WASHINGTON – Today, U.S Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and John Fetterman (D-PA) released the following statement on the decision by the Department of Labor (DOL) Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to pause enforcement of its final rule to better protect America’s miners from health hazards related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust:

“Coal miners deserve to go to work every day and come back healthy, and the recent decision by the Mine Safety and Health Administration delaying enforcement of their landmark rule to better protect miners from silica dust is an alarming abdication of responsibility. Silica dust has caused severe black lung disease in young coal miners, and as the Trump administration continues to cause chaos through their indiscriminate funding cuts and firings, it’s our miners who are being left behind. We expect the Mine Safety and Health Administration to begin enforcement of this rule no later than their August 18, 2025 deadline.”

Last year, the senators applauded the DOL’s decision to amend current federal silica standards after spending years advocating for the updated rule to better protect miners from inhaling toxic chemicals.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 43 of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Tax Cut for Workers Act and the American Family Act, legislation that would cut taxes for workers and families by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC), respectively.

“As the Trump administration continues to sow chaos with policies that help his billionaire friends and hurt everyday Americans, I’m proud to introduce legislation that will cut taxes for the middle class and working families,” said Sen. Warner. “By increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit, we can provide financial relief to hard-working Americans and their families, ensure that parents have resources to help their children thrive, and encourage economic growth.”

“Hard-working American workers and their families deserve a tax break. That’s why I’m glad to help introduce these bills to nearly triple the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers who do not have children and permanently expand the Child Tax Credit for those who do,” said Sen. Kaine. “At a time when the Trump Administration’s policies are centered around tax cuts for billionaires paid for by senseless tariffs and cuts to social services, this legislation is even more important. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in focusing on cutting taxes for the middle-class.”

Specifically, the Tax Cut for Workers Act would nearly triple the maximum EITC for childless workers, and extended eligibility to workers over age 65 and qualifying workers under age 25.

The CTC is one the most effective tools to reduce poverty and put money back in the pockets of working families. The American Family Act would increase the value of the CTC from the current level of $2,000 per child to $6,360 for newborns, $4,320 for children ages one through six, and $3,600 for children age six through 17. It would also end the longstanding, discriminatory policy that reduces the value of the CTC for low-income families, ensuring that the families of 17 million low-income children left out of the CTC under current law will receive the same credit as families in the middle class. In addition, the legislation would provide for monthly delivery of the credit so families have access to the credit as bills arrive and index the CTC for inflation to preserve the value of the credit moving forward.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long supported policies that would help working-class families. Both senators provided key votes for the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, which dramatically reduced child poverty through an expansion of the Child Tax Credit. The senators both helped pass the landmark Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which helped families in Virginia and across the nation through expanded subsidies for health insurance, clean energy tax credits for homes and automobiles, and investment in job creation. This month, Sens. Warner and Kaine successfully passed bipartisan legislation in the Senate to roll back President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

Full text of the bills are available here and here. 

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), joined by U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushing back on his decision to gut the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), firing nearly 900 employees. Recent reporting has indicated that these firings include all employees tasked with protecting the health and safety of coal miners.

“According to reports, HHS is laying off approximately 873 employees, or two-thirds, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” the senators wrote. “According to a notification provided to AFGE Local 1969, whose federal employee members are being impacted, all employees working on mining safety and health in NIOSH’s Spokane, WA and Pittsburgh, PA, offices are being let go. ,  The NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division focuses on coal miner safety, and the Spokane Mining Research Division specializes in hard rock mining, and are the two main research hubs for NIOSH’s Mining Research Program. Additionally, reports indicate more than 185 NIOSH employees are being laid off from its Morgantown, WV, office, who also work to protect miner health, among other occupational safety and health activities.”

The senators also highlighted the immediate impacts of this move, explaining that mining communities are already being left without key health services.

They continued, “We also have heard from those who work directly with our miner constituents in these communities that the Enhanced Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program is also being decimated. This program provides direct screening services via a mobile medical unit to miners at no cost. NIOSH also supports clinic sites where screening is done, so miners can understand if they are developing black lung or another condition and be as healthy as possible for themselves and their families.”

