,000 applications before they system closed in February 2023. During that time, many Virginians participated in utilizing this system to submit their passport renewals. Since the start of 2023, my office has received a significant increase in requests from Virginians who are experiencing considerable delays in the processing of their renewal applications filed through the OPR system prior to its closure. In many cases, my constituents filed well in advance of their travel date and paid for expedited processing. That said, the applicants still faced delays and, in some cases, ultimately needed to physically travel to a Passport Agency, often the day before their scheduled travel, in order to have their passport issued.

In an increasingly online age, I welcome the ability for my constituents to renew their passports through a secure paperless process. However, the OPR system seems to be fraught with significant errors that have caused Virginians headaches, stress, and unfortunately in some instances, delayed or missed travel. Simply put, the service my constituents have received is unacceptable. Therefore, I ask that you please address the following questions:

My office has been told that the agency is experiencing “an unprecedented volume of early demand for passports this year.” I commend officials at Passport Agencies across the country for their tireless work in adjudicating millions of passport applications each year. However, it appears that the OPR system’s flaws are directly inhibiting this effort, and I look forward to understanding how the agency will address existing challenges and improve the system for future use.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

###

 WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (Both D-VA) released the following statement ahead of the U.S. Senate’s first procedural vote on the Fire Grants and Safety Act, legislation to reauthorize grant programs for fire departments and firefighters, which is expected later today:

“Virginia’s fire departments play an essential role in supporting our communities and saving lives. We have a responsibility to make sure they have the resources they need to protect, recruit, and retain firefighters. For years, grant programs like those included in the Fire Grants and Safety Act have helped provide those resources. We look forward to voting for this legislation to make sure those grant programs continue, and will do everything else we can to support our brave firefighters and first responders.”

Specifically, the legislation would reauthorize the Assistance for Firefighters (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs, both of which are set to expire in 2024. AFG grants are awarded to fire departments, state fire training academies, and emergency medical service organizations to help them meet the needs of their communities, by helping firefighters and first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

So far in 2023, the following localities in Virginia received AFG awards to support their operations and safety upgrades:

• Isle of Wight County received $959,020
• The City of Alexandria received $600,000
• The City of Lynchburg received $830,636
• Franklin County received $438,238
• The Bland County Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. received $163,476
• The Scruggs Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Inc. received $66,666

For the full list of 253 AFG grants awarded to Virginia communities since 2015, click here.

SAFER grants provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters available in their communities.

So far in 2023, the following localities in Virginia received SAFER grants to assist with recruitment and retention efforts:

• The City of Manassas Park received $3,582,866
• Rappahannock County received $561,617
• Goochland County received $556,972
• The Town of Chatham received $204,804
• Hanover County received $41,800
• Stephens City Fire And Rescue Company, Inc. received $21,068

For the full list of 72 SAFER grants awarded to Virginia communities since 2015, click here.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding the release of a Joint Economic Committee Democratic staff report outlining the devastating cost for Virginia of a potential debt default:

“No one wins when lawmakers play political games with a debt default. Every day that we don’t raise the debt ceiling inches us closer to catastrophic economic impacts that would be felt in every community in Virginia, including through higher mortgage payments and uncertainty for those relying on Social Security, Medicare, or veterans benefits. We will continue to urge our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us in protecting American families from the dangers of a default, and to stop holding our economy hostage.”

The report outlines how raising the debt limit is essential for the United States to continue to keep its promise to veterans, military personnel, and seniors and how a default would push up costs for families and small businesses and risk millions of jobs.

In Virginia specifically, the report estimates that even the threat of a debt default would increase monthly mortgage payments by an average of $151 per month, or approximately $54,000 over the course of a 30-year mortgage. Additionally, 1,598,000 Social Security recipients—whose monthly payments total over $2.5 billion—1,608,000 Medicare recipients, and 691,000 veterans in Virginia would be at risk of benefit disruption if the federal government does default on its debt.

