Press Releases

WARNER & KAINE ANNOUNCE $94.8 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR HOUSING & INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ACROSS VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $94,819,202 in federal funding to help Virginia communities with housing and infrastructure projects. The funding, which will go to more than 30 locations across Virginia, will be awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), HOME, and Housing Trust Fund (HTF) programs.

“We are pleased to announce funding that will help provide many Virginia families with the safe and affordable housing they need,” the Senators said. “These grants will help strengthen the well-being of communities throughout our Commonwealth.”

President Trump’s FY 2019 budget proposes eliminating the Community Development Block Grant, HOME, and Housing Trust Fund programs. The budget also proposes cutting ESG by 5.6% and cutting HOPWA by 12%. Warner and Kaine have opposed President Trump’s budget cuts to Virginia priorities and will continue fighting for this important HUD funding in Congress.

The $94,819,202 in funding will be awarded through HUD grants as follows:

Recipient	CDBG18	HOME18	ESG18	HOPWA18	HTF18	Total
Alexandria	$941,853	$536,873	$0	$0	$0	$1,478,726
Blacksburg	$482,932	$672,718	$0	$0	$0	$1,155,650
Bristol	$254,487	$0	$0	$0	$0	$254,487
Charlottesville	$408,417	$624,013	$0	$0	$0	$1,032,430
Chesapeake	$1,182,627	$550,827	$0	$0	$0	$1,733,454
Christiansburg	$111,703	$0	$0	$0	$0	$111,703
Colonial Heights	$94,495	$0	$0	$0	$0	$94,495
Danville	$865,416	$270,868	$0	$0	$0	$1,136,284
Fredericksburg	$186,790	$0	$0	$0	$0	$186,790
Hampton	$1,156,814	$557,513	$0	$0	$0	$1,714,327
Harrisonburg	$559,588	$0	$0	$0	$0	$559,588
Hopewell	$177,848	$0	$0	$0	$0	$177,848
Lynchburg	$733,913	$438,772	$0	$0	$0	$1,172,685
Newport News	$1,257,434	$786,711	$0	$0	$0	$2,044,145
Norfolk	$4,323,842	$1,278,608	$351,181	$0	$0	$5,953,631
Petersburg	$624,601	$0	$0	$0	$0	$624,601
Portsmouth	$1,557,075	$452,783	$0	$0	$0	$2,009,858
Radford	$165,992	$0	$0	$0	$0	$165,992
Richmond	$4,442,476	$1,500,301	$366,794	$1,050,009	$0	$7,359,580
Roanoke	$1,732,287	$606,064	$139,611	$0	$0	$2,477,962
Suffolk	$466,234	$377,689	$0	$0	$0	$843,923
Virginia Beach	$2,000,832	$1,122,655	$164,230	$1,524,127	$0	$4,811,844
Waynesboro	$193,586	$0	$0	$0	$0	$193,586
Winchester	$231,081	$615,483	$0	$0	$0	$846,564
Arlington County	$1,363,320	$762,215	$0	$0	$0	$2,125,535
Chesterfield County	$1,390,089	$558,425	$0	$0	$0	$1,948,514
Fairfax County	$5,574,509	$2,103,044	$447,834	$0	$0	$8,125,387
Henrico County	$1,692,829	$897,341	$138,560	$0	$0	$2,728,730
Loudoun County	$1,334,299	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,334,299
Prince William County	$2,504,696	$919,946	$201,653	$0	$0	$3,626,295
Funds for Virginia to administer to lower population areas	$18,289,253	$10,094,628	$2,771,457	$962,389	$4,672,562	$36,790,289
Total	$56,301,318	$25,727,477	$4,581,320	$3,536,525	$4,672,562	$94,819,202

Additional details on each program from HUD:

The Community Development Block (CDBG) Grants program provides annual grants to states and local units of government to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

The HOME program helps to expand the supply of decent, affordable housing to low- and very low-income families by providing grants to states and local governments to fund housing programs that meet local needs and priorities.

The Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program provides funding to engage homeless individuals and families living on the street; improve the number, quality, and operations of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families; provide essential services to shelter residents, rapidly re-house homeless individuals, and families, and prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless.

The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program provides housing assistance and related supportive services to local units of government, states and non-profit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons medically diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and their families.

The Housing Trust Fund (HTF) is a new affordable housing production program that will complement existing Federal, State and local efforts to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households, including homeless families.

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WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) selection of Virginia to participate in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP).

“I have been happy to work closely with Virginia Tech and the MAAP for several years now in promoting the safe use and development of drones in Virginia, which has included the first package delivery by drone in the country. Today’s award is recognition that this team has assembled some of the strongest expertise in the nation, and has put forward a proposal that will prove critical to shared efforts to safely integrate drones into our communities and airspace,” said Sen. Warner. “To reap the full benefits of all this technology has to offer, we need to be leaders - not laggards - in safely integrating it into our daily lives. Today’s announcement is an important step in again putting the U.S. in the lead, and our work in getting Virginia selected means that Virginia will be at the forefront of this revolution.”

DOT’s UAS Integration Pilot Program is an opportunity for state, local, and tribal governments to partner with private sector entities, such as UAS operators or manufacturers, to accelerate safe UAS integration. Virginia’s application was a coordinated effort spearheaded by Virginia’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (IEIA) with cooperation from the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP).

Sen. Warner has been a strong supporter of research and investment in unmanned systems, including driverless cars, drones, and unmanned submersibles.He has introduced bipartisan legislation designed to advance the development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and build on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) efforts to safely integrate them into the National Airspace System. Virginia is home to one of six FAA-approved sites across the country where researchers are testing the safest and most effective ways to incorporate UAS into the existing airspace. In 2016, the UAS test site’s partnership with Google’s parent company Alphabet X’s Project Wing tested its first burrito drone delivery.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran deal:

“The President’s refusal to waive certain sanctions on Iran sets in motion the dismantling of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which has successfully prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons. While the JCPOA was far from perfect, by signing the agreement, Iran gave up 98 percent of its uranium stockpile, dismantled 2/3 of its centrifuges, rendered its heavy water nuclear reactor unusable, and agreed to unprecedented inspections that provide critical insight into, and early warning about, any attempts by Iran to accelerate its nuclear program. Trump Administration leaders, all parties to the agreement, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is charged with its verification, have agreed that Iran has complied with its terms.

“Simply withdrawing the United States from the JCPOA will not benefit the American people and U.S. national security: it will only succeed in driving a wedge between us and our allies, whose help we need to enforce any future sanctions regime against Iran, and will effectively green light Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Withdrawing from this agreement makes the United States, and the world, less secure.”

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WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined a group of 11 Senate Committee ranking members on a letter calling on President Trump to not unilaterally abandon the Iran nuclear agreement.

“We have supported broad, comprehensive sanctions to target Iran’s support for terror groups, its ballistic missile program, and its human rights violations, and continue to support strong measures to counter these destabilizing and troubling actions by Iran,” the senators wrote. “All of us strongly believe that unilaterally withdrawing from the agreement at this time would be a major strategic mistake.”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

May 7, 2018

Dear President Trump:

We write today to strongly urge you not to unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) absent an unambiguous Iranian violation of its terms.

As you know well, the JCPOA states that “under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons” and imposes strict, verifiable limitations on Iran’s nuclear activities to ensure compliance with that commitment. Those limitations, vetted by the nuclear scientists at our national security labs, include International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring and verification of activities at all of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear sites, including the Fordow and Natanz enrichment facilities, uranium mines and mills, centrifuge production and storage locations, and heavy water production and storage sites.

According to the IAEA, the U.S. intelligence community, and our closest partners and allies, Iran continues to uphold these commitments. As long as Iran continues to abide by these restrictions, we strongly urge you uphold U.S. obligations as well. Failing to do so would not only profoundly undercut our relationship with key partners and allies, but would severely damage global nonproliferation efforts.

If the United States unilaterally withdraws from the JCPOA, Iran could either remain in the agreement and seek to isolate the United States from our closest partners, or resume its nuclear activities. Either scenario would be detrimental to our national security interests.

If Iran continues to abide by the agreement following a unilateral U.S. withdrawal, the only effective way the United States could regenerate sufficient economic leverage over Tehran would be to sanction the very same nations that helped us negotiate the JCPOA in the first place, namely persons and businesses from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Taiwan, and India, among others. Under that scenario, it is impossible to imagine the U.S. could rebuild the previous international sanctions coalition that was so effective in getting Iran to the negotiating table.

On the other hand, if Iran chooses to resume its unconstrained nuclear activities in the wake of a unilateral U.S. withdrawal, the United States could face a second nuclear crisis at the same time that your administration is seeking a peaceful resolution with North Korea. U.S. credibility in those denuclearization discussions would be severely undermined if North Korea concludes that U.S. leaders are willing to unilaterally abrogate such nuclear agreements without cause.

We have supported broad, comprehensive sanctions to target Iran’s support for terror groups, its ballistic missile program, and its human rights violations, and continue to support strong measures to counter these destabilizing and troubling actions by Iran. All of us strongly believe that unilaterally withdrawing from the agreement at this time would be a major strategic mistake.

