Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) yesterday requested more information from major retailers regarding omicron-related supply chain problems and shortages that are contributing to inflation and rising costs. In a letter to the National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association, representing large retail companies like Target and Wal-Mart – Sen. Warner expressed concern with the ongoing supply chain disruptions and stressed that companies and the government must work together to tackle the problems that are leading to higher prices and directly hitting Americans’ pockets.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges associated with reopening the nation and fighting the Delta and Omicron variants, our economy has recovered significantly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, increasing prices continue to threaten our progress. I understand that persistent supply/demand imbalances and supply chain disruptions are contributing to inflation and urge you to continue working with me, my colleagues, and the Biden Administration to identify ways to alleviate these supply chain issues as quickly as possible,” Sen. Warner wrote.

He continued, “I am also continuing to advance legislation that addresses targeted supply chain issues that have shown to have sweeping impacts on our economy, including the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act which includes $52 billion for domestic semiconductor manufacturing. However, it is clear that these efforts will likely take time to bear fruit, and that more needs to be done now to help Americans facing raising prices.”

In the letter, Sen. Warner asked companies what they are doing to resolve the supply chain problems and what more the federal government can do to support those efforts. Specifically he posed the following series of questions to better understand the steps being taken by companies to alleviate supply chain pressures and to inquire about any additional measures that Congress can take to assist with this effort:

Alleviating existing backlogs continues to be an immediate priority for the private sector as well as the government. Can you please explain what your companies are doing to alleviate backlogs and what challenges you are facing? Are there any constraints that lend themselves to policies that Congress should pursue?
How long do you see supply chain pressures lasting? Do you believe the supply chain problems we are seeing will begin to soften in 2022?
What more can Congress, or the federal government, do to support your efforts to clear these backlogs and strengthen our nation’s supply chains?

A copy of the letter is available here and below.

Dear National Retail Federation Board Leadership and Board of Directors:

I write today concerned with the challenges posed by elevated levels of inflation in our economy. Despite the unprecedented challenges associated with reopening the nation and fighting the Delta and Omicron variants, our economy has recovered significantly sine the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, increasing prices continue to threaten our progress. I understand that persistent supply/demand imbalances and supply chain disruptions are contributing to inflation and urge you to continue working with me, my colleagues, and the Biden Administration to identify ways to alleviate these supply chain issues as quickly as possible.

The latest release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that prices increased seven percent from a year earlier, the fastest pace in decades.[1] As you know, these price increases are particularly harmful for low-income Americans who have smaller economic cushions to absorb them. Many factors are contributing to the current bout of inflation, but widespread supply chain issues are of particular concern. That’s why I am grateful to President Biden for engaging with the private sector, making supply chains a key priority, forming the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and directing a whole-of-government approach to address the vulnerabilities and problems facing the country’s supply chains.[2]

Congress has also taken decisive action to reduce friction in the economy by passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to make historic investments in infrastructure. I am also continuing to advance legislation that addresses targeted supply chain issues that have shown to have sweeping impacts on our economy, including the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act which includes $52 billion for domestic semiconductor manufacturing. However, it is clear that these efforts will likely take time to bear fruit, and that more needs to be done now to help Americans facing raising prices.

To that end, I am writing to request answers to the following questions from the organizations you represent:

1. Alleviating existing backlogs continues to be an immediate priority for the private sector as well as the government. Can you please explain what your companies are doing to alleviate backlogs and what challenges you are facing? Are there any constraints that lend themselves to policies that Congress should pursue?
2. How long do you see supply chain pressures lasting? Do you believe the supply chain problems we are seeing will begin to soften in 2022?
3. What more can Congress, or the federal government, do to support your efforts to clear these backlogs and strengthen our nation’s supply chains?

During these past two years, our nation has faced tremendous costs and dislocations from the pandemic, which required bipartisan and public-private cooperation. While the country has made substantial economic progress since the spring of 2020, this cooperation and focus will continue to be vital, particularly as we face rising prices and additional waves of the virus.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

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WASHINGTON —Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), and U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott and Elaine Luria (both D-VA), applauded $369,000,000 in federal funding for a number of key projects, including the City of Norfolk’s Coastal Storm Risk Management project and the Norfolk Harbor Widening and Deepening project. This funding, awarded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), was made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law, which was negotiated by Sen. Warner and supported by Sen. Kaine and Reps. Scott and Luria.

“We applaud the Biden administration and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for recognizing the invaluable role the Port of Virginia and Norfolk Harbor have in supporting our nation’s economy. Additionally, we applaud the administration’s significant investment in the City of Norfolk to protect this community from the increasing threat of rising seas and significant flood events. After years of advocating for this funding, we are thrilled that Virginia will receive the federal dollars it needs to carry out these projects, which will help further strengthen our supply chains, mitigate the growing risks of sea level rise, and secure our economic and national security interests in and around the region,” said the lawmakers. “These projects are just a few examples of how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is starting to work for the American people by providing the resources needed to improve communities and create jobs.”

The City of Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project will receive $249,331,000 to initiate the first construction contract of the project, which will help reduce and manage flooding for major portions of the city through a system of surge barriers, tidal gates, floodwalls, levees, pump stations, and non-structural measures.

The Norfolk Harbor Deepening and Widening Project will receive $69,331,000 to improve navigation and expand capacity by deepening and widening the harbor’s shipping channels. This will enable safer access for larger commercial and naval vessels and provide significant new economic opportunities to the region.

Other funding awarded to Virginia through the USACE FY22 Work Plan includes:

$281,295 and $2.2 million for Eastern Shore and Southwest Virginia
$120,000 for Indian Run
$300,000 for Hampton Roads Beneficial Use
$325,000 for Manchester Canal
$3.5 million for Gathright Dam and Lake Moomaw
$11.525 million for John H Kerr Lake
$2.56 million for Lynnhaven Inlet
$5.675 million for Milford Haven
$24.4 million for Philpott Lake

Sens. Warner and Kaine and Reps. Scott and Luria have long worked to secure funding for these key projects. They have consistently urged the Biden administration and the USACE for funding to start construction on the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, including in 2020 and 2021. They similarly pressed for funding for the Norfolk Harbor Project in 2020 and 2021. In 2018, Sens. Warner and Kaine successfully got Norfolk Harbor authorized for construction as part of the Water Resources Development Act. They also successfully pushed for the authorization of the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project as part of the 2020 Water Resources Development Act.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement on the departure of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) CEO and General Manager, Paul J. Wiedefeld:

“I want to thank Paul Wiedefeld for his service as General Manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. When Paul came on board in November 2015, WMATA faced a number of serious challenges and he was the right person for the job at the right time. Under Paul’s leadership, WMATA has not only secured dedicated capital funding from local, state, and federal governments, but has adeptly continued serving the DMV community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As the WMATA Board of Directors searches for the next General Manager and CEO, it must focus on finding candidates who are equally committed to maintaining transparency, cooperating with state, local, and federal partners, and most importantly, prioritizing safety.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced the largest-ever federal investment in Virginia’s bridges, made possible by the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law negotiated by Sen. Warner and supported by Sen. Kaine. Virginia will receive $536.8 million over five years to address highway bridge needs, which include 577 bridges across the Commonwealth that are currently rated as being in “poor” condition, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“We’re thrilled to announce this record amount of funding to fix aging bridges across Virginia,” said the senators. “Modernizing bridges will improve safety and support economic growth in every corner of the Commonwealth. Today’s announcement is one more reason we were proud to support the once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment that is improving lives and livelihoods across the country.”

In July 2021, Sen. Warner joined Richmond officials for a tour of the Mayo Bridge, which was constructed in 1913 to cross the James River and is one of the hundreds of bridges across Virginia that are currently considered structurally deficient and expected to benefit from the investment announced today. Photos from that visit are available here.

In December 2021, Sen. Kaine joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Richmond and Henrico County to discuss how the $7.7 billion in federal funds Virginia expects to receive from the infrastructure bill will be used to repair and replace roads and bridges and improve public transportation.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) were joined by Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting the inclusion of at least $60 million in funding to start construction on the City of Norfolk’s Coastal Storm Risk Management Project. This funding is being requested as part of the amount made available to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

In their letter, the lawmakers highlighted the importance of this project, which will serve as a much needed solution to help protect the area as the region suffers increased damage and weather-related harm due to climate change.

“The rate of sea level rise within the city and surrounding area is one of the highest along the East Coast, exacerbating the city’s vulnerability to flood events. Recent storms that resulted in significant flood events for Norfolk include Hurricane Isabel in 2003, the November 2009 nor’easter, Hurricane Irene in 2011, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. For these reasons, USACE identified Norfolk as one of the nine areas of high risk by the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS),” the lawmakers wrote.

The Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project establishes a system of surge barriers, tidal gates, floodwalls, levees, pump stations, and non-structural measures to reduce and manage flooding including:

The Ghent, Hague / Downtown Structural System – This system includes a 600 linear foot (lf) storm surge barrier with a pump and power station. The surge barrier would tie into approximately 27,236 (lf) of constructed floodwall and 2,582 (lf) of earthen levee. Four pump stations and tide gates would also be constructed and operated for interior drainage. In addition, Natural and Nature Based Features (NNBF) include approximately 7,200 (lf) of living shoreline and 5,250 (lf) of oyster reef. Mitigation includes an additional 3,800 (lf) of living shoreline.

Pretty Lake Structural System – This system would include a storm surge barrier approximately 114 (lf) long with a pump and power station. This feature would tie into 5,642 (lf) of floodwall. In addition, NNBF include approximately 560 (lf) of oyster reef. Mitigation includes approximately 2,375 (lf) of living shoreline.

Lafayette River Structural System – This system includes a storm surge barrier of approximately 6,634 (lf) with a power station. The feature would tie into 1,535 (lf) of constructed earthen levee. Three tide gates would be constructed and operated. NNBF includes approximately 6,200 (lf) of living shoreline and 3,290 lf of oyster reef. Mitigation includes 5,150 (lf) of living shoreline and 1,100 lf of wetland.

Broad Creek Structural System – This system would include a storm surge of approximately 1,291 (lf) with a power station. The storm surge barrier would tie into approximately 8,787 (lf) of floodwall. One pump station and four tide gates would also be constructed and operated for interior drainage.

The lawmakers previously requested funds for the projects as part of Army Corps FY 2020 Work Plan.

Full text of the letter is available here and below.

The Honorable Shalanda Young

Acting Director

Office of Management and Budget

725 17th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20503

The Honorable Michael L. Connor

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

441 G Street, NW

Washington, DC 20314

Dear Acting Director Young and Assistant Secretary Connor:

We write today concerning the City of Norfolk’s Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) project and funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) made available in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). We respectfully request the inclusion of at least $60 million in the IIJA USACE spend plan to initiate the first construction contract of this essential $1.6 billion project for the City of Norfolk.

The City of Norfolk, with a population of approximately 240,000, is highly vulnerable to flooding from coastal storms and rising sea levels. The rate of sea level rise within the city and surrounding area is one of the highest along the East Coast, exacerbating the city’s vulnerability to flood events. Recent storms that resulted in significant flood events for Norfolk include Hurricane Isabel in 2003, the November 2009 nor’easter, Hurricane Irene in 2011, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. For these reasons, USACE identified Norfolk as one of the nine areas of high risk by the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS).

The recommended project is the result of the Final Integrated City of Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement, Norfolk, Virginia, that concluded in February 2019 with a Report of the Chief of Engineers. The City of Norfolk CSRM project consists of a system of surge barriers, tidal gates, floodwalls, levees, pump stations, and non-structural measures to reduce and manage flooding for major portions of the city.

The estimated total cost of construction for the Norfolk CSRM project is approximately $1.6 billion, with an estimated Federal cost of $1.043 billion and an estimated non-Federal cost of $562 million. The Norfolk District USACE Office has indicated it is able to begin construction on this project and accept at least $60 million in Federal funding to initiate the Federal share of the Downtown to Harbor Park floodwall element. Utilizing funding from the IIJA to initiate construction of the Norfolk CSRM project would help move the project forward toward reducing risk for our constituents from the threats of ever-increasing storms and sea level rise, while also helping to secure nationally significant economic and military interests located in and around Norfolk.

The City of Norfolk’s CSRM project is a critical priority for the Hampton Roads region and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Rising sea levels and extreme weather events will always be a concern for Norfolk. Each additional year it takes to construct this CSRM project provides another opportunity for the next extreme weather event to wreak havoc on our constituents in Norfolk. By investing in this project, we can help mitigate future risk and save money on future disaster relief, while providing the people of Norfolk with increased assurance of safety in the event of future extreme weather events.

Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding this request.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), along with their bipartisan colleagues Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asking the Treasury Department to work with Congress in order to ensure that the cryptocurrency provision included in the recently-enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is implemented effectively and in accordance with congressional intent. During consideration of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Senators Portman and Warner conducted a colloquy on August 9 to clarify the scope and intent of a provision implementing information reporting requirements for cryptocurrency brokers.

This is the federal government’s first attempt at incorporating digital assets into our nation’s tax code, which has led to concern over how it will interpret the provision’s definition of “broker.” The senators have asked the Treasury Department to issue information or informal guidance regarding the definition of “broker” as discussed during the legislative process and if needed, the senators are prepared to offer legislation to further clarify that intent.

“We thank you and your team for working with us in implementing this IIJA provision. We ask that you carefully consider the characteristics of the technologies which drive this space, which may include differences in the consensus mechanisms of various distributed ledgers and second layer protocols. We have conveyed to our constituents that we will continue working with you to ensure that the provision is implemented as Congress intended, and we look forward to doing so,” wrote the sens.

“Digital assets could be impactful technological developments in certain sectors, and clear guidelines on tax reporting requirements will be important to those in this ecosystem. It will be important that we continue to work to provide further clarity, and to help ensure that the United States remains a global leader in financial innovation and development, while ensuring that this technology does not become a vector for illicit finance, tax evasion, or other criminal activity,” continued the sens.

The full text of the letter can be found here or below:

Dear Secretary Yellen,

President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law on November 15, 2021. Now that this bill has become law, Congress has a responsibility to ensure that it is implemented effectively and in accordance with congressional intent.

Section 80603 of the IIJA standardizes information reporting by brokers of digital assets to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax purposes by modifying Section 6045 of the Internal Revenue Code. The aim of this provision is to provide more certainty for Americans looking to invest in these digital assets, ensuring that crypto investors receive the same tax documents, generally a Form 1099-B, from their brokers that stock traders receive, which in turn will enable them to file their taxes more easily and promote higher compliance. This provision is one of the first efforts by the Federal government to better incorporate digital assets, like virtual currency, into our nation’s tax code.

Some market participants have expressed concern that an overly-broad interpretation of this provision’s definition of “broker” could capture certain individuals who are solely involved with validating distributed ledger transactions through mining, staking, or other methods, and entities solely providing software or hardware solutions enabling users to maintain custody of their own digital asset wallets.

As Senator Portman and Senator Warner articulated in a colloquy on the floor of the Senate on August 9, 2021, “[t]he purpose of this provision is not to impose new reporting requirements on people who do not meet the definition of brokers.” Further, our understanding from both the Administration and the Joint Committee on Taxation is that they shared the same interpretation of the provision as its authors: that the reporting requirements only cover brokers who enable the transfer of digital assets for consideration —and not other parties which are ancillary to the process unless they are serving in an additional capacity as brokers.

We urge you to engage in rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in an expeditious manner. However, because of the need for certainty and the time required for rulemaking under the APA, we urge the Department of the Treasury to provide information or informal guidance as soon as possible – no later than the end of the current calendar year – regarding the definition of “broker” as discussed during the legislative process. We are also prepared to offer legislation to further clarify that intent.

We thank you and your team for working with us in implementing this IIJA provision. We ask that you carefully consider the characteristics of the technologies which drive this space, which may include differences in the consensus mechanisms of various distributed ledgers and second layer protocols. We have conveyed to our constituents that we will continue working with you to ensure that the provision is implemented as Congress intended, and we look forward to doing so.

Digital assets could be impactful technological developments in certain sectors, and clear guidelines on tax reporting requirements will be important to those in this ecosystem. It will be important that we continue to work to provide further clarity, and to help ensure that the United States remains a global leader in financial innovation and development, while ensuring that this technology does not become a vector for illicit finance, tax evasion, or other criminal activity.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON –U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced Virginia transit and highway systems are expected to receive more than $8 billion in federal funds over the next five years as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure deal signed into law last month.

“The bipartisan infrastructure law is delivering real, hard-fought wins to communities across the Commonwealth and the nation to maintain our roads, bridges, and rail,” the senators said. “Already we are seeing the impact this meaningful legislation will have throughout Virginia.”

Virginia’s transit systems are expected to receive over $1.2 billion over the next five years. The funds are expected to be distributed as follows:

Blacksburg, VA: $18,442,213
Bristol, VA – Bristol TN: $7,893,935
Charlottesville, VA: $19,185,122
Fredericksburg, VA: $20,992,768
Harrisonburg, VA: $14,476,058
Kingsport, TN-VA: $11,780,158
Lynchburg, VA: $18,976,348
Richmond, VA: $104,922,587
Roanoke, VA: $22,258,920
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA: $6,770,544
Virginia Beach, VA: $176,559,982
Washington, DC-VA-MD: $2,742,614,626
Williamsburg, VA: $14,401,113
Winchester, VA: $8,736,841

Additionally, as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Virginia transit systems will be able to compete for approximately $34.7 billion in nationwide discretionary grant programs for important priorities like improving bus and train station accessibility and expanding rural transit options.

The bill also renews the federal funding commitment for WMATA through fiscal year 2030, which means $1.2 billion for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority over the next eight years to ensure the Metro is safe and efficient for Virginians.