In recognition of the additional risk shouldered by federal workers, whose incomes can be put in direct jeopardy by government shutdowns and a debt default, Warner and Kaine recently reintroduced the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act, legislation to protect federal workers and their families from foreclosures, evictions, and loan defaults during a government shutdown or debt default. The Federal Employee Civil Relief Act would enable government employees and contractors to postpone payment obligations during a shutdown or debt default and for 30 days afterward.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement ahead of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee tomorrow:

“While I appreciate Mr. Chew’s willingness to answer questions before Congress, TikTok’s lack of transparency, repeated obfuscations, and misstatements of fact have severely undermined the credibility of any statements by TikTok employees, including Mr. Chew. Congress needs to give the administration the tools to review and mitigate the harms posed by foreign technology products that come from adversarial nations. I’m proud to say that 20 senators have already signed on to the RESTRICT Act, our bipartisan legislation that would do just that.”

Sen. Warner recently introduced the RESTRICT Act along with Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to address the threat posed by the use of technology, like TikTok, from foreign adversaries. The legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). 

### 

The FBI’s new headquarters should be in Springfield

by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Sen. Mark R. Warner & Sen. Tim Kaine

in the Washington Post

March 17, 2023

Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is the governor of Virginia. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner, both Democrats, represent Virginia in the Senate. 

Virginia made its case to federal officials last week for Springfield to be the next home of the FBI. Though we come from different political parties, we are in lockstep on this issue. Politics should play no role when it comes to the security of the American people.

The FBI and the General Services Administration have laid out a specific set of five criteria for determining where the new FBI headquarters should go. We believe strongly that Springfield is the clear winner across the board.

Northern Virginia is home to a majority of the nation’s intelligence workforce and the largest population of cybersecurity companies and personnel on the East Coast — more than double the number in Maryland. During our presentation to the GSA, Adam Lee, a retired 22-year veteran of the FBI, shared his firsthand experience of how the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, forced the bureau to work more closely with its sister intelligence agencies. With increasing collaboration needed to respond to national security threats rapidly, the Springfield site, situated near the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is the premier site candidate.

Of the sites under consideration, Springfield is also the closest to the FBI’s Quantico location. This is significant because the FBI has said that proximity to this facility’s training academy and laboratory is critical for the bureau to meet its mission. According to the bureau’s own figures, over just a two-month period last summer, FBI personnel made about 1,700 trips to Quantico. This number doesn’t include the personnel who work at Quantico who made reverse trips to the current headquarters downtown or to one of the FBI’s other locations in the area. That’s thousands of person hours spent traveling between locations, making it easy to understand why proximity to Quantico is so important to the FBI.

Springfield also provides more travel choices and public transportation options than any other site under consideration. Though both Springfield and the Greenbelt site in Maryland are less than a 10-minute walk to Metro and commuter trains, the Springfield site provides roughly double the number of bus routes. Maryland has not made major improvements to its Beltway system in decades and just lost its partner in the effort to add express lanes to Interstate 270; Northern Virginia has already rebuilt its interstate network, investing more than $15 billion in these critical arteries.

As the only site under consideration already owned by the federal government, the Springfield site would cost less than the competitor sites in Maryland.

A more recent criterion includes advancing support for underserved communities. We applaud and embrace that objective.

As one of the most diverse communities in America, Northern Virginia has a lot to offer here, too. More than half of Springfield’s households speak a language other than English. Recruiting a diverse workforce helps the FBI better fulfill its national security mission: Officers from diverse backgrounds are uniquely qualified to understand cultural differences and bring diverse viewpoints to the many security challenges facing Americans.

Though Northern Virginia is often painted with a broad brush, tens of thousands of people in the area live below the federal poverty level, and tens of thousands of people still lack health insurance or a high school diploma.

By selecting Springfield, the administration would fulfill its commitment to advance diversity and economic opportunity.