Instead of effectively withdrawing from the JCPOA by refusing to utilize critical waivers of U.S. sanctions against Iran and its purchasers of oil by May 12th, we urge you to work with our partners and allies to address Iran’s other malign activities while preserving and building upon with our allies the strict nuclear limitations of the JCPOA.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Warner

Vice Chairman, Select Committee on Intelligence

Dianne Feinstein

Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary

Jack Reed

Ranking Member, Committee on the Armed Services

Sherrod Brown

Ranking Member, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Patrick Leahy

Vice Chairman, Committee on Appropriations

Richard J. Durbin

Ranking Member, Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense

Patty Murray

Ranking Member, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Bernard Sanders

Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget

Thomas R. Carper

Ranking Member, Committee on the Environment and Public Works

Tom Udall

Vice Chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs

Amy Klobuchar

Ranking Member, Committee on the Rules and Administration

Maria Cantwell

Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and James Lankford (R-OK), members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the Committee’s unclassified summary of the first installment of the Committee’s Russia Report, including updated recommendations on election security and findings regarding Russian targeting of election infrastructure. In parallel, the Committee has prepared a comprehensive, classified report on threats to election infrastructure. The classified report will be submitted for declassification review, and the Committee anticipates releasing it to the public when that process is completed.

“Elections at all levels are central to our democracy, to our institutions, and to our government's legitimacy, and I remain concerned that we as a country are still not fully prepared for the 2018 midterm elections. That’s one reason why we, as a Committee, have decided that it is important to get out as much information as possible about the threat, so that governments at every level take it seriously and take the necessary steps to defend ourselves,” said Senator Mark Warner. “I am proud of the bipartisan work our Committee members have done on this issue, and I look forward to continuing in a bipartisan way to investigate what happened in 2016, and prevent future interference in our elections.”

“I’m pleased to be able to release this summary of our findings and recommendations on election security to the American public,” said Senator Richard Burr. “Today’s primaries are the next step toward the 2018 midterms and another reminder of the urgency of securing our election systems. Our investigation has been a bipartisan effort from day one, and I look forward to completing the Committee’s work and releasing as much of it as possible. We are working tirelessly to give Americans a complete accounting of what happened in 2016 and to prevent any future interference with our democratic process.”

“While our investigation remains ongoing, one conclusion is clear: the Russians were relentless in attempting to meddle in the 2016 election, and they will continue their efforts,” said Senator Susan Collins. “The findings and recommendations we are releasing today are a major step forward in our effort to thwart any attempt to meddle in our elections. With the 2018 election fast approaching, the need to act now is urgent. We must provide states the assistance they need to strengthen the security of their voting systems.”

“Our democracy hinges on Americans' ability to fairly choose our own leaders. With primary elections underway, and as we approach the midterm elections and the next presidential election cycle, we need to act quickly to protect the integrity of our voting process,” said Senator Martin Heinrich. “I am proud of how our whole Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Burr and Vice Chairman Warner, has taken on the task of getting to the bottom of Russia's interference in our election. Until we set up stronger protections of our election systems and take the necessary steps to prevent future foreign intervention, our nation's democratic institutions will remain vulnerable to attack.”

“During the 2016 election, Russian entities targeted presidential campaign accounts, launched cyber-attacks against at least 21 state election systems, and hacked a US voting systems software company,” said Senator James Lankford. “We must proactively work to ensure the security of our election infrastructure for the possibility of interference from not just Russia, but possibly another adversary like Iran or North Korea or a hacktivist group. After 18 months of investigations and interviews, this bipartisan report underscores the importance of efforts to protect our democracy from foreign attacks on our elections.”

The Committee’s unclassified summary of this chapter of the Russia Report – Election Security Findings and Recommendations are embedded below:

Russian Targeting of Election Infrastructure During the 2016 Election:

Summary of Initial Findings and Recommendations

May 8, 2018

Overview

In 2016, cyber actors affiliated with the Russian Government conducted an unprecedented, coordinated cyber campaign against state election infrastructure. Russian actors scanned databases for vulnerabilities, attempted intrusions, and in a small number of cases successfully penetrated a voter registration database. This activity was part of a larger campaign to prepare to undermine confidence in the voting process. The Committee has not seen any evidence that vote tallies were manipulated or that voter registration information was deleted or modified.

· The Committee has limited information about whether, and to what extent, state and local officials carried out forensic or other examination of election infrastructure systems in order to confirm whether election-related systems were compromised. It is possible that additional activity occurred and has not yet been uncovered.

Summary of Initial Findings

· Cyber actors affiliated with the Russian government scanned state systems extensively throughout the 2016 election cycle. These cyber actors made attempts to access numerous state election systems, and in a small number of cases accessed voter registration databases.

o At least 18 states had election systems targeted by Russian-affiliated cyber actors in some fashion.[1] Elements of the IC have varying levels of confidence about three additional states, for a possible total of at least 21. In addition, other states saw suspicious or malicious behavior the IC has been unable to attribute to Russia.

o Almost all of the states that were targeted observed vulnerability scanning directed at their Secretary of State websites or voter registration infrastructure. Other scans were broader or less specific in their target.

o In at least six states, the Russian-affiliated cyber actors went beyond scanning and conducted malicious access attempts on voting-related websites.[2]

o In a small number of states, Russian-affiliated cyber actors were able to gain access to restricted elements of election infrastructure. In a small number of states, these cyber actors were in a position to, at a minimum, alter or delete voter registration data; however, they did not appear to be in a position to manipulate individual votes or aggregate vote totals.

· The Committee found that in addition to the cyber activity directed at state election infrastructure, Russia undertook a wide variety of intelligence-related activities targeting the U.S. voting process. These activities began at least as early as 2014, continued through Election Day 2016, and included traditional information gathering efforts as well as operations likely aimed at preparing to discredit the integrity of the U.S. voting process and election results.

· The Committee’s assessments, as well as the assessments of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are based on self-reporting by the states. DHS has been clear in its representations to the Committee that the Department did not have perfect insight into these cyber activities. It is possible that more states were attacked, but the activity was not detected. In light of the technical challenges associated with cyber forensic analysis, it is also possible that states may have overlooked some indicators of compromise.

· The Committee saw no evidence that votes were changed and found that, on balance, the diversity of our voting infrastructure is a strength. Because of the variety of systems and equipment, changing votes on a large scale would require an extensive, complex, and state or country-level campaign. However, the Committee notes that a small number of districts in key states can have a significant impact in a national election.

[1] These numbers only account for state or local government targets. DHS did not include states which may have witnessed attacks on political parties, political organizations, or NGOs. In addition, the numbers do not include any potential attacks on third-party vendors.

2 In the majority of these instances, Russian government-affiliated cyber actors used Structure Query Language (SQL) injection - a well-known technique for cyberattacks on public-facing websites.

Actors and Motive

· The Committee concurs with the IC that Russian government-affiliated actors were behind the cyber activity directed against state election infrastructure.

· While the full scope of Russian activity against the states remains unclear because of collection gaps, the Committee found ample evidence to conclude that the Russian government was developing capabilities to undermine confidence in our election infrastructure, including voter processes.

· The Committee does not know whether the Russian government-affiliated actors intended to exploit vulnerabilities during the 2016 elections and decided against taking action, or whether they were merely gathering information and testing capabilities for a future attack. Regardless, the Committee believes the activity indicates an intent to go beyond traditional intelligence collection.

DHS Efforts to Bolster Election Security

· The Committee found that DHS’s initial response was inadequate to counter the threat. In the summer of 2016, as the threat to the election infrastructure emerged, DHS attempted outreach to the states, seeking to highlight the threat for information technology (IT) directors without divulging classified information. By the fall of 2016, as the threat became clearer, DHS attempted a more extensive outreach to the states with limited success.

o At the outset, DHS was not well-positioned to provide effective support to states confronting a hostile nation-state cyber actor.

o In addition, members of the Obama administration were concerned that, by raising the alarm, they would create the very impression they were trying to avoid––calling into question the integrity of election systems.

· DHS and FBI alerts to the states in the summer and fall of 2016 were limited in substance and distribution. Although DHS provided warning to IT staff in the fall of 2016, notifications to state elections officials were delayed by nearly a year. Therefore, states understood that there was a cyber threat, but did not appreciate the scope, seriousness, or implications of the particular threat they were facing.

o Many state election officials reported hearing for the first time about the Russian attempts to scan and penetrate state systems from the press or from the public Committee hearing on June 21, 2017. DHS’s notifications in the summer of 2016 and the public statement by DHS and the ODNI in October 2016 were not sufficient warning.

o It was not until September of 2017, and only under significant pressure from this Committee and others, that DHS reached out directly to chief election officials in the targeted states to alert the appropriate election officials about the scanning activity and other attacks and the actor behind them. (However, the Committee notes that in the small number of cases where election-related systems had been compromised, the federal government was in contact with senior election officials at the time the intrusion was discovered.)

· The Committee found that DHS is engaging state election officials more effectively now than in the summer of 2016. Although early interactions between state election officials and DHS were strained, states now largely give DHS credit for making tremendous progress over the last six months.

o States have signed up for many of the resources that DHS has to offer, and DHS has hosted meetings of the Government Coordinating Council and Sector Coordinating Council, as required under the critical infrastructure designation. Those interactions have begun to increase trust and communication between federal and state entities.

o DHS hosted a classified briefing for state chief election officials and is working through providing security clearances for those officials.

o An Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center has been established, focused on sharing network defense information with state and local election officials.