In their letter, the senators demanded answers from Secretary Kennedy, questioning how these crucial services will continue with a significantly reduced workforce. The senators requested a written response to the following:

1.  How many HHS employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety have been fired, put on administrative leave, accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the VERA/VSIP offer since January 20, 2025? Provide a complete breakdown by agency and position. For each category of employee at each agency, provide information on GS level and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. Include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status. Please provide the latest data available.
2. How many HHS employees remain who work on mining health and safety? Please provide a complete breakdown by agency and position.
3. How many additional employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety do you intend to fire following the announcement made on March 27, 2025?
4. Provide all analyses conducted prior to the reorganization and firings of HHS employees who work in offices that focus on mining safety and health to determine the immediate and long-term impact these firings will have on programs and activities that those employees are tasked with administering. In particular, provide all analyses relating to 1) ensuring statutory obligations will be met, and 2) the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

We write today with alarming concern about reports that nearly the entire workforce that works to improve the health of miners was laid off and the office that oversees this work was eliminated. We urge you to reverse course immediately and ensure the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continues its important work in our states to protect and serve our constituents.

According to reports, HHS is laying off approximately 873 employees, or two-thirds, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  According to a notification provided to AFGE Local 1969, whose federal employee members are being impacted, all employees working on mining safety and health in NIOSH’s Spokane, WA and Pittsburgh, PA, offices are being let go. ,  The NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division focuses on coal miner safety, and the Spokane Mining Research Division specializes in hard rock mining, and are the two main research hubs for NIOSH’s Mining Research Program. Additionally, reports indicate more than 185 NIOSH employees are being laid off from its Morgantown, WV, office, who also work to protect miner health, among other occupational safety and health activities. 

We also have heard from those who work directly with our miner constituents in these communities that the Enhanced Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program is also being decimated. This program provides direct screening services via a mobile medical unit to miners at no cost. NIOSH also supports clinic sites where screening is done, so miners can understand if they are developing black lung or another condition and be as healthy as possible for themselves and their families.

Never has there been a more critical time to do this work. A 2023 study conducted jointly by researchers at NIOSH and at the University of Illinois Chicago found that coal miners in central Appalachia—Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky—were eight times more likely to die from respiratory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and black lung than American men who are not miners.  Our constituents are getting more severe disease at younger ages in recent decades, and we might never had known that without the expertise of NIOSH’s work on coal miner health.

We require more than a fact sheet indicating these duties will be reorganized into an Administration for a Healthy America given the extensive cuts to personnel. In order for us to better understand how the same amount of work can be done with hundreds fewer individuals, please provide responses to the following questions by April 9, 2025:

1. How many HHS employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety have been fired, put on administrative leave, accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the VERA/VSIP offer since January 20, 2025? Provide a complete breakdown by agency and position. For each category of employee at each agency, provide information on GS level and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. Include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status. Please provide the latest data available.
2. How many HHS employees remain who work on mining health and safety? Please provide a complete breakdown by agency and position.
3. How many additional employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety do you intend to fire following the announcement made on March 27, 2025?
4. Provide all analyses conducted prior to the reorganization and firings of HHS employees who work in offices that focus on mining safety and health to determine the immediate and long-term impact these firings will have on programs and activities that those employees are tasked with administering. In particular, provide all analyses relating to 1) ensuring statutory obligations will be met, and 2) the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Art Miller, an expert in mine air quality who has been working for NIOSH since 1996 and for its predecessor before this, was part of the Spokane-area firings. He noted that no one else does this kind of research and that “every worker in this country deserves to go home safe.”  We agree, and urge you to reverse these cuts before it’s too late.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) wrote a letter to President Trump expressing concerns over the administration’s handling of the legally-required divestiture of the social media platform TikTok, including the decision by the administration to once again extend the deadline for TikTok’s parent company, China-based Bytedance, to continue to operate the service and collect Americans’ data.