In addition, Virginia’s highways, bridges, and electric vehicle charging stations are expected to receive over $7.7 billion in funding over the next five years. The funding will be distributed by program as follows:

National Highway Performance Program: $3,821,862,528
Surface Transportation Block Grant: $1,859,284,475
Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program: $536,761,305
Highway Safety Improvement Program: $408,582,208
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program: $311,405,743
PROTECT Formula Program: $188,510,787
National Highway Freight Program: 183,657,838
Carbon Reduction Program: $165,786,199
National Vehicle Electric Formula: $106,376,132
Appalachian Development Highway System: $102,835,469
Metropolitan Planning: $51,902,542
Railway-Highway Crossings Program: $24,798,925

The funding represents a portion of federal funds headed to Virginia as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan, once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure that was negotiated by Sen. Warner and strongly supported by Sen. Kaine. Last week, the Senators announced that Virginia airports are slated to receive $400 million over the next five years as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) led members of the Virginia congressional delegation in requesting at least $159 million in federal funding for the Norfolk Harbor Widening and Deepening project. In a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Shalanda Young and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor, the lawmakers requested that this funding be approved in part through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fiscal Year 2022 Work Plan, and through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“Deepening Norfolk Harbor to 55 feet from its current 50 feet depth and widening Thimble Shoal Channel to 1,400 feet will enable safe, two-way traffic in and out of the harbor and will help prevent delays to commercial and military vessels – a necessity in today’s global trading landscape,” the lawmakers wrote. “Expanding Norfolk Harbor to allow for two-way traffic will also help prevent backlogs of commercial vessels that could cause costly delays and supply chain disruptions that are currently affecting some port facilities across the U.S.”

In their letter, the Members of Congress stressed the importance of federal funds in enabling the project’s on-time completion, as well as the important role the Port of Virginia plays in both the state and national economy.

“The Port of Virginia is a commercial and economic engine for the United States and continues to play an integral role in American foreign and domestic commerce and trade. Federal investment into this project will allow the Port to remain a prominent economic hub for the nation and a key player in domestic and international trade by generating more than $3.9 billion in net national economic development benefits,” they continued.

Specifically, the lawmakers requested that a minimum of $75.3 million in funding be made available through the bipartisan infrastructure law that was passed earlier this year. These federal dollars would go towards fully funding construction of the inner harbor and advancing construction of the Atlantic Ocean Channel – measures that would help address capacity constraints at the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area.

Additionally, the lawmakers requested that at least $83.7 million in funding be maintained in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Fiscal Year 2022 Work Plan, which allocates funding for civil works projects across the nation each fiscal year. Earlier this year, Sen. Warner celebrated the inclusion of $83.7 million in funding for the Norfolk Harbor project in President Biden’s budget request. These proposed funds were subsequently included in the spending bills approved by the House and Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittees. If included in the FY22 Work Plan, these federal dollars would fund construction for the Newport News Channel and a portion of the inner harbor.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long been strong advocates for the Norfolk Harbor project. In February, Sen. Warner spoke about the importance of the project during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. Sen. Warner also led the Virginia congressional delegation in a letter to OMB requesting a New Start designation for the project in January of this year. This request was also made in 2020. In July, Sen. Kaine advocated for the project to Assistant Secretary Connor as part of his nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. In 2018, Sens. Warner and Kaine successfully fought for the inclusion of the Norfolk Harbor Widening and Deepening project, in addition to other coastal resiliency programs, in the bipartisan water infrastructure bill.

In addition to Sen. Warner, the letter was signed by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Donald McEachin (D-VA), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

Full text of the letter is here and below.

The Honorable Shalanda Young

Acting Director

Office of Management and Budget

725 17th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20503

The Honorable Michael L. Connor

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

441 G Street, NW

Washington, DC 20314

Dear Acting Director Young and Assistant Secretary Connor:

As lawmakers representing the Commonwealth of Virginia, we write today concerning funding needs for the Norfolk Harbor and Channels Widening and Deepening project. In order to keep this essential project for Virginia on schedule, we request at least $159 million in federal funding in Fiscal Year 2022 through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fiscal Year 2022 Work Plan and funding made available through the recently enacted bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The Port of Virginia is one of the largest and busiest ports on the East Coast and is one of the Commonwealth’s most powerful economic engines. Annually, the Port of Virginia is responsible for more than 400,000 jobs and $92 billion in spending across Virginia and generates more than seven and half percent of the Commonwealth’s Gross State Product. The Port’s reach also extends throughout the Mid-Atlantic and into the Ohio Valley and Midwest. U.S. exports account for more than half of its container movements and serve a robust rail market to and from American farmers and manufacturers throughout the Midwest and Ohio Valley.

The widening and deepening of Norfolk Harbor is essential to continue safe and timely passage of ever-increasing commercial and military vessels through the harbor. Deepening Norfolk Harbor to 55 feet from its current 50 feet depth and widening Thimble Shoal Channel to 1,400 feet will enable safe, two-way traffic in and out of the harbor and will help prevent delays to commercial and military vessels – a necessity in today’s global trading landscape. Expanding Norfolk Harbor to allow for two-way traffic will also help prevent backlogs of commercial vessels that could cause costly delays and supply chain disruptions that are currently affecting some port facilities across the U.S.

Construction on the first constructible element of the Norfolk Harbor project, deepening Thimble Shoal Channel – West, began in December 2019, 18 months ahead of schedule. In August 2021, the Port awarded a contract to deepen and widen Thimble Shoal Channel – East. Both segments are scheduled to be complete by August 2022. Both contracts are funded and administered by the Port and are in full compliance with federal standards under a Memorandum of Understanding with USACE in July 2017. Further, the construction work is eligible as Work-In-Kind once a Project Partnership Agreement is signed. The Commonwealth of Virginia has provided full funding of $20 million for Preconstruction Engineering and Design and $330 million for construction in its FY19-20 biennial budget.

We were pleased that the President’s FY22 Budget Request included $83.7 million and a New Start designation for the Norfolk Harbor project. We were also pleased to see this funding maintained in the House and Senate Fiscal Year 2022 Energy and Water Subcommittee Appropriations bills. As the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations process continues, we respectfully request this amount be maintained in the USACE Fiscal Year 2022 Work Plan. This amount will fund construction for the Newport News Channel and a portion of the inner harbor. In addition, we request at least $75.3 million in funding through the recently signed IIJA to fully fund inner harbor construction and advance Atlantic Ocean Channel construction to address capacity constraints at the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area. Allocating at least $159 million in federal funding to Norfolk Harbor in Fiscal Year 2022 will allow this nationally significant project to remain on track for completion by early 2025.

The Port of Virginia is a commercial and economic engine for the United States and continues to play an integral role in American foreign and domestic commerce and trade. Federal investment into this project will allow the Port to remain a prominent economic hub for the nation and a key player in domestic and international trade by generating more than $3.9 billion in net national economic development benefits. Completion of this project will also support the construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project – a 2.6-gigawatt commercial offshore wind project off Virginia’s coast that will power up to 660,000 Virginia homes and the Commonwealth’s push to become a hub for offshore wind development along the East Coast.

Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding this request. We look forward to continue working with you to support this critical project for Virginia and our nation’s ports and harbors.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – On the busiest air travel day of the year, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that airports in Virginia are expected to receive $399,740,660 in federal funds over the next five years as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure deal signed into law last week.

The funding will be distributed to Virginia airports over five years as follows:

Washington Dulles International: $120,399,725
Ronald Reagan Washington National: $116,734,485
Richmond International: $35,608,215
Norfolk International: $33,098,390
Charlottesville-Albemarle: $15,444,835
Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional: $14,977,645
Newport News/Williamsburg International: $10,194,005
Lynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn Field: $6,497,230
Shenandoah Valley Regional: $5,066,130
Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field: $3,735,000
Leesburg Executive: $3,735,000
Virginia Highlands: $1,480,000
Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive: $1,480,000
Culpeper Regional: $1,480,000
Danville Regional: $1,480,000
New River Valley: $1,480,000
Blue Ridge: $1,480,000
Chesapeake Regional: $1,480,000
Hampton Roads Executive: $1,480,000
Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County: $1,480,000
Hanover County Municipal: $1,480,000
Warrenton-Fauquier: $1,480,000
Winchester Regional: $1,480,000
Franklin Regional: $790,000
Front Royal-Warren County: $790,000
Twin County: $790,000
Louisa County/Freeman Field: $790,000
Luray Caverns: $790,000
Mountain Empire: $790,000
Accomack County: $790,000
Orange County: $790,000
Dinwiddie County: $790,000
New Kent County: $790,000
William M. Tuck: $790,000
Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional: $790,000
Stafford Regional: $790,000
Suffolk Executive: $790,000
Tappahannock-Essex County: $790,000
Middle Peninsula Regional: $790,000
Emporia-Greensville Regional: $550,000
Farmville Regional: $550,000
Ingalls Field: $550,000
Lee County: $550,000
Tazewell County: $550,000
Tangier Island: $550,000
Lonesome Pine: $550,000
Brookneal/Campbell County: $550,000

The funding represents Virginia’s share of $15 billion in direct grants to airports expected around the country as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan, once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness that was negotiated by Sen. Warner and strongly supported by Sen. Kaine.