Ongoing Vulnerabilities

Despite the progress on communication and improvements to the security of our election process, the Committee remains concerned about a number of potential vulnerabilities in election infrastructure.

· Voting systems across the United States are outdated, and many do not have a paper record of votes as a backup counting system that can be reliably audited, should there be allegations of machine manipulation. In addition, the number of vendors selling machines is shrinking, raising concerns about supply chain vulnerability.

o Paperless Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines––machines with electronic interfaces that electronically store votes (as opposed to paper ballots or optical scanners)––are used in jurisdictions in 30 states and are at highest risk for security flaws. Five states use DREs exclusively.

· Many aspects of election infrastructure systems are connected to and can be accessed over the internet. Furthermore, systems that are not connected to the internet, such as voting machines, may still be updated via software downloaded from the internet.

o These potentially vulnerable systems include some of the core components of U.S. election infrastructure, including systems affiliated with voter registration databases, electronic poll books, vote casting, vote tallying, and unofficial election night reporting to the general public and the media. Risk-limiting audits are a best practice to mitigate risk.

· Vendors of election software and equipment play a critical role in the U.S. election system, and the Committee continues to be concerned that vendors represent an enticing target for malicious cyber actors. State local, territorial, tribal, and federal government authorities have very little insight into the cyber security practices of many of these vendors, and while the Election Assistance Commission issues guidelines for security, abiding by those guidelines is currently voluntary.

Summary of SSCI Recommendations

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has examined evidence of Russian attempts to target election infrastructure during the 2016 U.S. elections. The Committee has reviewed the steps state and local election officials have taken to ensure the integrity of our elections and agrees that U.S. election infrastructure is fundamentally resilient. The Department of Homeland Security, the Election Assistance Commission, state and local governments, and other groups have already taken beneficial steps toward addressing the vulnerabilities exposed during the 2016 election cycle, including some of the measures listed below, but more needs to be done. The Committee recommends the following steps to better defend against a hostile nation-state who may seek to undermine our democracy:

1. Reinforce States’ Primacy in Running Elections

· States should remain firmly in the lead on running elections, and the Federal government should ensure they receive the necessary resources and information.

2. Build a Stronger Defense, Part I: Create Effective Deterrence

· The U.S. Government should clearly communicate to adversaries that an attack on our election infrastructure is a hostile act, and we will respond accordingly.

· The Federal government, in particular the State Department and Defense Department, should engage allies and partners to establish new international cyber norms.

3. Build a Stronger Defense, Part II: Improve Information Sharing on Threats

· The Intelligence Community should put a high priority on attributing cyberattacks both quickly and accurately. Similarly, policymakers should make plans to operate prior to attribution.

· DHS must create clear channels of communication between the Federal government and appropriate officials at the state and local levels. We recommend that state and local governments reciprocate that communication.

· Election experts, security officials, cybersecurity experts, and the media should develop a common set of precise and well-defined election security terms to improve communication.

· DHS should expedite security clearances for appropriate state and local officials.

· The Intelligence Community should work to declassify information quickly, whenever possible, to provide warning to appropriate state and local officials.

4. Build a Stronger Defense, Part III: Secure Election-Related Systems

· Cybersecurity should be a high priority for those managing election systems.

· The Committee recommends State and Local officials prioritize the following:

o Institute two-factor authentication for state databases.

o Install monitoring sensors on state systems. One option is to further expand DHS’s ALBERT network.

o Identify the weak points in the network, including any under-resourced localities, and prioritize assistance towards those entities.

o Update software in voter registration systems. Create backups, including paper copies, of state voter registration databases. Include voter registration database recovery in state continuity of operations plans.

o Consider a voter education program to ensure voters check registration well prior to an election.

o Undertake intensive security audits of state and local voter registration systems, ideally utilizing an outside entity.

o Perform risk assessments for any current or potential third-party vendors to ensure they are meeting the necessary cyber security standards in protecting their election systems.

· The Committee recommends DHS take the following steps:

o Working closely with election experts, develop a risk management framework that can be used in engagements with state and local election infrastructure owners to document and mitigate risks to all components of the electoral process.

o Create voluntary guidelines on cybersecurity best practices and a public awareness campaign to promote election security awareness, working through the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED).

o Maintain and more aggressively promote the catalog of services DHS has available for states to help secure their systems, and update the catalog as DHS refines their understanding of what states need.

o Expand capacity to reduce wait times for DHS cybersecurity services.

o Work with GSA to establish a list of credible private sector vendors who can provide services similar to those provided by DHS.

5. Build a Stronger Defense, Part IV: Take Steps to Secure the Vote Itself

· States should rapidly replace outdated and vulnerable voting systems. At a minimum, any machine purchased going forward should have a voter-verified paper trail and no WiFi capability. If use of paper ballots becomes more widespread, election officials should re-examine current practices for securing the chain of custody of all paper ballots and verify no opportunities exist for the introduction of fraudulent votes.

· States should consider implementing more widespread, statistically sound audits of election results. Risk-limiting audits, in particular, can be a cost-effective way to ensure that votes cast are votes counted.

· DHS should work with vendors to educate them about the potential vulnerabilities of both voting machines and the supply chains.

6. Assistance for the States

· States should use federal grant funds to improve cybersecurity by hiring additional Information Technology staff, updating software, and contracting vendors to provide cybersecurity services, among other steps. Funds should also be available to defray the costs of instituting audits.

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[2] In the majority of these instances, Russian government-affiliated cyber actors used Structure Query Language (SQL) injection - a well-known technique for cyberattacks on public-facing websites.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement on the passing of Dr. Charles W. Steger Jr., President Emeritus of Virginia Tech:

“I’ve known Charles Steger for more than thirty years, and in that time, I always knew him not only as an advocate for Virginia Tech, but for educational opportunity for all Virginians, at every level. I was proud to call him my friend, and I have incredibly fond memories of our fight together to get Tech into the ACC. I know that Dr. Steger will be missed by the whole Tech family.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement after insurers filed initial rates that would lead to major premium increases for Virginians in 2019:

“These proposed price increases are a painful consequence of the Trump Administration’s efforts to sabotage the health insurance market and dismantle the Affordable Care Act. After a series of unsuccessful attempts to repeal the ACA, President Trump and Republicans in Congress settled for taking actions that will increase premium costs for American families, something even Trump’s former HHS Secretary admitted this week. Now, their irresponsible games are hurting Virginians by making it harder for families to afford health care. We hope our colleagues will take this seriously and pass bipartisan legislation to stabilize the market and make sure Virginians have affordable options for health insurance in 2019.”

Over 400,000 Virginians rely on the individual marketplace for health insurance coverage.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today issued a statement responding to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke's trip to Virginia, where he is expected to visit the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park and Booker T. Washington National Monument

“More than a year ago, I introduced bipartisan legislation to set aside money to finally fix the $12 billion maintenance backlog at our national parks. While I share Secretary Zinke’s sense of urgency about this issue, the proposal the Administration is supporting — which is actually based on my own bill — is no solution at all," Sen. Warner said. "Instead of setting aside dedicated funding for our national parks, the only way the National Park Service would see any money from this proposal is through a huge expansion of drilling, or a massive increase in the price of oil. If the Administration wants to get serious about addressing our national parks backlog — and I hope they will — they should get behind my bipartisan proposal, which has the support of the National Park Conservation Association and the Pew Charitable Trusts.”?

A year ago this month, Sen. Warner visited the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park to highlight his bipartisan legislation with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to eliminate the maintenance backlog, the National Park Service Legacy Act. The bill would help eradicate the maintenance backlog at the Park Service by directing existing revenues from mineral royalties toward deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service.

In March of this year, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced its own proposal, which bears substantial similarities to the Warner-Portman bill.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are now accepting applications for the position of U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia to succeed U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, who has announced he will take senior status on June 1, 2018. An independent panel of lawyers assembled by the Senators will review applications and interview qualified individuals. The Senators will then use those recommendations, as well as input from bar associations and experts, as they consider potential nominees to recommend to President Trump. The White House will then nominate an individual to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nomination is subject to confirmation by the full Senate.

Interested applicants should visit Senator Warner’s website for application instructions. The application period will close May 18, 2018.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement on the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be the next Secretary of State:

“I have had a productive working relationship with Mike Pompeo, and I believe that he has been an effective Director of the CIA. But I expect America’s top diplomat to be a forceful advocate for American values around the world – values like freedom, diversity, equality, and tolerance – and I was disappointed that Director Pompeo did not take the opportunity offered during the confirmation process to repudiate some of the extreme views he expressed during his time in Congress. While I will oppose his nomination, it is my fervent hope that as Secretary of State, Mr. Pompeo will stand up in defense of those values that have long made our country a beacon of hope and freedom for people all around the world. If he does, he can count on my assistance and support.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has led a bipartisan letter with his colleagues to the Senate Agriculture Committee urging the inclusion of his legislation, the Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act, in this year’s Farm Bill. This bill would dramatically increase the amount of funds available to Bay-area farmers to aid in conservation and anti-pollution efforts.

The Senators write, “As the Senate Agriculture Committee considers the upcoming Farm Bill, we urge you to consider inclusion of the Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act. The bill makes a number of changes to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through additional funding, enhancing critical conservation areas, and boosting technological assistance.”