We are confident that any objective evaluation of the transparent criteria laid out by the FBI and the GSA can lead to only one conclusion: The best home for the FBI is in Virginia.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to reevaluate the risks associated with the use of drones manufactured by Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (DJI), a company with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In 2022, DJI was officially identified as a “Chinese military company” by the Department of Defense following several warnings about its risks, including a 2017 intelligence bulletin warning that DJI was likely providing sensitive U.S. infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government. Despite this action, the use of DJI drones remains common throughout the country.  In 2021, it was reported that DJI controlled almost 90% of the consumer drone market in North America and over 70% of the industrial market. And in 2019, it was reported that 73% of public safety organizations are flying the company’s aircrafts.

“[T]he widespread use of DJI drones to inspect critical infrastructure allows the CCP to develop a richly detailed, regularly updated picture of our nation’s pipelines, railways, power generation facilities, and waterways,” the senators wrote in a letter to CISA Director Jen Easterly. “This sensitive information on the layout, operation, and maintenance of U.S. critical infrastructure could better enable targeting efforts in the event of conflict.”

CISA has previously taken action to warn against the purchase and use of DJI aircrafts. In 2019, CISA published an “industry alert” underscoring the federal government’s “strong concerns” with Chinese drones and warning entities to be “cautious” in purchasing them. However, since this alert more information regarding the severity of the threat has come to light, and the senators are asking for a complete analysis of the security risks posed by DJI drones to be conducted and made publicly available.

In addition to Sens. Warner and Blackburn, the letter was signed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Thune (R-SD) Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Todd Young (R-IN), JD Vance (R-OH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Mike Braun (R-IN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

Sen. Warner is a strong supporter of the domestic production of unmanned systems, including driverless cars, drones, and unmanned maritime vehicles. Earlier this year, he introduced the Increasing Competitiveness for American Drones Act, legislation that will clear the way for drones to be used for commercial transport of goods across the country. As Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he has led efforts in Congress to shore up U.S. national and cybersecurity against hostile foreign governments through unmanned air systems. Last month, Sen. Warner introduced legislation to prohibit the federal government from purchasing drones manufactured in countries identified as national security threats, such as the People’s Republic of China.

A copy of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Director Easterly:

We write today regarding the cybersecurity risks posed by the widespread use of drones manufactured by Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (“DJI”) to operators of critical infrastructure and state and local law enforcement in the United States. In short, we believe that given the company’s identified connections to the Chinese Communist Party (“CCP”), the use of its drones in such sensitive contexts may present an unacceptable security vulnerability. We ask that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) evaluate this concern and make the results of its evaluation available to the public through the National Cyber Awareness System.

China’s efforts to modernize the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (“PLA”), including through their “Military-Civil Fusion” strategy – which systematically blurs the lines between PLA and civilian science and technology research and development efforts – are well documented. In October 2022, the Department of Defense identified DJI as a “Chinese military company” operating in the U.S. under Section 1260H of the William M. (“Mac”) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. Identification of this relationship between DJI and the PLA suggests a range of risks to U.S. operators of the technology, including that sensitive information or data could wind up in PLA hands. Indeed, Huawei, another entity identified under Section 1260H, has been credibly accused by the Department of Justice of misappropriating intellectual property and trade secret information from U.S. companies.

Yet, despite these risks, the use of DJI drones remains widespread throughout the U.S. In 2021, it was reported that DJI controlled almost 90% of the consumer market in North America and over 70% of the industrial market. And in 2019, it was reported that 73% of public safety operations are flown by the company’s aircraft. As a result, the CCP may have access to a variety of proprietary information. For example, a 2017 Department of Homeland Security assessment warned that Chinese companies had used grape production information gathered by a DJI drone purchased by a California wine producer to inform their own land purchasing decisions. Even worse, the widespread use of DJI drones to inspect critical infrastructure allows the CCP to develop a richly detailed, regularly updated picture of our nation’s pipelines, railways, power generation facilities, and waterways. This sensitive information on the layout, operation, and maintenance of U.S. critical infrastructure could better enable targeting efforts in the event of conflict.