###

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Jon Tester (D-MT) issued the following statement after the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law. The law represents the largest investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history.

“Today’s signing of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a victory for all Americans. When Congress puts America’s needs over politics, we make genuine progress. We were proud to work together on this historic investment in our nation’s core infrastructure to modernize roads and bridges, strengthen rail and transit systems, upgrade ports, expand broadband access, improve water systems, and increase the resiliency of the nation’s energy grid. It strengthens our economy without raising taxes or increasing inflation. This legislation will positively impact every American.”

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after attending the White House bill signing ceremony for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

“It’s with great pride that we applaud President Biden’s signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – a historic law that will bring critically-overdue funding into our communities and create a new generation of good-paying American jobs. The investments made possible by this law will bring Virginia’s infrastructure into the twenty-first century by fixing crumbling roadways, bolstering public transit systems, bridging the broadband gap, and strengthening our coastal resiliency. As former governors of Virginia, we know that getting a bill signed into law is only the beginning, and we’ll be working with folks on the ground to ensure this bill is implemented quickly and efficiently.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a comprehensive infrastructure package that delivers wins to communities across the Commonwealth and the nation to maintain our roads, bridges, rail systems, and other critical infrastructure needs, including:

Roads, Bridges, and Major Projects:

$110 billion to repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on equity, safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians, and first of its kind attention to climate change mitigation and resilience. This includes:
- $40 billion for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, which is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system.
- $7 billion for Virginia highways and $537 million for Virginia bridge replacement and repairs over five years.
- In Virginia, there are 577 bridges and over 2,124 miles of highway in poor condition.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Public Transit:

Renews the federal funding commitment for WMATA through fiscal year 2030 at current annual levels. The federal government’s commitment to WMATA funding is based on legislation previously introduced by Senators Warner and Kaine.
An estimated $1.2 billion over five years to improve public transportation in Virginia.
Over $39 billion over five years for public transit systems across the nation.

Rail:

$66 billion for passenger and freight rail to upgrade speed, accessibility, efficiency, and resilience, including $22 billion in grants to Amtrak, $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization, $12 billion for partnership grants for intercity rail service including high-speed rail, $5 billion for rail improvement and safety grants, and $3 billion for grade crossing safety improvements.
These dollars will help Virginia fund current projects announced with CSX, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and VRE — such as the $1.9 billion Long Bridge project that both Senators Warner and Kaine supported by successfully passing their Long Bridge Act of 2020 as part of the FY21 Omnibus. The legislation allowed for the construction of a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River to double the capacity of rail crossing between Virginia and DC, but still required federal funding to move forward.
- This funding will improve reliability and travel options not just in Virginia, but along the East Coast.

Airports, Ports, and Waterways:

$25 billion to improve our nation’s airports including runways, gates, terminals, and concessions.
$16.6 billion for port infrastructure to fund waterway and coastal infrastructure, inland waterway improvements, and land ports of entry.

Army Corps of Engineers:

$9.55 billion for Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure priorities like harbor dredging, coastal resiliency, and repairing damages to Corps Projects caused by natural disasters.

Broadband:

$65 billion for broadband deployment to increase access and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet.
Virginia will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to expand broadband across the Commonwealth, including providing access to the at least 473,000 Virginians who currently lack it.
1,908,000 or 23% of people in Virginia will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.

Resilience:

$47 billion for climate resilience measures that will help our communities weather increasingly severe storms, droughts, floods, fires, heat waves, and sea level rise, including funding for FEMA flood mitigation grants, making infrastructure investments to increase coastal resilience, and improving mapping and data so that households and businesses can better protect themselves from future flood events.
$238 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program for ecosystem resiliency and restoration.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging:

$7.5 billion to build electric vehicle charging stations across the country along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop.
$2.5 billion for electric, zero-emission school buses.
An estimated $106 million for Virginia over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the Commonwealth. Virginia will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

Support for Minority Businesses:

The legislation includes a provision based on Senator Kaine and Senator Wicker’s Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act, introduced in May 2021.
The provision will enable the Minority Business Development Agency to partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to establish business centers to support minority-owned small businesses in rural areas to provide education, training, and technical assistance to help them grow and thrive.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement applauding House passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

“With tonight’s passage in the House of Representatives, Congress is finally doing what it has been promising for generations: investing in America’s infrastructure. This bipartisan package will fix crumbling roads and bridges, improve travel by air, rail and water, expand broadband access and boost our economic recovery. We are proud that this bill is now heading to the President’s desk for signature, and we look forward to working with our colleagues and President Biden in the days and weeks ahead to enact further priorities to help Virginians.”

Roads, Bridges, and Major Projects:

· $110 billion to repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on equity, safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians, and first of its kind attention to climate change mitigation and resilience. This includes:

o $40 billion for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, which is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system.

o $7 billion for Virginia highways and $537 million for Virginia bridge replacement and repairs over five years.

o In Virginia, there are 577 bridges and over 2,124 miles of highway in poor condition.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Public Transit:

· Renews the federal funding commitment for WMATA through fiscal year 2030 at current annual levels. The federal government’s commitment to WMATA funding is based on legislation previously introduced by Senators Warner and Kaine.

· An estimated $1.2 billion over five years to improve public transportation in Virginia.

· Over $39 billion over five years for public transit systems across the nation.

Rail:

· $66 billion for passenger and freight rail to upgrade speed, accessibility, efficiency, and resilience, including $22 billion in grants to Amtrak, $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization, $12 billion for partnership grants for intercity rail service including high-speed rail, $5 billion for rail improvement and safety grants, and $3 billion for grade crossing safety improvements.

· These dollars will help Virginia fund current projects announced with CSX, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and VRE — such as the $1.9 billion Long Bridge project that both Senators Warner and Kaine supported by successfully passing their Long Bridge Act of 2020 as part of the FY21 Omnibus. The legislation allowed for the construction of a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River to double the capacity of rail crossing between Virginia and DC, but still required federal funding to move forward.

o This funding will improve reliability and travel options not just in Virginia, but along the East Coast.

Airports, Ports, and Waterways:

· $25 billion to improve our nation’s airports including runways, gates, terminals, and concessions.

· $17 billion for port infrastructure to fund waterway and coastal infrastructure, inland waterway improvements, and land ports of entry.

Army Corps of Engineers:

· $9.55 billion for Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure priorities like harbor dredging, coastal resiliency, and repairing damages to Corps Projects caused by natural disasters.

Broadband:

· $65 billion for broadband deployment to increase access and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet.

· Virginia will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to expand broadband across the Commonwealth, including providing access to the at least 473,000 Virginians who currently lack it.

· 1,908,000 or 23% of people in Virginia will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.

Resilience:

· $47 billion for climate resilience measures that will help our communities weather increasingly severe storms, droughts, floods, fires, heat waves, and sea level rise, including funding for FEMA flood mitigation grants, making infrastructure investments to increase coastal resilience, and improving mapping and data so that households and businesses can better protect themselves from future flood events.

· $238 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program for ecosystem resiliency and restoration.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging:

· $7.5 billion to build electric vehicle charging stations across the country along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop.

· $2.5 billion for electric, zero-emission school buses.

· An estimated $106 million for Virginia over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the Commonwealth. Virginia will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

Support for Minority Businesses:

· The legislation includes a provision based on Senator Kaine and Senator Wicker’s Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act, introduced in May 2021.

· The provision will enable the Minority Business Development Agency to partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to establish business centers to support minority-owned small businesses in rural areas to provide education, training, and technical assistance to help them grow and thrive.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (Both D-Va.) and Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (Both D-Md.) wrote to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) CEO Paul Wiedefeld Thursday urging cooperation, transparency, and action to address safety concerns and restore public confidence in the transit agency.

The senators called for WMATA’s full cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission in the effort to identify the factors leading to last week’s derailment, and that this cooperation must include answering questions about the history of WMATA’s awareness, since as early as 2017, of safety concerns with the 7000 series cars.

“Residents of the National Capital Region deserve a safe, reliable, and well-functioning transit system,” the senators wrote. “While your cooperation and information sharing with the NTSB and WMSC require your urgent attention, please know that we will be eager to hear from you in a timely manner on your plans to address the specific safety concerns associated with last week’s derailment, to restore public confidence in your organization, and to embed safety more effectively into your organizational culture—a repeated focus of our discussions with you since you took the helm of WMATA six years ago.”

The full letter follows and can be downloaded here.

Mr. Paul J. Wiedefeld

General Manager and CEO

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

600 5th Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001

Dear Mr. Wiedefeld:

We regret that we must write to you about another safety issue with Metrorail. Last week’s derailment of WMATA Train 407, a Kawasaki-made 7000 series railcar, near Arlington Cemetery thankfully ended without fatalities or serious injuries. However, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has indicated that the nature of the derailment and the equipment failure that made it possible could have led to a much worse outcome. It is imperative that WMATA cooperate fully with the NTSB and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) to ascertain all factors that led to this derailment and to implement a lasting solution to the Kawasaki 7000 series rail cars’ susceptibility to failure and to prevent future derailments. WMATA’s transparency with the public throughout this process is critical.