They note that “the bill has broad, bipartisan support from the Governors of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Mayor of Washington, D.C.” in addition to “over 70 different organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Choose Clean Water Coalition.”

The Senators close the letter stating, “We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that our regional Bay economy continues to thrive and that all Americans can enjoy this treasure for generations to come.”

Senator Van Hollen was joined in sending the letter by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

Senator Van Hollen introduced the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017 in November 2017. This legislation increases mandatory funding available to the Bay, strengthens the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCCP), and provides more opportunities for effective conservation efforts. It builds on the historic funding that Senator Van Hollen obtained in the 2008 Farm Bill to help farmers and protect the Bay.

The text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow:

As the Senate Agriculture Committee considers the upcoming Farm Bill, we urge you to consider inclusion of the Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act.

The bill makes a number of changes to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through additional funding, enhancing critical conservation areas, and boosting technical assistance. These provisions are necessary to ensure that CCA partnerships are consistent with national, regional and state priorities and generate outcomes that address critical resource concerns, such as the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. They will also address issues experienced by stakeholders in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The bill has broad, bipartisan support from the Governors of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Mayor of Washington D.C. Furthermore, over 70 different organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Choose Clean Water Coalition support the bill. Identical legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this important request. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that our regional Bay economy continues to thrive and that all Americans can enjoy this treasure for generations to come.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced $61 million in funding for the construction of two 120-bed veterans homes in Virginia, $30 million for a state veterans home in Virginia Beach and $31 million for a state veterans home in Vint Hill. This funding, which is part of a $685 million package for state veterans homes across the country, can be used for repairs, renovation, or new construction. Warner and Kaine helped to secure these dollars as part of the government funding bill that passed last month.

“Virginia’s veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to fight for our nation. Now, we need to fight for them and help ensure they have the resources they need to lead successful lives after they complete their service,” the Senators said. “We are proud to have helped secure funding to improve veterans’ long-term care needs in Virginia, and we will continue to do all we can in the Senate to support veterans.”

Warner and Kaine both have long records of advocating for the nation’s veterans through the appropriations process and legislation they have championed to improve veterans’ job training and access to health care.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined 23 Senators today in sending a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan urging them to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduran Nationals, which is set to expire on July 5, 2018.

“Ending TPS for Hondurans would force more than 86,031 individuals to go back to a country with severe security challenges. We are also concerned that the Honduran government lacks the capacity to facilitate their return, which would make it difficult to ensure their protection,” wrote the Senators. “More importantly, we are extremely concerned about the more than 53,500 U.S. born children who would have to accompany their TPS beneficiary parents and who would be vulnerable to recruitment by gangs in Honduras.”

The Senators noted that in recent years, the United States has increased cooperation with Central American governments, including the Honduran government, in order to address the underlying factors driving migration in the region. Through foreign assistance and diplomatic engagement, the United States has made significant investments to support security, economic development and stability in Central America. The Senators conclude by saying that a decision by the Trump Administration to end TPS designation for Honduras would “threaten the very stability we seek to achieve in Central America and would undermine our foreign policy objectives there.”

Warner and Kaine have been leading voices in Congress on the importance of protecting TPS recipients who are living in the U.S. after being displaced by dangerous conditions in their home countries. Virginia is home to thousands of TPS recipients.

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

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen The Honorable John Sullivan

Secretary of Homeland Security Acting Secretary of State

U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of State

3801 Nebraska Avenue NW 2201 C St. NW

Washington, DC 20016 Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Nielsen and Acting Secretary Sullivan:

We write to urge you to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Honduras, which is set to expire on July 5, 2018. Since its inception, TPS has permitted the United States to offer humanitarian protection to foreign nationals who are unable to return to the dire conditions in their homeland.

In considering the extension of TPS designation for Honduras, we encourage you to consider the unique conditions in the country, which provide a clear basis for TPS extension in accordance with the law. Although TPS was initially made available for Hondurans after Hurricane Mitch ravaged the country in 1998, successive Republican and Democratic administrations have considered its lasting effects as well as subsequent security challenges.

In 2016, the people of Honduras were victims of 5,150 murders, a rate of approximately 59 murders per 100,000 people – one of the highest in the world.^[1]In addition, Honduras has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world,^[2] and according to the Center for Women’s Rights, a woman was murdered every 14 hours in 2012.^[3] Hondurans face threats from street gangs, which are widespread and prey on small businesses and families through extortion. Endemic corruption and weak rule of law fuel impunity and exacerbate the security challenges. Beyond the epidemic levels of violence, more than two thirds of the Honduran population live in poverty and, in rural areas, 20 percent of Hondurans live on less than $2 a day.^[4]

Ending TPS for Hondurans would force more than 86,031 individuals to go back to a country with severe security challenges. We are also concerned that the Honduran government lacks the capacity to facilitate their return, which would make it difficult to ensure their protection. More importantly, we are extremely concerned about the more than 53,500^[5] U.S. born children who would have to accompany their TPS beneficiary parents and who would be vulnerable to recruitment by gangs in Honduras.

In recent years, the United States has increased cooperation with Central American governments, including the Honduran government, in order to address the underlying factors driving migration in the region. Through foreign assistance and diplomatic engagement, the United States has made significant investments to support security, economic development and stability in Central America. A decision to end TPS designation for Honduras would threaten the very stability we seek to achieve in Central America and would undermine our foreign policy objectives there.

In closing, we urge you to consider the critical conditions in Honduras and the destabilizing effects that terminating this TPS designation would entail. Thank you for your consideration of this important issue. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

WARNER, KAINE Y COLEGAS URGEN A LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DE PROLONGAR EL PROGRAMA DE TPS PARA HONDUREÑOS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hoy, los senadores Mark Warner y Tim Kaine (ambos demócratas de Virginia), junto con 23 senadores, enviaron una carta a la Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) Kirstjen Nielsen y el Secretario interino del Departamento de Estado, John Sullivan, pidiéndoles que prolonguen la designación de Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para ciudadanos hondureños, el cual expira el 5 de julio de 2018.

“Eliminar TPS para hondureños forzará a más de 86,031 personas a regresar a un país con graves deficiencias en seguridad. También nos preocupa que el gobierno hondureño no tiene suficiente capacidad para facilitar su regreso, el cual podría ser difícil de garantizar su seguridad y protección,” escribieron los senadores. “Estamos extremamente preocupados por los más de 53,500 niños estadounidenses quienes tendrían que acompañar a sus padres los cuales son beneficiarios de TPS y que serían vulnerables de ser reclutados por pandillas en Honduras.”

Los senadores notaron que, en los últimos años, los Estados Unidos han aumentado cooperación con los gobiernos centroamericanos, incluyendo el gobierno de Honduras, para resolver los factores fundamentales que ha aumentado inmigración en la región. A través de asistencia extranjera y la política exterior ofrecida por los Estados Unidos, nuestro país ha podido hacer inversiones significativas para apoyar la seguridad, desarrollo económico y estabilidad en Centro América. Concluyendo, los senadores notaron que la decisión de la administración de eliminar la designación de TPS para Honduras podría “amenazar la misma estabilidad que queremos lograr en Centro América y quebrantaría nuestra habilidad de ejecutar una política exterior.”

Warner y Kaine han sido líderes en el Congreso sobre la importancia de proteger beneficiarios de TPS quienes viven en los Estados Unidos debido a las condiciones peligrosas de sus tierras natales. El estado de Virginia es el hogar de miles de beneficiarios de TPS.

La copia de la carta esta abajo:

La Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen El Honorable John Sullivan

Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional Secretario Interino del Departamento de Estado

Departamento de Seguridad Nacional Departamento de Estado

3801 Nebraska Avenue NW 2201 C St. NW

Washington, DC 20016 Washington, DC 20520

Queridos Secretaria Kirstjen Nielson y Secretario Interino John Sullivan:

Les escribimos para urgir a la administración que prolonguen la designación de Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para Honduras, el cual expira el 5 de julio de 2018. Desde su inicio, TPS ha permitido a los Estados Unidos ofrecer protección humanitaria a ciudadanos extranjeros que no pueden volver a las terribles condiciones en su tierra natal.

Al considerar la extensión de la designación de TPS para Honduras, les alentamos considerar las condiciones únicas en el país, que proporcionan una base clara para la extensión de TPS de acuerdo con la ley. Aunque TPS se puso inicialmente a disposición de los hondureños después de que el huracán Mitch devastó el país en 1998, las administraciones anteriores republicanas y demócratas han considerado sus efectos duraderos y los posteriores desafíos de seguridad.

En 2016, ciudadanos de Honduras fueron víctima de 5,150 asesinatos, una tasa de aproximadamente 59 asesinatos por cada 100,000 personas, una de las más altas del mundo. [1] Además, Honduras tiene una de las tasas más altas de femicidio en el mundo, [2] y según el Centro para los Derechos de la Mujer, una mujer en cada 14 horas fue asesinada en 2012. [3] Los hondureños se enfrentan a las amenazas de las pandillas callejeras, que están muy extendidas y se aprovechan de las pequeñas empresas y las familias a través de la extorsión. La corrupción endémica y el débil estado de derecho alimentan la impunidad y exacerban los desafíos de seguridad. Más allá de los niveles epidémicos de violencia, más de dos tercios de la población hondureña viven en la pobreza y, en las zonas rurales, el 20 por ciento de los hondureños viven con menos de $2 al día. [4]

Eliminar el TPS para los hondureños obligaría a más de 86,031 personas a regresar a un país con graves problemas de seguridad. También nos preocupa que el gobierno hondureño no tiene suficiente capacidad para facilitar su regreso, el cual podría ser difícil de garantizar su seguridad y protección. Más importante aún, estamos extremadamente preocupados por los más de 53,500 [5] niños estadounidenses que tendrían que acompañar a sus padres los cuales son beneficiarios de TPS y que serían vulnerables de ser reclutados por pandillas en Honduras.