“The news reports around the extension suggest that the likely deal under consideration would not meet the clear statutory thresholds for eliminating ByteDance’s influence over TikTok’s U.S. operations,” Sen. Warner wrote. “Specifically, it would preserve a material, operational role for ByteDance by not only allowing it to retain a significant equity stake in the divested entity, but also an active role in technology development and maintenance, including over the algorithm governing content displayed to TikTok U.S. users. I also will note that the law passed by Congress only allowed for a single extension of no more than 90 days.  This second delay, announced April 4, 2025, is a clear violation of the law while also continuing to leave Americans vulnerable to malign influence operations conducted by an adversary country.”

“A successful and comprehensive divestiture will require any successor to scrupulously prevent influence or access by ByteDance or other entities under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China.  The deal being discussed undermines confidence that the divested app can be trusted to protect national security and ensure compliance with the law,” he continued.

Sen. Warner also reiterated the role of Congress in regulating foreign and interstate commerce, emphasized that the bill that requires divestment passed with bipartisan support, and pressed the Trump administration to follow the law.

He continued, “I strongly encourage you actually adhere to the law Congress passed and immediately convene an inter-agency team to evaluate any prospective divestiture based on genuine, risk-based criteria.  Any qualified divestiture must ensure a clean operational break from ByteDance and TikTok USA, including by preventing either company from continuing to develop, influence, or access personal data or source code (including the content recommendation algorithm) maintained by the divested company.”

Sen. Warner long led the charge in Congress to combat foreign social media influence campaigns, and keep Americans’ sensitive personal data out of the hands of the Communist Party of China, and has been vocal about the national security threat that ByteDance poses. He has repeatedly said the only eligible buyers of the app are companies that are not beholden to a U.S. adversary.

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Dear President Trump:

I write to express concerns with the extension that you announced on Friday April 4, 2025 to allow TikTok to continue its U.S. operations, as well as deep reservations with how you and other involved parties are carrying out the negotiations around the sale of TikTok. The news reports around the extension suggest that the likely deal under consideration would not meet the clear statutory thresholds for eliminating ByteDance’s influence over TikTok’s U.S. operations.  Specifically, it would preserve a material, operational role for ByteDance by not only allowing it to retain a significant equity stake in the divested entity, but also an active role in technology development and maintenance, including over the algorithm governing content displayed to TikTok U.S. users. I also will note that the law passed by Congress only allowed for a single extension of no more than 90 days. This second delay, announced April 4, 2025, is a clear violation of the law while also continuing to leave Americans vulnerable to malign influence operations conducted by an adversary country.

In key respects, the reported deal or arrangement appears to closely resemble the proposed “Project Texas” partnership that ByteDance previously sought approval for through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).  As I and colleagues made clear at the time – and as CFIUS concluded in withholding its approval – such an arrangement would not sufficiently address the data security, counter-intelligence, and covert influence threats posed by ByteDance’s continued role in the provision of social media services in the United States.  More importantly, the bipartisan law the Congress overwhelmingly passed explicitly proscribes such an arrangement – both by categorically prohibiting a qualified divesture from being operated directly or indirectly (including through a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate) by ByteDance, TikTok or a subsidiary or successor of either company, as well as by requiring that any qualified divestiture preclude “the establishment or maintenance of any operational relationship between the United States operations of the relevant foreign adversary controlled application and any formerly affiliated entities that are controlled by a foreign adversary, including any cooperation with respect to the operation of a content recommendation algorithm or an agreement with respect to data sharing.” 

A successful and comprehensive divestiture will require any successor to scrupulously prevent influence or access by ByteDance or other entities under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China.  The deal being discussed undermines confidence that the divested app can be trusted to protect national security and ensure compliance with the law. For instance, industry outlets currently note that the company announced to manage the divested operations, Oracle, has facilitated ByteDance’s access to controlled advanced semiconductors, raising concerns about its willingness to proactively safeguard U.S. interests. Perhaps more concerningly, Oracle has recently suffered two significant data breaches – including a compromise to sensitive health records hosted by its Oracle Health division, as well as a separate breach involving Oracle Cloud.  Each of these incidents – that Oracle has continued to publicly deny despite sustained reports of confirmation and of private acknowledgement to clients - raise questions about whether Oracle can be trusted as the custodian of sensitive TikTok user data.