We appreciate your early indications that you will cooperate with the NTSB investigation. Our expectation is that this will include thorough and timely responses to questions about the history of WMATA’s awareness of safety concerns with the 7000 series rail cars. We are deeply troubled by the possibility that WMATA knew about this safety concern as early as 2017, but failed to implement a course of action sufficient to prevent last week’s derailment.

Residents of the National Capital Region deserve a safe, reliable, and well-functioning transit system. While your cooperation and information sharing with the NTSB and WMSC require your urgent attention, please know that we will be eager to hear from you in a timely manner on your plans to address the specific safety concerns associated with last week’s derailment, to restore public confidence in your organization, and to embed safety more effectively into your organizational culture—a repeated focus of our discussions with you since you took the helm of WMATA six years ago.

In addition, the abrupt reduction in service has been difficult for riders. We appreciate the briefings that have been provided or scheduled thus far. Please continue to provide us and the public with details on the actions WMATA is taking to assist riders, including steps to expand bus service, provide accurate train schedules and real-time arrival information, and protect public health in stations and on trains and buses while the rail system operates with a reduced fleet.

We look forward to more complete information on WMATA’s plans to address these serious concerns. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $9,595,563 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help fund projects at two airports in the Commonwealth. The funding does not require the standard 10 percent local match, thanks to the American Rescue Plan supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine.

“Investment in our Commonwealth’s infrastructure makes life easier for every Virginian. We are excited to see this funding go towards making improvements to our airports as travel restrictions begin to ease following the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the Senators.

The funding will be distributed as follows:

Leesburg Executive Airport will receive $3,990,000 in federal funds to construct an apron.
Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport will receive $5,605,563 to extend a runway.

These funds come after Sens. Warner and Kaine helped to secure an additional $15 billion for Airport Improvement Grants in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the U.S. Senate on August 10^th and awaits consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement in response to reports that General Motors plans to halt production temporarily at nearly all North American plants due to the shortage of semiconductor chips:

“The continuing impact of the chip shortage – epitomized most recently in the news that GM will be forced to idle plants across North America – speaks to the urgency of passing bipartisan legislation to fund new semiconductor production in the United States. While the impact of this funding will not solve the global semiconductor shortage overnight, the longer we wait, the worse this supply chain crunch will become. I would urge my House colleagues to pass the legislation funding my bill as soon as possible.”

Sen. Warner, co-chair of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus and former technology entrepreneur, has long sounded the alarm about the importance of investing in domestic semiconductor manufacturing. In June, he applauded the Senate passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act, bipartisan legislation that includes Warner-led provisions to shore up American leadership in the microelectronics industry.

The United States Innovation and Competition Act – also known by an earlier name, the Endless Frontier Act – would help invest in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, packaging and advanced research and development by investing $52 billion to implement the CHIPS for America Act, a bipartisan law championed by Sen. Warner to help restore semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement applauding Senate passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the largest investment in America’s infrastructure needs in generations:

“We’re thrilled to have voted today to bring this legislation one step closer to becoming law,” said the Senators. “This bill will make important investments in our nation’s recovery and long-term economic stability. By putting Americans back to work in good-paying jobs and working to fix our crumbling infrastructure, we will help spur economic growth and ensure the U.S. leads the world in innovation. We’ll continue working to help Virginia recover from the widespread job losses we’ve seen over the past year and build back better for generations to come.”

Roads, Bridges, and Major Projects:

$110 billion to repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on equity, safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians, and first of its kind attention to climate change mitigation and resilience. This includes:
- $40 billion for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, which is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system.
- $7 billion for Virginia highways and $537 million for Virginia bridge replacement and repairs over five years.
- In Virginia, there are 577 bridges and over 2,124 miles of highway in poor condition.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Public Transit:

Reauthorizes federal funding for WMATA through fiscal year 2030 at current annual levels. The WMATA reauthorization is based on legislation previously introduced by Senators Warner and Kaine.
An estimated $1.2 billion over five years to improve public transportation in Virginia.
$39 billion over five years for public transit systems across the nation.

Rail:

$66 billion in passenger rail to upgrade speed, accessibility, efficiency, and resilience, including $22 billion in grants to Amtrak, $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization, $12 billion for partnership grants for intercity rail service including high-speed rail, $5 billion for rail improvement and safety grants, and $3 billion for grade crossing safety improvements.
These dollars will help Virginia fund current projects announced with CSX, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and VRE — such as the $1.9 billion Long Bridge project that both Senators Warner and Kaine supported by successfully passing their Long Bridge Act of 2020 as part of the FY21 Omnibus. The legislation allowed for the construction of a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River to double the capacity of rail crossing between Virginia and DC, but still required federal funding to move forward.
- This funding will improve reliability and travel options not just in Virginia, but along the East Coast.

Airports, Ports, and Waterways:

$25 billion to improve our nation’s airports including runways, gates, terminals, and concessions.
$17 billion for port infrastructure to fund waterway and coastal infrastructure, inland waterway improvements, and land ports of entry.

Army Corps of Engineers:

$9.55 billion for Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure priorities like harbor dredging, coastal resiliency, and repairing damages to Corps Projects caused by natural disasters.

Broadband:

$65 billion for broadband deployment to increase access and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet.
Virginia will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to expand broadband across the Commonwealth, including providing access to the at least 473,000 Virginians who currently lack it.
1,908,000 or 23% of people in Virginia will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.

Resilience:

$47 billion for climate resilience measures that will help our communities weather increasingly severe storms, droughts, floods, fires, heat waves, and sea level rise, including funding for FEMA flood mitigation grants, making infrastructure investments to increase coastal resilience, and improving mapping and data so that households and businesses can better protect themselves from future flood events.
$238 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program for ecosystem resiliency and restoration.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging:

$7.5 billion to build electric vehicle charging stations across the country along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop.
$2.5 billion for electric, zero-emission school buses.
An estimated $106 million for Virginia over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the Commonwealth. Virginia will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

Support for Minority Businesses:

The legislation includes a provision based on Senator Kaine and Senator Wicker’s Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act, introduced in May 2021.
The provision will enable the Minority Business Development Agency to partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to establish business centers to support minority-owned small businesses in rural areas to provide education, training, and technical assistance to help them grow and thrive.

###

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Jon Tester (D-MT) issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to approve the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a bipartisan vote of 69-30. The bill represents the largest investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history.

“This vote is a historic victory for the American people. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will modernize and upgrade our roads, bridges, ports, and other key infrastructure assets. In doing so, this landmark piece of legislation will create jobs, increase productivity, and pave the way for decades of economic growth and prosperity – all without raising taxes on everyday Americans or increasing inflation.

“Importantly, this achievement is a testament to what we can achieve when we join together and do the hard work it takes to move our country forward. This historic bill is the product of months of good-faith negotiations between Republicans and Democrats unified in their desire to do right by the American people.

“Congress has talked about truly modernizing our nation’s infrastructure for as long as we can remember. The United States Senate delivered so that we can finally give the American people the safe, reliable, and modern infrastructure they deserve.”

###

WASHINGTON – Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) conducted a colloquy to clarify the scope and intent of a provision in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act regarding implementing information reporting requirements for cryptocurrency brokers. Portman and Warner discussed how under the bill, a broker is defined as “any person who (for consideration) is responsible for regularly providing any service effectuating transfers of digital assets on behalf of another person.” For tax purposes this means a sale on behalf of someone else.

Warner and Portman noted how the Treasury Department, the nonpartisan Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation and others believe that the current language is clear that the reporting requirements only cover brokers, and would exclude people who are solely involved with validating distributed ledger transactions through proof of work, proof of stake, and other validation methods that will be developed and come to market as the technology evolves, as well as persons solely engaged in the business of selling hardware or software that allows people to access their private keys.

Warner and Portman closed by emphasizing the need to bring clarity and legitimacy for the cryptocurrency industry and to strike the appropriate balance between capturing the promised benefits, and guarding against the potential for serious abuse and creation of a shadow financial system beyond the reach of established rules to combat illicit finance and tax evasion.

A transcript of the colloquy can be found below and a video can be found here:

Senator Portman: “I rise today to clarify the provisions in the underlying bill text that we are working on this evening.

“As we know cryptocurrency is a digital asset that more and more people are investing in, and we should want that to continue in a healthy and sustainable way. I would like to discuss the provisions in the bill that address information reporting requirements for digital asset brokers.

“Under IRS rules, sales or exchanges of assets like digital assets give rise to gain or loss in the same manner as sales of securities. Taxpayers who sell stocks or other securities through a broker receive an information return, IRS Form 1099-B, that provides information on the gross proceeds and the basis of those sales. Those information returns are prepared by their brokers or custodians, or other agents involved in the effecting of the sales.

“Today there is a lack of clarity on how these reporting rules apply to digital asset transactions.

“The underlying bill has two simple provisions to address that.