We appreciate that CISA has addressed this risk in the past, most notably in a 2019 “Industry Alert,” stating the federal government’s “strong concerns” with Chinese drones and warning entities to be “cautious” in purchasing them. However, over the past four years more information regarding the scope of the problem has become available—including the official identification of DJI as a Chinese military company by the Department of Defense.

We therefore ask that CISA revisit its analysis of the security risks posed by the use of DJI-manufactured drones and release the results of that analysis publicly through the National Cyber Awareness System. 

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), joined by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), John Boozman (R-AR), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Roger Wicker (R-MS), reintroduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act - legislation to help curb the trend of hospital closures in rural communities by making sure hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government.

First introduced in 2020 as a response to the record number of rural hospitals that closed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 33 nationwide since 2020, the Save Rural Hospitals Act would amend the flawed Medicare Area Wage Index formula that has disproportionately harmed rural and low-income hospitals. Currently, many hospitals in rural areas lack the resources available to those in more populated areas to offer competitive salaries. Due to those salary differences, rural hospitals receive lower reimbursements from the federal government, which contributes to their lack of resources and perpetuates a harmful staffing crisis.  

The Save Rural Hospitals Act would establish a national minimum of 0.85 for the Medicare Area Wage Index, which is used to adjust a hospital’s overall payment from the Medicare program on the basis of geographic differences in labor costs, to ensure that rural hospitals receive fair payment for the care they provide. In Virginia alone, 16 hospitals across the Commonwealth would benefit from this floor being put in place.

“Rural hospitals across the country and the Commonwealth of Virginia are struggling to recruit and retain quality health care professionals,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation aims to ensure that all hospitals are able to deliver appropriate care by attracting employees and compensating them fairly for their lifesaving work – regardless of where they are located.”

“As I speak with Tennessee leaders and medical professionals, rural health care is a top priority. By establishing an appropriate national minimum to the Medicare hospital area wage index, we can help ensure rural hospitals have the resources to recruit and retain quality health care professionals. I’m pleased to join Senator Warner in this bipartisan effort,” said Sen. Blackburn.

The Save Rural Hospitals Act would offer a permanent fix to Medicare’s unfair Wage Index, which is harming rural and low-income hospitals. Earlier this year, Sens. Warner, Blackburn and a bipartisan group sent a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure requesting a four-year extension of the current Low Wage Index Hospital Policy, which serves as a temporary fix, raising the payments of hospitals in the bottom wage index quartile.

“Rural hospitals must have the capacity to recruit and retain high-quality professionals to serve their communities,” said Beth O’Connor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association. “The Save Rural Hospitals Act by Senators Warner, Kaine, and Blackburn will help ensure the Commonwealth’s rural hospitals can continue to do just that.”

“The unfortunate reality is that the survival of many rural hospitals is financially endangered – nearly 200 have closed across the U.S. since 2005, including two in Virginia. Protecting rural hospitals is vital to the health and well-being of people in less populated communities across the Commonwealth and the United States so they can access essential medical services whenever they need them,” said Sean T. Connaughton, President and CEO of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. “We applaud Senator Warner for sponsoring legislation, the Save Rural Hospitals Act, that recognizes the challenging conditions facing many rural hospitals and offers a common sense approach to appropriately adjust reimbursement rates so hospitals aren’t unfairly penalized under an outdated payment methodology that fails to account for current realities.”

“As hospitals across Tennessee face unprecedented financial and workforce challenges, I applaud Senator Blackburn for her leadership on critical legislation to address the flawed area wage index that has strained Tennessee hospitals for decades. Currently 73 percent of Tennessee hospitals are below the floor the Save Rural Hospitals Act would establish. This legislation will help to level the playing field and ensure patients across Tennessee have access to the care they need.”  Dr. Wendy Long, President and CEO, Tennessee Hospital Association

“In the struggle to provide health care access, rural hospitals are on the front line nationwide for large numbers of our most vulnerable citizens,” said Alan Levine, Executive Chairman and CEO of Ballad Health, an integrated delivery system in the Appalachian Highlands of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. “The Save Our Rural Hospitals Act will fix long-standing problems in Medicare payment policy which has underpaid rural hospitals year after year, leaving many struggling financially or at worst, closing. This bill recognizes that rural hospitals are increasingly having to recruit nationwide for nurses and other staff in short supply, and Medicare’s Area Wage Index adjustments must account for that.”