En los últimos años, los Estados Unidos han aumentado cooperación con los gobiernos centroamericanos, incluyendo el gobierno de Honduras, para resolver los subyacentes factores que ha aumentado inmigración en la región. A través de asistencia extranjera y la política exterior ofrecida por los Estados Unidos, nuestro país ha podido hacer inversiones significativas para apoyar la seguridad, desarrollo económico y estabilidad en Centro América. La decisión de eliminar con la designación de TPS para Honduras amenazaría la misma estabilidad que queremos lograr en Centro América y quebrantaría nuestra habilidad de ejecutar una política exterior.

Para concluir, a les pedimos que consideren las condiciones críticas en Honduras y los efectos desestabilizadores que conllevaría la eliminación de esta designación de TPS. Gracias por su consideración de este importante tema. Esperamos su respuesta.

Sinceramente,

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[1] https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=21167

[2] http://abcnews.go.com/International/men-women-honduras-inside-dangerous-places-earth-woman/story?id=47135328

[3] http://derechosdelamujer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Observatorio-Violencia-contra-las-mujeres-hondurenas.pdf

[4] http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/honduras/overview

[5] https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2017/10/19125633/101717_TPSFactsheet-USA.pdf

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner joined 47 Senators in calling on the Trump Administration to halt a proposed regulation that would expand the use of short-term health care plans to create junk health insurance plans that would raise premiums for older Americans and harm millions of people living with pre-existing conditions. The Senators expressed their opposition to the proposed rule to expand junk plans, CMS-9924-P, ahead of the deadline for public comment on April 23, 2018.

“If finalized, the rule could increase costs and reduce access to quality coverage for millions of Americans, harm people with pre-existing conditions, and force premium increases on older Americans,” the Senators wrote. “This rule expands the sale and marketing of “junk plans” that exclude basic benefits including hospitalization, prescription drugs, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and maternity care. We urge you not to finalize the proposed rule and instead work with us to ensure that all American families have choices of affordable, meaningful health care coverage.”

“We are committed to making health insurance premiums more affordable for all consumers and expanding the number of options, and we stand ready to work with the Administration and our colleagues in Congress to achieve these goals,” the Senators continued. “Unfortunately, creating a new class of health insurance plans that lack basic patient protections and could lead to higher prices for seniors, those with pre-existing conditions, and any American who wants to purchase a plan with comprehensive benefits does not achieve this goal.”

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Pat Leahy (D-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) also signed the letter.

The full text of the letter may be found below.

April 23, 2018

Dear Secretary Azar, Secretary Mnuchin, and Secretary Acosta:

As a caucus, we are determined to guarantee access to affordable health care options for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Therefore, we write to express serious concerns with the proposed rule on short-term, limited-duration insurance (CMS-9924-P). If finalized, the rule could increase costs and reduce access to quality coverage for millions of Americans, harm people with pre-existing conditions, and force premium increases on older Americans. This rule expands the sale and marketing of “junk plans” that exclude basic benefits including hospitalization, prescription drugs, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and maternity care. We urge you not to finalize the proposed rule and instead work with us to ensure that all American families have choices of affordable, meaningful health care coverage.

In this proposed rule, short-term, limited-duration insurance is defined as “a type of health insurance coverage that was designed to fill temporary gaps in coverage that may occur when an individual is transitioning from one plan or coverage to another plan or coverage.” Under current law, these plans are limited to three months. What the rule proposes, however, is to extend the duration of these “short-term” plans to 12 months. Furthermore, the proposal seeks comments on whether the plans should be allowed for longer than 12 months, creating a permanent market for junk plans.

Approximately 133 million Americans under age 65 have a pre-existing condition. In the past, patients with pre-existing conditions faced difficulty getting comprehensive coverage, higher costs, or were barred access from coverage altogether. Current law ensures that no person can be denied coverage or charged more based on his or her health status. This rule reverses those critical consumer protections. These short-term plans force individuals and families to fill out medical questionnaires when applying, which are often used to deny coverage, charge more based on age, gender, or a pre-existing condition, or exclude coverage for the types of care that a person may need most, such as care for diabetes, high blood pressure, pregnancy, and countless other common conditions.

A significant portion of those with pre-existing conditions are older adults age 50 to 64. This proposed rule is likely to remove a number of younger and healthier Americans from the individual marketplaces, thereby imposing what AARP and others have called an “age tax” by significantly raising premiums for the older Americans and those with pre-existing conditions who must maintain comprehensive health coverage. Individuals buying these junk plans will also be forced to pay more for less care, as these plans will be exempt from existing marketplace rules. On average, the top two insurers who sold four out of every five short-term plans used 50% of premium dollars for company profits and overhead. Families cannot afford to buy health insurance that fails to cover them when they need it the most.

The patient community has expressed grave concerns about the proliferation of short-term plans – in fact, 113 groups, including AARP, American Heart Association, March of Dimes, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, recently sent a letter expressing these concerns to Congressional leaders. Beyond that, several insurance companies and the American Academy of Actuaries have written about the adverse impact of these plans on the insurance market and patients.

We are committed to making health insurance premiums more affordable for all consumers and expanding the number of options, and we stand ready to work with the Administration and our colleagues in Congress to achieve these goals. Unfortunately, creating a new class of health insurance plans that lack basic patient protections and could lead to higher prices for seniors, those with pre-existing conditions, and any American who wants to purchase a plan with comprehensive benefits does not achieve this goal.

For these reasons, we urge you not to finalize the proposed rule and instead to work with us to make health care more affordable for all families.

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would rename the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The change would accurately reflect the Department’s increasing focus on improving the quality of life of more than 45 million Americans living in rural areas. The Department already provides significant financial resources and technical assistance to rural communities in the form of loans, loan guarantees, and grants that help support economic development in these areas. Renaming the agency would help highlight its mission of providing rural communities with access to critical infrastructure, broadband, telecommunications connectivity, capital, healthcare, and other essential resources.

“President Lincoln called USDA ‘The People’s Department’ because, dating back to its founding in 1862, it has always been the primary government entity charged with boosting economic development in rural communities. But at the time of USDA’s creation, nearly half of all Americans lived on farms, compared to just 2 percent today,” said Sen. Warner. “This bipartisan bill would highlight the USDA’s ongoing efforts to help rural communities thrive and underscore that part of its mission is increasing economic opportunity in rural America.”

“USDA plays an instrumental role in improving the lives of millions of Americans living in rural areas—especially in states like West Virginia,” said Sen. Capito. “The department has provided West Virginians access to increased broadband connectivity, improved health services, and critical infrastructure, and remains an important partner in these and other efforts. Renaming USDA will make it possible to recognize the agency’s role in creating more economic opportunity in rural communities, as well as its increasing role in rural development.”

“Today, the Department of Agriculture does more than provide assistance to farmers, it provides residents in rural areas in West Virginia with financial and technical assistance to confront the challenges many areas currently face,” said Sen. Manchin. “That’s why I believe the Department should be renamed and known for the services it should be focusing on, such as improving access to critical infrastructure, broadband, telecommunications connectivity, capital, healthcare, and other essential resources. Last year, I co-chaired the Appalachia Initiative where I discussed ways to address the challenges the rural communities in West Virginia face. This legislation will help shine a light on the Department of Agriculture’s vital work to ensure rural America does not get left behind.”

“USDA plays a critical role in promoting infrastructure and economic development in rural America. Too many rural communities lack clean drinking water, reliable broadband internet, and adequate health and transportation resources,” said Sen. Kaine. “The rural development mission of USDA is just as important as its agriculture, food safety, and nutrition missions and should be reflected in its title.”

President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress in 1862 that established the United States Department of Agriculture. Currently, USDA is made up of 29 agencies and offices with nearly 100,000 employees who serve the American people at more than 4,500 locations across the country and abroad. The Department is the federal agency in charge of meeting the needs of farmers and ranchers, promoting agricultural trade and production, working to assure food safety, protecting natural resources, fostering rural communities and ending hunger in the United States and internationally. In 2012, USDA commemorated its 150^th anniversary.

“Rural communities are a key pillar of America, however, they are often challenged by geographic isolation and persistent poverty. For the residents of rural America that continue to feel left behind in today’s economy, The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Act of 2017 offers a renewed focus on the economic matters specific to their community. BPC Action hopes this step by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) will better focus federal efforts around conditions in rural America and produce pragmatic solutions such as those recommended by BPC’s Appalachia Initiative,” said Michele Stockwell, Executive Director of BPC Action.

“The National Cotton Council greatly appreciates the work and support of Sen. Warner to help address economic challenges facing the cotton industry and broader concerns in agriculture and across rural America. We support the Senator’s efforts to highlight the critically important role of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in providing rural development support and economic opportunities in our rural communities,” said Reece Langley, VP of Washington Operations of the National Cotton Council.