“The cryptocurrency provision in the bill makes it clearer as to who counts as a broker within this market. Under the bill, a broker is defined as quote ‘any person who (for consideration) is responsible for regularly providing any service effectuating transfers of digital assets on behalf of another person.’ For tax purposes, this means a sale on behalf of someone else.

“The concern has been expressed that some in the cryptocurrency industry who are not brokers would be caught up in this definition. The Treasury Department, the nonpartisan Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, and others believe that the current language is clear enough that the reporting requirements only cover brokers. The purpose of this discussion is to further clarify that is the actual intent of the underlying bill. I think that’s important. That’s the goal we had in our discussions over a compromise amendment, but unfortunately we have been unable to consider and adopt that amendment thus far in this debate.

“Some of us were on this floor today, including Senator Lummis, Senator Warner, Senator Toomey, and myself to try to get that amendment passed and we were not able to do so.

“The purpose of this provision is not to impose new reporting requirements on people who do not meet the definition of brokers. For example, if you are someone who is solely involved with validating distributed ledger transactions through proof of work – commonly known as miners – if you are solely mining, you will not be considered a broker. The same would be true for proof of stake validation, and other validation methods, now or in the future, associated with other consensus mechanisms that are developed and might come into the market as the technology evolves. If you’re solely staking your digital assets for the purpose of validating distributed ledger transactions, you will not be considered a broker.

“We want to be sure that miners and stakers and others who play a key role in validating transactions now or in the future, or hardware and software sellers for digital wallets will not be subject to the rules for those activities. Again, you will need to provide the information reporting only if you are functioning as a broker.

“It is my understanding that that is true. And I ask my fellow Finance Committee member and colleague from the bipartisan working group, Senator Warner, if this is his understanding as well.”

Senator Warner: “I thank my friend, the Senator from Ohio, who has been such a leader on the underlying bill and who I have been proud to work on this clarification with on this critical issue around cryptocurrencies.

“I thank the Senator, who is correct in his understanding. I would also like to add some additional clarifications. The bill ensures that digital asset market players who provide a platform to facilitate digital asset trades by taxpayers will be considered brokers required to report information to the IRS and taxpayers about those transactions. Reporting entities may be digital asset exchanges or hosted wallet providers, often called custodians, or other agents involved in effectuating digital asset transactions.

“The bill recognizes that digital assets are different from stocks and bonds. For example, some taxpayers regularly transfer digital assets between digital asset exchanges, or to an off-exchange wallet and then back to an exchange. Those taxpayers need information returns that link the steps in those chains so they have the complete information they need to prepare their tax returns.

“This bill treats digital asset businesses that (for consideration) regularly effect transfers of digital assets as brokers, and provides for reporting of digital asset transfers to or by a broker, including in cases where a transfer is not directly from one broker to another.

“Senator Portman, do you have anything further to add on this item?”

Senator Portman: “Well first of all, I appreciate the clarification, to my colleague from Virginia. And Senator Warner, you are correct in your understanding.

“I would also ask Senator Warner to clarify the intent of our proposal with respect to the application of the bill to persons solely engaged in the business of validating distributed ledger transactions through proof of work, often called miners. Am I correct that under our provisions it is our understanding that Treasury and the IRS will not treat these miners as brokers?”

Senator Warner: “The Senator is entirely correct in his analysis of the application of the bill, and further, I believe, and the Treasury has indicated, that this would also be true for individuals engaged in staking their digital assets for the purpose of validating distributed ledger transactions – proof of stake – which we know to be much more environmentally sustainable. It would also be true for other validation methods associated with other consensus mechanisms, some of which are just coming to market, while others are still in developmental stage. People who solely act to validate transactions will not be treated as brokers for those validation activities.”

Senator Portman: “I would ask Senator Warner to clarify the intent of the Senate in this legislation with respect to persons solely engaged in the business of selling hardware or software that allows people to access their private keys. Am I correct that these persons would not be treated as brokers under the underlying legislation?”

Senator Warner: “I think the Senator has asked a question that has been queried by a number of folks in the media and elsewhere. The Senator is entirely correct in his analysis of the application of the bill. Those persons who do not effectuate transfers of digital assets and therefore would not be treated as brokers. If you are selling hardware or software for which the only function is to permit persons to control private keys which are used for accessing digital assets on a distributed ledger, you will not be considered to be in the business of being a broker.

“I also want to say a word about the bipartisan amendment that I worked on with Senators Portman, Sinema, Toomey, and Lummis. I am pleased that we were able to file it today, and I would have hoped that we would have gotten a vote. But I thank them for their diligence and hard work to clarify, in concert with the Treasury Department, this critical section of the bill.

“We want to ensure that taxes legitimately owed are paid, and full and accurate transaction reporting is a proven way to make that happen. We don’t, however, want to place reporting requirements on individuals who shouldn’t have them.

“The amendment memorializes the common understanding that the requirements are to apply only to persons who regularly, and for consideration, effectuate transfers of digital assets. Persons solely engaged in validating distributed ledger transactions will not be covered for those activities, whether they use proof-of-work, proof-of-stake, or some other new consensus mechanisms. Nor will they apply to persons solely engaged in selling hardware or software with the sole function of permitting someone to control private keys used to access digital assets.

“Of course, if these entities provide additional services for consideration that would qualify as brokerage, the rules would apply to them as any other broker.

“This is exciting new technology that in theory could help bring services to the underserved and reduce costs for everyone. We need, however, to strike the appropriate balance between capturing the promised benefits, and guarding against the potential for serious abuse and creation of a shadow financial system beyond the reach of established rules to combat illicit finance and tax evasion.”

Senator Portman: “I thank my friend and colleague from Virginia for those comments. Our provisions are designed to bring more clarity and legitimacy to the cryptocurrency industry by more closely aligning the reporting requirements with those of more traditional financial services. And we believe it does just that, and in doing so will help provide more certainty for people looking to invest in digital assets.

“I thank my colleague Senator Warner for coming to the floor to discuss this important provision.”

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Az.) and Rob Portman (R-Oh.) today announced an agreement on an amendment to fix digital asset reporting requirements in the infrastructure bill.

“There’s broad agreement that digital asset exchanges behaving as brokers should be required to report transactions just like other kinds of brokers already do. There is also concern that tax evasion and non-compliance are becoming significant issues surrounding cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Some have expressed confusion concerning the underlying text of the infrastructure bill, suggesting it would result in the application of reporting requirements far too broadly and ensnare individuals, developers, and other elements of this ecosystem that could not comply with a reporting mandate.

“We’ve worked with the Treasury Department to clarify the underlying text and ensure that those who are not acting as brokers will not be subject to the bill’s reporting requirements. While we each would have drafted this solution differently, we all agree it’s important to ensure that these obligations are properly crafted to apply only to entities that are regularly effectuating transactions of digital assets in exchange for consideration. To best memorialize this common understanding, we propose to incorporate this important amendment into the infrastructure bill and urge our colleagues to join us in enacting this bipartisan clarification.”

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) issued the following statement:

“Over the last four days we have worked day and night to finalize historic legislation that will invest in our nation’s hard infrastructure and create good-paying jobs for working Americans in communities across the country without raising taxes. This bipartisan bill and our shared commitment to see it across the finish line is further proof that the Senate can work. We look forward to moving this bill through the Senate and delivering for the American people.”

NOTE: The text of the legislation is attached here.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) took to the Senate floor today to highlight how communities throughout Virginia stand to benefit from the bipartisan infrastructure legislation that will soon face a vote on the Senate floor. The legislation – authored and negotiated by Sen. Warner and nine other senators from both sides of the aisle – will make once-in-a-generation investments in infrastructure that will be felt throughout Virginia.

For the Hampton Roads region, Sen. Warner highlighted: “Hampton Roads, Southeast Virginia, and the Peninsula [are] most at risk from sea level rise and questions about resiliency. More than any other region in the whole country, with the exception of New Orleans. In Hampton roads, local leaders, our Navy, nonprofits, and businesses have all come together and said, ‘We need to make sure that we grapple with sea level rise.’ It is ranked by most in those communities as the number one issue. Well, if we pass this legislation, $47 billion will go into sea level rise prevention and resiliency. That will mean a whole host of projects in Norfolk, in Portsmouth, in Virginia Beach, in Chesapeake will be finally addressed. We've got to make sure that Hampton Roads is not subject to this kind of devastating effect of sea level rise.”

Sen. Warner also detailed how the funding could help expand rail into South Hampton Roads, upgrade the Port of Virginia, and repair roads and bridges, and finish the I-64 widening project.

For the Richmond area, Sen. Warner highlighted: “Richmond has got one of the most aggressive bus transit systems – not only in Virginia but in the whole country. We have made huge investments, close to $40 billion in transit in this legislation, and some of the Richmond bus transit needs will be addressed. We also know in the Richmond area, and across the Commonwealth, we have a lot of airports. One of the things we need to continue to do is invest in our airports. Richmond International Airport is always in need of additional expansion. $25 billion to improve our airports across the country – the Richmond airport, the Norfolk airport, the Newport News airport, obviously, the Roanoke airport and others, Dulles, National, will be improved as well as the host of smaller regional airports across the Commonwealth if we make this investment.”