A copy of the bill text is available here.

### 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, released the following statement:

“After an unprecedented and reckless run on Silicon Valley Bank, there were very real risks of instability spreading to other institutions and undermining our national security and technology innovation ecosystem. The Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Treasury Department have together acted as Congress intended when we wrote Dodd-Frank by acting swiftly and responsibly to protect depositors and make sure that our financial system remains stable, while at the same time making clear that bank shareholders and bondholders shouldn’t expect any kind of bailout by the taxpayers. Their quick action will help companies make payroll and preserve jobs all across the country.”

### 

WASHINGTON – Today, Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, and U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott, Rob Wittman, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, Abigail Spanberger, Jennifer Wexton, Jen Kiggans, and Jennifer McClellan issued the following statement after Virginia leaders presented to the General Services Administration (GSA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) the clear case for Springfield to host the FBI’s new headquarters:

"The selection process for a new FBI headquarters should be a straightforward assessment of five criteria identified by the experts at the FBI and the GSA. In today’s meeting, Virginia made the case that in all five criteria, Springfield, Virginia is the leading site under consideration. With its proximity to FBI Quantico and other key intelligence sites, it’s the optimal location to support the FBI mission. It has more public transportation options than any other site under consideration, as well as superior site development flexibility. Choosing Springfield would also represent a strong commitment to advancing equity in underserved communities. It would give taxpayers the best bang for the buck since it’s already federally-owned and built-ready. Springfield is a home run in every category.”

Last month, Youngkin, Warner, Kaine, Connolly, Beyer, and Spanberger held a press conference alongside local leaders in Springfield to highlight the ways in which it best meets the five selection criteria set forth by the GSA and FBI, which are: support for the FBI mission requirement; transportation access; site development flexibility; promoting sustainable siting and advancing equity; and cost. The press conference followed the submission of a letter by Virginia’s congressional delegation and Governor Youngkin to the GSA and FBI laying out the case for the Springfield site.

For high quality video of Warner and Kaine making the case for Springfield following today’s presentation, click here.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine reintroduced the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act, legislation that would add a total of 5,600 acres to the existing Rough Mountain and Rich Hole wilderness areas within the George Washington National Forest in Bath County, Virginia.

“It’s crucial that we preserve Virginia’s natural treasures, which are essential to the economy and way of life in communities across the Commonwealth,” the Senators said. “We’re thankful for the input, advice, and good-faith work by local officials and conservationists who have come together over the years to create this plan to better preserve land within the George Washington National Forest. We look forward to continuing to work together to include this legislation in this year’s Farm Bill so we can get it across the finish line.”

A wilderness designation is the highest level of protection for public land under federal law. These additions were recommended by the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 and endorsed by members of the George Washington National Forest Stakeholder Collaborative, a group of forest users that started work together over a decade ago to agree on acceptable locations in the George Washington National Forest for wilderness, timber harvest, trails, and other uses.  

The Farm Bill is a multiyear government funding bill for programs pertaining to conservation, crops, and nutrition, among others. Congress is expected to pass a Farm Bill in 2023.

In each of the last three Congresses, the legislation has passed through one chamber, either the Senate or the House of Representatives, but has yet to pass through the both chambers during a single session. In January 2020, as part of the 116^th Congress, the Senate passed Warner and Kaine’s bill, but the legislation was not taken up in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the 117^th Congress, the House passed a version of this bill as part of broader package of environmental bills, but it was not taken up in the Senate.