"America's turkey farmers appreciate Sen. Warner's support for the rural communities that supply our farm inputs and where many of the facilities that process the turkeys we raise are located. This effort to rename the Department of Agriculture "the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development" reinforces the importance of rural development in the mission of the Department and to rural communities. The National Turkey Federation thanks Sen. Warner for working to ensure the communities where our families, friends and neighbors work and go to school have access to the infrastructure and resources needed to thrive and grow" said Joel Brandenberger, President of the National Turkey Federation.

“Historically, Rural Development programs have not been a priority within the Agriculture Department, regardless of political party in charge. We believe renaming the Department would elevate the Rural Development mission area and better reflect the importance of these programs for rural communities across the country,” said Robert A. Rapoza, Executive Secretary of the National Rural Housing Coalition.

Sens. Warner and Manchin, along with Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), are co-chairs of the bipartisan Appalachia Initiative, a task force convened with the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to find pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to Appalachia’s challenges. Last year, they released a report with a set of bipartisan recommendations to boost economic growth in Appalachia. Sens. Warner, Capito, and Manchin, along with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), have also introduced bipartisan legislation to expand economic opportunity in Appalachia.

The text of the bill can be found here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, along with 30 of their male Senate colleagues, today called for the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders to bring to the Senate floor legislation reforming how Congress handles cases of sexual harassment. This letter backs up calls from all of the women Senators of both parties, who sent a letter on March 28 to Senate leadership expressing disappointment that Congress failed to address this urgently needed reform in the March omnibus bill, and pressing for immediate action on bipartisan legislation to address the problem.

In today’s letter, 32 additional Senators echoed the women’s call, saying: “We write to express our support for the letter you received dated March 28, 2018, and signed by all 22 of our women colleagues, and echo their disappointment that the Senate has failed to enact meaningful reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. We join their call for the full Senate to immediately consider legislation that would update and strengthen the policies and procedures available for those who have been impacted by sexual harassment and discrimination in Congress.”

In the months since the #MeToo movement emerged, Congress has come under scrutiny for its own procedures to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace, which often involve secretive payouts of taxpayer money. Many Senators have called for increased accountability and reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act, the law that governs Congress’s handling of sexual harassment in the workplace. However, Senate leadership has yet to bring any of these proposals to the floor.

“If we are to lead by example, the Senate must revise current law to give the victims of sexual harassment and discrimination a more coherent, transparent, and fair process to tell their stories and pursue justice without fear of personal or professional ruin,” the Senators wrote today. “If we fail to act immediately to address this systemic problem in our own workplace, we will lose all credibility in the eyes of the American public regarding our capacity to protect victims of sexual harassment or discrimination in any setting… We urge you to bring legislation before the full Senate without delay.”

In addition to Kaine and Warner, the letter is signed by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Joe Manchin III (D-WV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Angus S. King Jr. (I-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Tom Udall (D-NM), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Senator Kaine has previously called on the Senate to hold hearings on sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and successfully called for the public release of data on the Senate’s sexual harassment claims and settlements. He’s also a cosponsor of the Member and Employee Training and Oversight on Congress Act (ME TOO Act), legislation to reform the Congressional Accountability Act to eliminate the mandatory steps that must be exhausted before an employee of the legislative branch can sue in federal district court and implement other provisions to expand protections and update policies at the Office of Compliance (OOC).

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Leader McConnell and Senator Schumer,

We write to express our support for the letter you received dated March 28, 2018, and signed by all 22 of our women colleagues and echo their disappointment that the Senate has failed to enact meaningful reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. We join their call for the full Senate to immediately consider legislation that would update and strengthen the policies and procedures available for those who have been impacted by sexual harassment and discrimination in Congress.

If we are to lead by example, the Senate must revise current law to give the victims of sexual harassment and discrimination a more coherent, transparent, and fair process to tell their stories and pursue justice without fear of personal or professional ruin. If we fail to act immediately to address this systemic problem in our own workplace, we will lose all credibility in the eyes of the American public regarding our capacity to protect victims of sexual harassment or discrimination in any setting.

While we commend the Senate for requiring anti-harassment and discrimination training for all Senators and staff at least once each Congress with the passage of S.Res.330, this is only a small first step. Broader changes are necessary to truly end sexual harassment and discrimination in Congressional workplaces. Specifically, we must reform the Congressional Accountability Act. As the women of the Senate wrote last week, “The time has come to rewrite the CAA to provide a more equitable process that supports survivors of harassment and discrimination.”

Bringing Congressional Accountability Act reform legislation up for debate would be a good use of the Senate’s limited floor time since there is already bipartisan support for several key policy changes, including allowing victims to choose their own path to resolve a complaint instead of mandating secret mediation and counseling. There is also bipartisan support for requiring Members of Congress to be financially liable for harassment or discrimination they personally commit instead of forcing taxpayers to pay the bill on their behalf. Finally, there is a broad consensus that Members of Congress should not be allowed to hide settlements from the public unless the victim seeks privacy.

Again, echoing our Senate colleagues, “Everyone deserves to work in an environment free from harassment and discrimination.” We urge you to bring legislation before the full Senate without delay to ensure that the congressional workplace embodies this ideal.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis sharing Virginia’s concern over the risks of offshore drilling on military assets in Hampton Roads. In the letter, Warner and Kaine raise concerns about how drilling would affect military activities in Hampton Roads, given the region’s deep national security footprint. They also ask if the Department has conducted a comprehensive study assessing the specific challenges the proposed five-year drilling plan may create for military activities in the region. They highlight that Hampton Roads is home to the largest naval installation in the world, Naval Station Norfolk, and has more than a dozen other DOD installations across all service branches.

“We are concerned that allowing offshore drilling in this area would create new challenges for the region’s DOD installations and the activities taking places on and around these waters. In late 2015, we were briefed by DOD on a new map that showed three types of areas impacted: 1) areas that definitively would conflict with military activities, 2) areas that could accommodate drilling with certain stipulations, and 3) areas that are all clear. According to that brief, the Virginia OCS has more acres that meet the first two categories than the third,” the Senators wrote.

Kaine and Warner have also raised concerns about the threat of offshore drilling on the environment and tourism and have called on President Trump to listen to local voices in Virginia and exempt the Commonwealth from this proposal, as the Administration has done in Florida. Kaine has traveled to Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore to meet with local elected officials and military personnel, as well as industry and community leaders, to talk about their concerns over the Administration’s proposal to expand offshore drilling.

A copy of the letter is available here and below:

April 19, 2018

The Honorable James Mattis

Secretary of Defense

1300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C. 20301-1300

Dear Secretary Mattis:

We write to share our concerns regarding the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Draft Proposed Program to authorize drilling leases on the mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf offshore of Virginia.

Though we have shared our concerns with BOEM and the Interior Department, we would also like to share with you some particular concerns related to the Department of Defense. In particular, we would like to inquire whether you have conducted a comprehensive study assessing the specific challenges the new 5-year plan may create for military activities in the Hampton Roads region and the Virginia offshore.

As you know, the Virginia coastal region of Hampton Roads has a deep national security footprint. It is home to the largest naval installation in the world at Naval Station Norfolk and more than a dozen other DOD installations across all service branches. Along with tourism and international port commerce, national security is a longstanding pillar of the regional economy.

We are concerned that allowing offshore drilling in this area would create new challenges for the region’s DOD installations and the activities taking places on and around these waters. In late 2015, we were briefed by DOD on a new map that showed three types of areas impacted: 1) areas that definitively would conflict with military activities, 2) areas that could accommodate drilling with certain stipulations, and 3) areas that are all clear. According to that brief, the Virginia OCS has more acres that meet the first two categories than the third.

To further illustrate this point, we are enclosing a presentation from the former commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk summarizing the complexities that offshore drilling rigs would create for military activities on the Virginia OCS. We would also note that Florida, a state with similar geography and a similar DOD footprint, was previously removed from the drilling lease schedule.

We have concern that drilling in the region would overall create unnecessary risks. We hope DOD will carefully scrutinize what allowing Virginia OCS drilling would mean for regional military assets.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Warner Tim Kaine

U.S. Senator U.S. Senator

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined a group of 37 Senators in introducing a resolution calling for the immediate resignation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt. The resolution comes in response to Pruitt’s repeated ethics violations, misuse of taxpayer dollars, retribution against whistleblowers, and contempt for science that is fundamentally at odds with the mission of the EPA. A companion resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by a group of 130 representatives.

“We voted against Scott Pruitt’s confirmation because we believed he was the wrong choice to defend public health and the environment. His record since has not only justified these concerns – using discredited polluter arguments to loosen enforcement of clean air and water laws and trying to abolish the Chesapeake Bay Program – but he has also misused taxpayer funds in a shocking number of different ways. From unjustified first class flights, to leasing an apartment from an energy lobbyist, to bizarre spending on a soundproof phone booth and bulletproof desk, to arrogant demands for a motorcade with the right to bypass D.C. traffic lights, to disciplining employees who raised questions about all this, we have had enough. Public servants are entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out policies that are in the best interest of our nation. During his tenure Pruitt has shown no regard for public trust or ethical standards required for him to carry out the post. It’s time for him to resign.”