For Northern Virginia, Sen. Warner highlighted: “I’m very proud, that in working with Tim Kaine and the senators from Maryland, we made sure this legislation included a full eight-year reauthorization of our Metro system. We made sure that we’re making record investments in transit so that we can get Metro back up operating again on a full schedule and we can make the needed safety improvements that have been plaguing Metro for a number of years. We also know that we’ve got to continue to build out additional Metro stations in Northern Virginia. The one at Potomac Yards will be extraordinarily important to the innovation center and Amazon’s second headquarters.

“We've got to make sure as well because Metro is moving to zero-emission buses. That's good news for our climate and for our community. The question is where are those zero-emission buses going to be built? This legislation as well makes record investment in electric and other low-carbon and no-carbon buses so they can be built here, not in China.”

Sen. Warner also detailed how the funding could help advance the Longbridge project, make dramatic improvements to the VRE, and reduce traffic on Route 1.

For Roanoke, the Valley, and Southside Virginia, Sen. Warner highlighted: “For years, we have been talking about the danger on I-81. Literally, there have been prayer groups formed to pray for people who would travel on I-81 because there is so much truck traffic there that it has frankly impeded the safety of the traveling public. We have been talking about making improvements and expansions to I-81 capacity for 20 years. We have been talking about ‘how do we get the trucks off of I-81? How do we bring more rail down to Southwest and Southside?’ Well, if we pass this legislation, we will see those I-81 corridor improvements that we have all been waiting for. We will see rail not only go to Lynchburg and Roanoke but extend on down to Blacksburg and Christiansburg and hopefully all the way down to Bristol. This is terribly important to make sure that those communities have a multimodal form of transportation opportunities. Making sure we get those trucks off of I-81 – something we have been talking about for a long time. We increase the rail capacity, both freight and passenger, we'll be able to do that.

“We also know in Southside and Southwest post-COVID, that high-speed internet connectivity is not a nice-to-have, but an absolute necessity. A top priority of mine as somebody who spent more years in the telecommunications industry than I have in politics, is to make sure that we make those connections. This historic legislation will invest $65 billion for broadband. That investment, building on governor Northam's $700 million investment from Virginia’s American Rescue Plan funds, will make sure that every household across the Commonwealth has access to high-speed internet connectivity, not five years from now or ten years from now, but in the next couple of years.”

For Southwest Virginia, Sen. Warner highlighted: “Across Southwest Virginia, and for that matter, across all of Virginia, we still have families in far Southwest that don't have access to clean drinking water on a regular basis, that still have to sometimes haul their water in the back of a pickup truck up to some cistern; they don't have access to clean drinking water in 2021. Well, $55 billion will go to water projects in this legislation, and whether they be accessed through clean drinking water on a regular basis, or whether it be taking out the lead pipes that haunt too many of our urban communities, or the storm and sewer systems that are frankly, in some cases, 60, 70, 80 years old and simply wearing out, we can make that investment as well.

“Now, there are a series of other areas in this legislation that are equally important, but at the end of the day, I can't think of a bill that I have worked on that will have more direct effect on the lives of every Virginian over the next five years – in terms of how you get to work, how you get to school, how you manage to take the kids out on the weekends, how our commerce moves, how we get our water, how we get our internet – than this record-setting $550 billion bipartisan investment in infrastructure.”

Concluded Sen. Warner, “We have talked about this for 30 years. We are literally days away from this passing the United States Senate. We've got to finish the job and get it done.”

The floor speech in its entirety is available here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement applauding the Senate vote to advance the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, the largest investment in America’s infrastructure needs in generations:

“The success of our recovery and long-term economic stability will depend on our ability to invest in our nation’s infrastructure needs and put Americans back to work in good-paying jobs,” said the Senators. “This Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework makes strategic investments in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, which will spur economic growth, create in-demand jobs, and ensure the United States continues to lead the world in innovation. As our country continues to recover from the widespread job losses we’ve seen over the past year, we will continue working in Congress to provide Virginians with the resources they need to build back better for generations to come.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework is a comprehensive infrastructure package that delivers wins to communities across the Commonwealth and the nation to maintain our roads, bridges, rail systems, and other critical infrastructure needs, including:

A historic investment in broadband infrastructure to ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet;
$17 billion in port infrastructure and $25 billion in airports;
The largest federal investment in public transit ever;
The largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak;
The single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system;
The largest investment in clean drinking water and waste water infrastructure in American history to deliver clean water to millions of families; and
The largest investment in clean energy transmission and EV infrastructure in history; electrifying thousands of school and transit buses across the country; and creating a new Grid Development Authority to build a clean, 21st century electric grid and help tackle the climate crisis.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)issued the following statement:

“We are proud to announce we have reached a bipartisan agreement on our proposal to make the strongest investment in America’s critical infrastructure in a generation. Our plan will create good-paying jobs in communities across our country without raising taxes. Reaching this agreement was no easy task—but our constituents expect us to put in the hard work and show that two parties can still work together to address the needs of the American people. We appreciate our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and the administration, working with us to get this done and we look forward to earning broad, bipartisan support among our Senate colleagues for this historic legislation.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) appeared on Fox News Sunday with Martha MacCallum to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework and America’s critical infrastructure needs.

On having a bipartisan infrastructure bill come Monday:

“Martha, I believe we will because the one thing I hear all across Virginia the last couple of days, people want us to invest in our infrastructure. If you step back, you know, we have in -- we are investing at about half the rate that we invested in our infrastructure as we did in the 1990s. As a matter of fact, infrastructure became, as you know, a joke line during the last of administration. They kept promising they were going to do infrastructure. It never came to pass. A group of us, ten of us, five Democrats, five Republicans, have been working on this for the last couple of months. This is the same group who actually put together the last COVID-19 deal under President Trump, so we know each other, we trust each other. I think you're going to see whether it's $100 billion plus for roads and bridges, whether it's close to $50 billion for resiliency those coasts for having sea level rise, whether it's making the kind of investments in cleaner buses. For example, our country is going to buy 20,000 new school buses over the next couple of years. Should those buses be made in China are made in America? I think they ought to be made in America, and there's a host of new things around making our grades smarter. Broadband, I think we've got a menu of options, and candidly, we've had those menus of spending items agreed to for weeks. We have had to work through because my Republican colleagues did not want to use enhanced or actually make sure we follow our IRS tax laws, so we had to replace some of those pay fors. We're down to the last couple of items, and I think you're going to see a bill Monday afternoon.”

On voting on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and budget reconciliation before August recess:

“I sure want to, and by the way, I mean, there's a little bit of workmanship going on here. There was a half-dozen times when Mitch McConnell was the leader of the senate where he would put up what's called a shell bill because you're not finished with the details. Then you substitute the actual text once you get into the negotiations because there will be amendments on this infrastructure bill. But, still, we will have that text; it will be out there tomorrow. After we're done with the bipartisan bill, I would love to have some of my Republican friends join on the reconciliation left for it, the larger effort that looks at things like universal preschool, that looks at things like free community college, that looks at things like a broad based tax cut for every family that has a child in terms of the child tax credit. I would hope some Republicans would join us on that, but if not, I think the group of 50 Democrats have to work through that resolution as well.”

Video of Sen. Warner’s interview on Fox News Sunday can be found here. A transcript follows.

Fox News Sunday

MARTHA MACCALLUM: So you said you thought there would be an infrastructure bill that could be looked at on Monday and that you all were working through the weekend. Will you have that bill in place for everybody to look at come tomorrow?

SEN MARK WARNER: Martha, I believe we will because the one thing I hear all across Virginia the last couple of days, people want us to invest in our infrastructure. If you step back, you know, we have in -- we are investing at about half the rate that we invested in our infrastructure as we did in the 1990s. As a matter of fact, infrastructure became, as you know, a joke line during the last of administration. They kept promising they were going to do infrastructure. It never came to pass. A group of us, ten of us, five Democrats, five Republicans, have been working on this for the last couple of months. This is the same group who actually put together the last COVID-19 deal under President Trump, so we know each other, we trust each other. I think you're going to see whether it's $100 billion plus for roads and bridges, whether it's close to $50 billion for resiliency those coasts for having sea level rise, whether it's making the kind of investments in cleaner buses. For example, our country is going to buy 20,000 new school buses over the next couple of years. Should those buses be made in china are made in America? I think they ought to be made in America, and there's a host of new things around making our grades smarter. Broadband, I think we've got a menu of options, and candidly, we've had those menus of spending items agreed to for weeks. We have had to work through because my Republican colleagues did not want to use enhanced or actually make sure we follow our IRS tax laws, so we had to replace some of those pay fors. We're down to the last couple of items, and I think you're going to see a bill Monday afternoon.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: I know there was that dispute over whether the IRS part of that deal would go through. Would you want to see $800 billion in unspent COVID-19 funds? Is that going to happen?