Full text of the legislation is available here.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 45 Senate colleagues in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), federal legislation to guarantee access to abortion care across the country. The bill’s introduction comes as states continue to pass dangerous anti-choice laws in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned fifty years of precedent and access to abortion care established by Roe v. Wade.

The Women’s Health Protection Act guarantees the right to access an abortion—and the right of an abortion provider to deliver these services—free from medically unnecessary restrictions that interfere with a patient’s individual choice or the provider-patient relationship.

“After nearly fifty years of established protections, women’s reproductive health care is under attack. In states across the country, including Virginia, laws stripping back the right to choose are being introduced and taking effect,” said Sen. Warner. “There has never been a more urgent time to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and ensure that women reclaim the right to make their own decisions about their health care.”

“We need to codify the protections that Roe v. Wade gave to American women more than 50 years ago so that the freedom to make personal decisions about reproductive health isn’t completely dependent on your zip code,” said Sen. Kaine. “The Women’s Health Protection Act would protect that freedom, and I am glad to cosponsor.”

Following the Dobbs decision, Sens. Warner and Kaine have strongly advocated for legislation to protect Americans’ access to reproductive health care. Last year, the senators cosponsored legislation to protect the right of women to travel across state lines for abortion services and help protect medical providers from being punished for providing patients with this care. Sen. Warner has also taken steps to ensure that those seeking abortion care are receiving accurate information, resulting in a policy change from Google to clearly label facilities that provide abortions so that users seeking abortions are not misled by anti-abortion fake clinics or crisis pregnancy centers. In addition, Sen. Kaine has cosponsored legislation to expand access to affordable over-the-counter birth control and legislation to protect access to medication abortions.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and John Thune (R-SD), ranking member of the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, led a group of 12 bipartisan senators to introduce the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act, legislation that will comprehensively address the ongoing threat posed by technology from foreign adversaries by better empowering the Department of Commerce to review, prevent, and mitigate information communications and technology transactions that pose undue risk to our national security.

“Today, the threat that everyone is talking about is TikTok, and how it could enable surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party, or facilitate the spread of malign influence campaigns in the U.S. Before TikTok, however, it was Huawei and ZTE, which threatened our nation’s telecommunications networks. And before that, it was Russia’s Kaspersky Lab, which threatened the security of government and corporate devices,” said Sen. Warner. “We need a comprehensive, risk-based approach that proactively tackles sources of potentially dangerous technology before they gain a foothold in America, so we aren’t playing Whac-A-Mole and scrambling to catch up once they’re already ubiquitous.”

“Congress needs to stop taking a piecemeal approach when it comes to technology from adversarial nations that pose national security risks,” said Sen. Thune. “Our country needs a process in place to address these risks, which is why I’m pleased to work with Senator Warner to establish a holistic, methodical approach to address the threats posed by technology platforms – like TikTok – from foreign adversaries. This bipartisan legislation would take a necessary step to ensure consumers’ information and our communications technology infrastructure is secure.”

The RESTRICT Act establishes a risk-based process, tailored to the rapidly changing technology and threat environment, by directing the Department of Commerce to identify and mitigate foreign threats to information and communications technology products and services.

In addition to Sens. Warner and Thune, the legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Mitt Romney (R-UT).

The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act would:

• Require the Secretary of Commerce to establish procedures to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, and mitigate transactions involving information and communications technology products in which any foreign adversary has any interest and poses undue or unacceptable risk to national security;
• Prioritize evaluation of information communications and technology products used in critical infrastructure, integral to telecommunications products, or pertaining to a range of defined emerging, foundational, and disruptive technologies with serious national security implications;
• Ensure comprehensive actions to address risks of untrusted foreign information communications and technology products by requiring the Secretary to take up consideration of concerning activity identified by other government entities;
• Educate the public and business community about the threat by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate with the Director of National Intelligence to provide declassified information on how transactions denied or otherwise mitigated posed undue or unacceptable risk.