The resolution follows numerous revelations about Pruitt’s ethical violations, widespread conflicts of interest, and repeated misuse of taxpayer dollars for his personal benefit, including:

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office determined that the EPA violated federal law by purchasing a $43,000 phone booth for Pruitt’s office – and then hiding that purchase from Congress.
Pruitt entered into a sweetheart housing deal to rent a Capitol Hill condo from the wife of a lobbyist – paying just $50 a night, and only paying for the nights he slept there.
Pruitt has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills for luxury travel perks, including booking lavish first class and charter flights to Europe and elsewhere, staying in luxury hotels, and traveling with a huge entourage of staff and security.
Pruitt has reportedly reassigned or demoted EPA staffers who questioned his spending habits – at the same time that the EPA Inspector General is investigating him for giving unusual pay raises to favored aides.
Pruitt has deployed EPA enforcement officers to provide round-the-clock security with questionable justification.

The lawmakers also noted in the resolution that, in addition to flouting the ethical standards of his office, Pruitt has done untold damage to the EPA and carried out a long list of actions to benefit friends who are top American polluters – at the expense of the health, safety, and livelihood of American families.

The 39 cosponsoring senators represent the highest number of senators in U.S. history to sign on to a resolution formally calling for a cabinet official’s resignation.

The full text of the resolution can be found here. The full list of Senate cosponsors can be found here and the full list of House cosponsors can be found here.

###

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) expressed increased concern over how President Trump’s trade war would hurt Virginia’s soybean production, which is the Commonwealth’s number one cash crop. China’s Ministry of Commerce has recently announced they will begin proactively taxing Chinese companies that import some American agricultural products at 178.6% to discourage imports. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has confirmed that China is the Commonwealth’s biggest export market for agricultural goods and suggestedPresident Trump’s tariffs could hurt Virginia businesses and employees. Soybean production in Virginia accounts for roughly $187 million in economic output, which helps supports thousands of jobs in the Commonwealth. Amid escalating rhetoric by the Trump Administration, China announced that it is considering raising tariffs on soybeans, beef, and other critical agriculture commodities produced in Virginia.

“Virginia’s soybean producers should not be held hostage to the uncertainty of President Trump’s trade games,” said Sen. Warner. “While China should be held accountable for its unfair trade practices, this should not be done at the expense of the hardworking soybean farmers in this country. President Trump needs to work with us to find the best way to resolve these disputes and avoid threatening an industry that creates thousands of new jobs and brings millions of dollars to rural communities in Virginia.”

“Clearly China is not taking President Trump’s threats lightly and we’re going to start feeling the pain of his rash actions. Our farmers deserve better than this,” said Sen. Kaine. “President Trump says he wants to create jobs and stimulate the economy yet his actions will have the opposite effect. His inflammatory, bullying tactics are going to hurt Virginians.”

“Exports are a vital source of income for Virginia’s farmers and here in the Commonwealth we have worked hard to open new markets around the world for our agriculture and forestry exporters. However, these efforts are jeopardized by threats of tariffs and trade wars at the national level,” said Bettina Ring, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. “I hope that our trade negotiators will keep our hardworking farmers and agribusinesses front of mind when working with their Chinese counterparts to solve this trade dispute.”

“The Virginia Soybean Association is concerned with the potential of trade wars within the global marketplace, including China. International trade is vital for the economic viability of the soybean industry,” said Nick Moody, President of the Virginia Soybean Association. “Uncertainty in trade agreements directly affect the stability of markets and price, which is a major concern for producers in a business that is already largely dependent on weather. Our hope is for the administration to work with leaders in international markets to create solid solutions to these trade disputes, which will not continue to disrupt soybean markets.”

According to VDACS, agriculture is Virginia’s largest private industry, with an economic impact of $70 billion annually that provides more than 334,000 jobs.The agriculture and forestry industries combined have a total economic impact of over $91 billion and provide more than 442,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. Every job in agriculture and forestry supports 1.7 jobs elsewhere in Virginia’s economy. Production agriculture alone employs 54,000 Virginians and accounts for more than $3.8 billion in economic output. Almost 10 percent of Virginia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is directly tied to agriculture and forestry.

Sens. Warner and Kaine previously raised concerns about how President Trump’s trade war with China could hurt Virginia businesses and employees, listing the set of products grown and made in Virginia that have been targeted by the Chinese for duties. They also wrote to the Administration last week warning that withdrawing from the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—another significant source of agricultural exports for Virginia—would negatively impact Virginia’s agricultural industry.

Below is a detailed list of soybean producing areas in Virginia as of 2017. A comprehensive list can be found here.

COUNTY	PRODUCTION (Bushels)
NORTHERN VA/VALLEY
Culpeper	524,000
Fauquier	642,000
Frederick	68,500
Loudoun	301,000
Madison	384,000
Page	25,400
Rockingham	405,000
Shenandoah	259,000
Other NOVA counties	314,100

CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Amelia	429,000
Bedford	20,300
Campbell	162,000
Caroline	1,056,000
Chesterfield	66,000
Cumberland	134,000
Goochland	183,000
Louisa	224,000
Orange	380,000
Prince Edward	48,400
Spotsylvania	180,000
Other Central Counties	1,413,300

EASTERN SHORE
Accomack	1,577,000
Charles City	434,000
Essex	971,000
Gloucester	284,000
King and Queen	718,000
King George	222,000
King William	740,000
Northampton	937,000
Northumberland	767,000
Richmond	779,000
Westmoreland	895,000
Other Eastern Counties	1,041,000

SOUTHSIDE
Charlotte	240,000
Halifax	299,000
Lunenburg	148,000
Nottoway	128,000
Pittsylvania	193,000
Other Southside Counties	253,000

HAMPTON ROADS
Brunswick	364,000
Dinwiddie	553,000
Greensville	353,000
Isle of Wight	728,000
Prince George	437,000
Southampton	992,000
Surry	592,000
Chesapeake	887,000
Suffolk City	898,000
Virginia Beach	454,000
Other HRVA Counties	1,459,000

TOTAL	25,960,000

###

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement on the U.S. airstrikes against Syria:

"I watched the President's speech tonight, and my thoughts are with the men and women in uniform who are in harm's way. I look forward to receiving more details from the Administration about the targets and strategic goals of these strikes. While the U.S. and our allies must not turn a blind eye to Assad's vile and inhumane attacks against his own citizens, military action in Syria must be measured, as part of a coherent strategy to prevent Assad from using chemical weapons without further destabilizing an already-volatile region or inadvertently expanding the conflict."

###

Washington, D.C. – In a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Ed Markey (D-MA) requested an increase in funding for Alzheimer’s disease research as they work to set appropriations levels for fiscal year 2019. Senator Collins is the founder of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's disease and co-chairs the group with Senators Warner, Markey, and Pat Toomey (R-PA).

“Alzheimer's disease and other dementias pose a grave threat to the health of our people and to the fiscal well-being of our nation,” Senators Collins, Warner, and Markey wrote. “Nearly 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's today, a number that is projected to increase to approximately 14 million by 2050. Alzheimer's and other dementias cost our nation an estimated $277 billion a year, including $186 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid.”

“While the challenges posed by Alzheimer's are substantial, continued breakthroughs in science and therapy could help achieve the national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025… [W]e urge you to continue making Alzheimer's disease research at the NIH a priority so that we can ramp up to the level necessary to achieve the 2025 goal set by the National Plan,” the Senators continued. “We…also urge you to provide appropriate support to Alzheimer's disease and dementia initiatives through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that seek to support family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and to expand awareness and understanding of this disease.”

In 2011, Senator Collins authored the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), with then-Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). NAPA convened a panel of experts, who determined that $2 billion per year in research funding is needed to achieve our goal of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by the year 2025. Senator Collins helped to secure $1.8 billion—an increase of $414 million—for Alzheimer’s research in the fiscal year 2018 funding bill, which brings us within reach of the $2 billion goal.

Senators Collins, Warner, and Markey’s letter was signed by a total of 38 Senators: Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Kennedy (R-LA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), James Risch (R-ID), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Todd Young (R-IN), Tom Carper (D-DE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Angus King (I-ME), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Tim Kaine (D-VA).

To view a signed PDF of the letter, click HERE.

###

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) urged the Trump Administration to protect Virginia’s agriculture producers and the national agricultural economy as negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) enter a critical stage. Last week, President Trump threatened to stop the free trade agreement as a way to pressure Mexico on border security.

“Throughout the negotiation process, we have been concerned by President Trump’s repeated threats to withdraw the U.S. from NAFTA, along with other protectionist trade policies being pursued by the Administration. Withdrawal from the agreement would have devastating consequences for the U.S. economy that would affect each state and nearly every job sector,” Sens. Warner and Kaine wrote in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, agriculture is Virginia’s largest private industry, with an economic impact of $70 billion annually that provides more than 334,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. The agriculture and forestry industries combined have a total economic impact of over $91 billion and provide more than 442,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. Every job in agriculture and forestry supports 1.7 jobs elsewhere in Virginia’s economy. Production agriculture alone employs 54,000 Virginians and accounts for more than $3.8 billion in economic output. Almost 10 percent of Virginia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is directly tied to agriculture and forestry.