SEN MARK WARNER: Well, the interesting thing, Martha, is everybody was for some of these unspent COVID-19 funds that came from the 2020 legislation. Again, most of that legislation passed under President Trump, everybody is for scraping most dollars until you go back and look at the actual programs. For example, hospital relief. For example, some of the programs for small businesses. We have agreed jointly on roughly $70 billion of funds that were not already spent that will be redeployed to help pay for this infrastructure package.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: What do you say to the criticism?

SEN MARK WARNER: The challenge, Martha, is that you've got folks who want to make big, bold statements but sometimes don't want to roll up their sleeves; get into the details and make the very hard choices about where we find these pay fors.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: You heard Senator Scott and others say they didn't have a bill to vote on last week, and this is what Senator Schumer said about his intention and his timeline.

"I have every intention of passing both major infrastructure packages, the bipartisan infrastructure framework, and budget resolution with reconciliation instructions before we leave for the August recess. That's the schedule we laid out at the end of June, and that's the schedule I intend to stick to."

I mean, that's very ambitious. Democrats hold the House, the Senate, and the White House. Can you get those two things done by this August recess, senator?

SEN MARK WARNER: I sure want to, and by the way, I mean, there's a little bit of workmanship going on here. There was a half-dozen times when Mitch McConnell was the leader of the senate where he would put up what's called a shell bill because you're not finished with the details. Then you substitute the actual text once you get into the negotiations because there will be amendments on this infrastructure bill. But, still, we will have that text; it will be out there tomorrow. After we're done with the bipartisan bill, I would love to have some of my Republican friends join on the reconciliation left for it, the larger effort that looks at things like universal preschool, that looks at things like free community college, that looks at things like a broad based tax cut for every family that has a child in terms of the child tax credit. I would hope some Republicans would join us on that, but if not, I think the group of 50 Democrats have to work through that resolution as well.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: Well, Senator, there's a lot of concern about the inflation that we see rising in the country, and Senator Graham spoke to this just the other day. Let's watch that.

"There's a mandate in this bill to require every employer to offer paid family leave. That sounds good, I guess, on its face, until the employer has to come up with the cash to meet the mandate in this bill. Guess what the employer is going to do? They are going to increase their prices because the government has increased their cost. And over time, as we increase taxes in this bill, which they will have to do, there's less money to do things that businesses need to do, like modernizing and hiring people. So this is a nightmare for American business. It's going to be a nightmare for American consumers if this reconciliation bill passes."

So he's talking about driving up the costs for American businesses across this country and what the impact might be on consumers. Do you share those concerns about this in the three-and-a-half trillion dollar bill?

SEN MARK WARNER: Like many of the folks I work with within the senate, I spent 30 years in business. I was involved in the telecommunications industry, started a very large company. I can actually read a balance sheet, which is something that some of my colleagues can't. Of the amazing thing that Lindsay just mentioned is there is every industrial country in the world, with the exception of the United States, providing some level of paid leave if somebody is having a baby or has got a death in the family. Other countries have managed to do that, and their economies are still moving forward. As a matter of fact, if there are inflationary pressures, it is because we put $5 trillion into the economy, three and a half trillion of that under President Trump, to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. I think history will actually treat that -- those investments -- as appropriate because we are seeing our economy rebound. We've added three million jobs in the last five months, and, Martha, I just got to tell you, as somebody who spent longer in business than I have in politics, if we don't invest in road, rail, water, and sewer systems, broadband, those infrastructure investments will actually help us grow the economy, virtually every economist from left to right agreed on that.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: As somebody who spent 30 years in business, as you say, what about the bottom line? What about these trillions and trillions of dollars that have been spent since COVID-19? The fear is that all of this money that you talk about that's being thrown at this problem is going to ignite inflation that will not just be transitory, that will be long-lasting, and I don't think Americans have a long memory for what that actually feels like companies and individuals. Are you concerned about that as you seek to push through this $3.5 trillion deal?

SEN MARK WARNER: Well, again, am I concerned about inflation? I'm always concerned about inflation, but I also believe the federal reserve has pointed out that they think this is short-term in nature. We've already seen things like the cost of lumber, which went sky high, start to come down. We've already seen a little bit of relaxing in the used car market. One of the problems around our car market is that it would not have available semiconductor chips. We need to make investments there to keep up with China, and when you talk about some of these numbers, 3.5 trillion, big, big number, but that is spent out over ten years, so that's not --

MARTHA MACCALLUM: It is still a big, big number.

SEN MARK WARNER: Right, but --

MARTHA MACCALLUM: It's unprecedented.

SEN MARK WARNER: Nothing near to the 5 trillion we spent in the last year under both Trump and Biden.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: All right. Just in general, as a Democrat, when you look at this period of time with control over the White House, the House, and the Senate, are you disappointed with what you've been able to get done so far?

SEN MARK WARNER: Well, I actually think the American Rescue Plan that ended up providing, for example, a middle-class tax cut for every family that makes less than $150,000 that got children with the child tax credit, I think, makes sense. I think state and local government sure those up who lost revenues during COVID-19 make sense and I was a telegram guy. We are going to make sure every household in Virginia has high-speed broadband 2024. that would only happen because of the American Rescue Plan. I frankly think, and I would hope, every state would do that same kind of plan because if you don't have broadband going forward, your chances for any kind of economic future is not going to be bright buried.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: Before I let you go, do you think the President should move to get behind the idea of eliminating the filibuster in order to get some of these things through while this window is still open?

SEN MARK WARNER: I don't want the Senate to become like the House. Still, I do believe when it comes to voting rights when it comes to that basic right to exercise and participate in democracy, I get very worried about what's happening in some of these states where they are actually penalizing, saying if you give somebody water waiting in line to vote, or in states like Texas where they are seeing a local government can overcome the results of a local election, that is not democracy. If we have to do a small carve out on filibuster for voting rights, that is the only area where I would allow that kind of reform.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: Do you don't think that's a slippery slope?

SEN MARK WARNER: Listen, I would wish we wouldn't even have started this a decade ago. When the democratic leaders actually changed the rules, I don't think we have the Supreme Court we did if we still had a 60 vote margin on the filibuster, but we are where we are in the idea that somehow to protect the rights of the minority in the senate were going to cut out rights of minorities and young people all across the country, that's just not right to me.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: Senator Warner thank you, good to have you here today.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman and Vice Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to help safeguard our nation’s critical infrastructure networks against cybersecurity threats. The bill would require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to ensure they can better identify and mitigate threats to Industrial Control Systems – the operational technology involved in operating the function of critical infrastructure networks like pipelines, and water and electric utilities. The bill is the Senate companion to legislation introduced by U.S. Representative John Katko, Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee that has already passed the House unanimously.

“The trend over the last decade to interconnect, automate, and in some cases bring online industrial controls has introduced significant cyber vulnerabilities, attack vectors and even potential systemic risk,” said Senator Warner. “The federal government needs to understand these risks and help our critical infrastructure sectors prepare for and defend against these threats, and this bill takes a good step forward in doing that.”

“As made clear by the recent attacks on Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds, we need to do more to protect American critical infrastructure and industries from cyber-attacks,” said Senator Rubio. “Bad actors, often based in China or Russia, will stop at nothing to take advantage of any vulnerability in U.S. infrastructure. We need to strengthen our cyber defenses to more quickly detect and prevent these targeted attacks on our most critical industries.”

“As foreign adversaries and the criminal organizations they harbor continue to target our critical infrastructure systems, it is essential we work to protect these networks from attacks that can lead to significant harm to the American people,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan, commonsense bill will help shore up the defenses of critical infrastructure networks and address vulnerabilities in products and technologies that help operate them.”

“Attacks like the one against Colonial Pipeline show the real-world implications that cyberattacks against critical infrastructure can have,” said Senator Portman. “CISA’s role to play in supporting critical infrastructure owners and operators is crucial. I am pleased to join my bipartisan colleagues in introducing this bill to ensure CISA can better defend against threats and increase the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.”

Critical infrastructure companies in the United States have seen a stark rise in cyber-attacks. Earlier this year, hackers breached the network of a major oil pipeline forcing the company to shut down over 5,500 miles of pipeline – leading to increased prices and gas shortage for communities across the East Coast. Prior to that, malicious cyber actors took control of a Florida wastewater treatment plant's computer system that allowed hackers to temporarily tamper with Americans’ water supply. These attacks, and others, highlighted the urgent need to secure critical infrastructure systems from foreign adversaries and criminal organizations who are relentless in their pursuit to exploit vulnerabilities and infiltrate networks.

The DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act directs CISA to lead federal efforts to better identify and respond to threats against Industrial Control Systems and the critical infrastructure networks they help operate. The legislation also requires CISA to provide technical assistance to public and private sector entities on how they can work to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in their operational technology systems. The bill would also ensure CISA shares information on cyber threats with users of Industrial Control Systems and provides a briefing to Congress on its ability to protect these critical systems. Finally, the legislation would require the Government Accountability Office to produce a report on its implementation and CISA’s capabilities to fulfill this mandate.

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