“We need to protect Americans’ data and keep our country safe against today and tomorrow’s threats. While many of these foreign-owned technology products and social media platforms like TikTok are extremely popular, we also know these products can pose a grave danger to Wisconsin’s users and threaten our national security,” said Sen. Baldwin. “This bipartisan legislation will empower us to respond to our fast-changing environment – giving the United States the tools it needs to assess and act on current and future threats that foreign-owned technologies pose to Wisconsinites and our national security.”

“There are a host of dangerous technology platforms – including TikTok – that can be manipulated by China and other foreign adversaries to threaten U.S. national security and abuse Americans’ personal data. I’m proud to join Senator Warner in introducing bipartisan legislation that would put an end to disjointed interagency responses and strengthen the federal government’s ability to counter these digital threats,” said Sen. Fischer.

“Over the past several years, foreign adversaries of the United States have encroached on American markets through technology products that steal sensitive location and identifying information of U.S. citizens, including social media platforms like TikTok. This dangerous new internet infrastructure poses serious risks to our nation’s economic and national security,” said Sen. Manchin. “I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan RESTRICT ACT, which will empower the Department of Commerce to adopt a comprehensive approach to evaluating and mitigating these threats posed by technology products. As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this critical legislation across the finish line.”

“Foreign adversaries are increasingly using products and services to collect information on American citizens, posing a threat to our national security,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation would give the Department of Commerce the authority to help prevent adversarial governments from introducing harmful products and services in the U.S., providing us the long-term tools necessary to combat the infiltration of our information and communications systems. The government needs to be vigilant against these threats, but a comprehensive data privacy law is needed to ensure Americans are able to control who accesses their data and for what purpose.”

“We shouldn’t let any company subject to the Chinese Communist Party’s dictates collect data on a third of our population – and while TikTok is just the latest example, it won’t be the last. The federal government can’t continue to address new foreign technology from adversarial nations in a one-off manner; we need a strategic, enduring mechanism to protect Americans and our national security. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way with my colleagues on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee to send this bill to the floor,” said Sen. Bennet.

“Our modern economy, communication networks, and military rely on a range of information communication technologies. Unfortunately, some of these technology products pose a serious risk to our national security,” said Sen. Gillibrand. “The RESTRICT Act will address this risk by empowering the Secretary of Commerce to carefully evaluate these products and ensure that they do not endanger our critical infrastructure or undermine our democratic processes.”

“China’s brazen incursion of our airspace with a sophisticated spy balloon was only the most recent and highly visible example of its aggressive surveillance that has targeted our country for years.  Through hardware exports, malicious software, and other clandestine means, China has sought to steal information in an attempt to gain a military and economic edge,” said Sen. Collins. “Rather than taking a piecemeal approach to these hostile acts and reacting to each threat individually, our legislation would create a wholistic, government-wide response to proactively defend against surveillance attempts by China and other adversaries.  This will directly improve our national security as well as safeguard Americans’ personal information and our nation’s vital intellectual property.”

"Cybersecurity is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation. The future of conflict is moving further away from the battlefield and closer to the devices and the networks everyone increasingly depends on. We need a systemic approach to addressing potential threats posed by technology from foreign adversaries. This bill provides that approach by authorizing the Administration to review and restrict apps and services that pose a risk to Americans’ data security. I will continue to push for technology defenses that the American people want and deserve to keep our country both safe and free,” said Sen. Heinrich.

“The Chinese Communist Party is engaged in a multi-generational, multi-faceted, and systematic campaign to replace the United States as the world’s superpower. One tool at its disposal—the ability to force social media companies headquartered in China, like TikTok’s parent company, to hand over the data it collects on users,” said Sen. Romney. “Our adversaries—countries like China, Russia, Iran—are increasingly using technology products to spy on Americans and discover vulnerabilities in our communications infrastructure, which can then be exploited. The United States must take stronger action to safeguard our national security against the threat technology products pose and this legislation is a strong step in that direction.”

A two-page summary of the bill is available here. A copy of the bill text is available here.

###