“In Virginia alone, 46,000 to 96,000 jobs could be at risk if the U.S. exited the agreement. Thousands of these job losses would include farmers and workers in other agriculture and forestry-related industries across the country…actual withdrawal from NAFTA would seriously destabilize the integrated supply chains that have taken decades to establish and imperil the livelihoods of thousands of Virginians and millions more across the U.S.,” added the Senators.

“The Virginia Cattlemen's Association appreciates the support Senators Warner and Kaine are offering for continued negotiation of NAFTA, an important facilitator of continued trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico that has greatly benefited the vast majority of Virginia and US agricultural commodities,” said Jason H. Carter, Executive Director of the Virginia Cattlemen's Association & Virginia Beef Industry Council.

“The NAFTA markets are important to Virginia’s poultry industry, and it is critical that the current renegotiation not only preserve, but actually expand access to these markets,” said Hobey Bauhan, President of the Virginia Poultry Federation.

Sens. Warner and Kaine also pushed the Administration to negotiate greater access of U.S. poultry exports to Canadian markets. According to the Virginia Poultry Federation, Virginia’s poultry industry employs as many as 17,637 people across the Commonwealth and generates an additional 32,983 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries. As of 2016, Virginia ranks 10th nationally in broiler chicken production and 6th in turkey production.

Last week, Sens. Warner and Kaine similarly raised concerns about how President Trump’s trade war with China could hurt Virginia businesses and employees, listing the set of products grown and made in Virginia that have been targeted by the Chinese for duties.

A PDF of the letter can be found here. The full letter text is below.

The Honorable Robert Lighthizer

U.S. Trade Representative

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

600 17th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20508

Dear Ambassador Lighthizer:

As negotiations over the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) enter a critical stage, we write to you today to highlight the importance of a do-no-harm approach for Virginia’s agriculture producers and the national agricultural economy. In the face of an increasingly volatile global trade environment, we believe it is necessary to reiterate the importance of maintaining the core components of NAFTA for our agricultural community.

In Virginia, agriculture and forestry remain the largest private industries, accounting for a combined economic impact of $91 billion annually and providing more than 442,000 jobs. Each job in the agriculture and forestry sector in Virginia supports nearly two additional jobs elsewhere in the economy. Production agriculture alone employs 54,000 Virginians and accounts for more than $3.8 billion in economic output for the Commonwealth. Almost 10 percent of Virginia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is directly tied to agriculture and forestry.

The continued success of Virginia’s agriculture economy is in part due to the expansion of the global marketplace over the last several decades. Since the implementation of NAFTA, Virginia agriculture producers have witnessed tremendous growth in the number of exports to both Canada and Mexico. From 1996 to 2016, Virginia’s agriculture and forestry exports to Canada grew by 400 percent, from $58.4 million to $296.5 million. Exports to Mexico grew even faster during this time period, from $7.9 million to $113.6 million – an increase of over 1,300 percent. Today, Canada and Mexico represent Virginia’s first and third largest export markets, respectively.

While NAFTA has benefitted American agriculture producers, there are areas in which it can be improved. For example, under NAFTA, U.S. poultry exports have faced significant barriers in gaining access to the Canadian marketplace. Strict quotas and high tariffs implemented by the Canadian government have prevented American poultry producers from fully reaching this lucrative market. I am pleased this issue of market access was included in USTR’s negotiating objectives for NAFTA, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to expand opportunities for our agriculture community.

Throughout the negotiation process, we have been concerned by President Trump’s repeated threats to withdraw the U.S. from NAFTA, along with other protectionist trade policies being pursued by the Administration. Withdrawal from the agreement would have devastating consequences for the U.S. economy that would affect each state and nearly every job sector. A recent study predicted that if the U.S. left NAFTA, 1.8 million to 3.6 million jobs would be lost in the following years. In Virginia alone, 46,000 to 96,000 jobs could be at risk if the U.S. exited the agreement. Thousands of these job losses would include farmers and workers in other agriculture and forestry-related industries across the country. We are supportive of efforts to modernize NAFTA, including updating labor protections to reflect the May 10 Agreement and improving environmental protections. However, actual withdrawal from NAFTA would seriously destabilize the integrated supply chains that have taken decades to establish and imperil the livelihoods of thousands of Virginians and millions more across the U.S.

As NAFTA negotiations progress, we ask that you pursue a do-no-harm approach to modernizing free trade agreements and supporting the agriculture economy in Virginia and throughout our country. We look forward to working with you to ensure that our farmers have access to the global marketplace.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

###

Mulvaney, who serves on a temporary basis as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), not to undo or weaken the CFPB’s payday lending rule.

The rule would require lenders to determine upfront whether or not a borrower can afford to pay back a loan without having to take out another loan. The rule represents an important step in reining in predatory business practices by payday lenders nationwide that are designed to exploit the financial hardships facing millions of hardworking families.

“The payday lending rule’s purpose is pretty simple: lenders should figure out whether a borrower is able to pay back a loan so that consumers don’t get caught up in a revolving cycle of debt,” said Sen. Warner during his questioning of Director Mulvaney.

Congress created the CFPB to protect Americans from unfair, deceptive and abusive lending practices. Predatory lenders often target hardworking borrowers who find themselves in need of quick cash—often for things like necessary car repairs or medical emergencies—by charging them excessive interest rates and hidden fees that trap them in long-term cycles of debt. Nearly 12 million Americans use payday loans each year, incurring more than $9 billion annually in fees. The CFPB developed the payday lending rule over the course of five years and reviewed more than 1 million public comments.

Last month, Sen. Warner also wrote to Director Mulvaney urging him not to repeal the payday lending rule.

The full transcript of Sen. Warner’s exchange with Director Mulvaney follows:

Warner: I want to talk to you about the payday lending rule. Now, I think the payday lending rule’s purpose is pretty simple—and I think actually most Americans regardless of side would agree on this—that lenders should figure out upfront whether a borrower is able to pay back a loan and to make sure that consumers don’t get caught up in a revolving cycle of debt by folks that don’t have the same kind of regulatory oversight that our traditional lending institutions do. Now, you’ve been in this job a few months, acting in this job. Did you order the Bureau to engage in a rule making process to reconsider the rule on payday lending?

Mulvaney: Yes sir.

Warner: And how would revoking the rule or changing it help consumers, particularly consumers who are living paycheck to paycheck?

Mulvaney: Senator, I don’t automatically conclude that making an indication to revisit the rule assumes that we will be revoking the rule or even changing the rule. I have the right under the statute to revisit the rules, which I'm doing, but we have not arrived at any preconceived notions of outcomes. That would violate the Administrative Procedures Act, which we have not done.

Warner: But sir, my understanding is this rulemaking took a number of years. It was a subject of a great deal of scrutiny. I believe there was industry input as well as consumer input and, I guess, I really wonder why in your first few months of coming into this acting role that this would rise to the top of a priority that would say we need to relook at the practices of payday lenders, which I think most folks would agree is a last resort financial tool and one that was absolutely appropriate for this Bureau to take on.

Mulvaney: Again I think was appropriate for it to take on. Although I think you could make the argument that the statute simply says you have to supervise this industry, which may not include regulating, different story for another day perhaps. But why was it at the top of the list? Because it was the last thing the previous Director did on his way out the door. There was a bunch of public criticism as to, or questions, as to whether or not it had been rushed. So for a variety of reasons, I thought it was entirely appropriate in my role as acting Director to do that the very first thing. In fact, I think I did it the first or second day I was there.

Warner: Mr. Mulvaney, I think there was a great deal of work that went on and I think the previous Director took those actions because of an ongoing need that people on both sides the aisle had discussed for a long time. I was disappointed you took that as your first action.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement after Reddit announced that it had taken action against nearly a thousand accounts that were controlled by the Russia-based Internet Research Agency (IRA):

“I welcome Reddit’s announcement, nearly a year and a half after election day, that it has taken action to investigate and suspend hundreds of Russian-backed accounts responsible for interfering in the U.S. political system.

“While I recognize that Reddit is fairly distinct among social media platforms in that its users are largely responsible for moderating content, I also believe that all the platform companies have a responsibility to do everything in their power to prevent foreign adversaries like Russia from interfering in our elections. As the 2018 elections approach, I will continue pressing the nation’s intelligence leaders and social media companies to be far more aggressive and proactive in responding to this threat.

“It’s clear that the Kremlin will use any means at its disposal to spread propaganda and misinformation, and we each bear some responsibility for exercising good judgment and a healthy amount of skepticism when it comes to the things we read and spread on social media.”

###

WASHINGTON— After funding cuts threatened the future of National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) programs at Goochland High School and Mountain View High School, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) stepped in to help save their programs.

In November 2017, the Goochland and Stafford County School Boards received notifications from the U.S. Marine Corp (USMC) that they would no longer be eligible for federal funding for the National Defense Cadet Corps programs at Goochland and Mountain View high schools. The funds cover a range of expenses including travel, training, uniforms, and supplies for students who participate each year. After intervention from the Senator’s offices, the Secretary of the Navy authorized the USMC to convert 20 former NDCC programs into U.S. Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs, which continue to be eligible for federal funding. Goochland and Mountain View High Schools were on the list of approved schools that qualified for the new recognition.

“JROTC programs teach important values like teamwork, moral character, good citizenship, and service to the nation,” the Senators said. “We are glad to be able to work with the Department of Defense to preserve federal funding for these important programs.”

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