In addition, it appears that the efforts to facilitate a qualified divestiture have not followed the substantive, risk-based inter-agency process contemplated in the law.  Rather, reports have consistently painted a picture of an ad hoc process, driven by White House personnel.  Perhaps most concerning, you have explicitly suggested that your compliance with the statutorily mandated divestiture could be tied to negotiations over tariffs with the People’s Republic of China.

Congress retains the constitutional authority to regulate foreign and interstate commerce.  I strongly encourage you actually adhere to the law Congress passed and immediately convene an inter-agency team to evaluate any prospective divestiture based on genuine, risk-based criteria.  Any qualified divestiture must ensure a clean operational break from ByteDance and TikTok USA, including by preventing either company from continuing to develop, influence, or access personal data or source code (including the content recommendation algorithm) maintained by the divested company.

Sincerely,

###

 WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on General Tim Haugh, Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service:

“General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years. At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?

“It is astonishing, too, that President Trump would fire the nonpartisan, experienced leader of the National Security Agency while still failing to hold any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app – even as he apparently takes staffing direction on national security from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office.”

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the bipartisan Save Our Seafood (SOS) Act, which would exempt fish processors—which are critical to Virginia’s economy—from the H-2B visa cap, which has made it difficult for local seafood processors to hire the seasonal workforce they need.

“The seafood industry is a critical part of Virginia’s economy, especially in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore,” said Kaine. “I often hear from Virginia’s seafood processors about how hard it is to find seasonal workers, so I’m glad to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues to make it easier for these businesses to hire the workers they need.” 

“Virginia’s seafood industry relies on seasonal, H2-B workers to help meet demand during peak season,” said Warner. “Without this workforce, many of Virginia’s seafood processors would simply have to close up shop. I’m glad to introduce this legislation that will help Virginia’s businesses by ensuring they have the labor needed to keep their operations up and running.”

“Alaska’s seafood industry is a delicate chain – and when processors don’t have the workforce to meet demand, the whole industry can fall apart,” said Murkowski. “Coastal communities, family-owned fishing boats, and Alaskans who work in the industry need to know that they have fully-functioning operations where they can deliver their catch. Through this legislation, I’m working to ensure that the industry has a dependable workforce that can process and deliver the highest-quality seafood in the world.”

Seafood is a billion-dollar industry in Virginia, supporting over 7,000 jobs for Virginians and generating over $26 million in revenue annually. Many of Virginia’s seafood processors rely on workers from the H-2B visa program to harvest and process Virginia crabs and oysters in season, but processors annually struggle to get enough workers during the season when they are needed most. The SOS Act would permanently exempt seasonal, non-immigrant workers who work in seafood processing from the cap on H-2B visas, ensuring that processors have the workforce they need, when they need them to meet the increased demand at the start of the harvesting season.  

“The Virginia seafood processing industry is grateful for Senators Kaine and Warner reintroducing the Save Our Seafood Act. We appreciate the bipartisan group of Senators committed to supporting working seafood businesses around the country. Virginia seafood has participated in the seasonal, temporary H-2B program since 1997,” said AJ Erskine, Board Member, Virginia Seafood Council. “We manufacture domestic, perishable seafood products that require an increased seasonal workforce. Our seasons are defined by state and federal regulations and the environmental conditions in which we work. Senators Kaine and Warner understand that this is not a partisan issue. The seafood industry is simply asking for a small modification of an existing cap exemption. We thank Senators Kaine and Warner for their vision and support of our seafood industry.”

“Our 4^th generation family crab processing facility in Hampton continues to struggle to keep our doors open! The H-2B program has been our lifeline the last 30 years and without congressional help we will perish,” said John Graham III, President, Graham & Rollins, Inc. “The current lottery system currently deployed by Homeland Security is not feasible to sustain any kind of business and frankly is a disaster!!”

The senators have long supported the seafood industry. In 2023, Kaine and Warner introduced the Save Our Seafood Act, and Kaine met with heads of Virginia seafood companies in Lottsburg, VA to discuss the need to boost the seafood workforce. Earlier that year, the senators met with then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to discuss workforce challenges facing the Virginia seafood industry and urge the Department of Labor to consider reforms to the H-2B lottery to better meet seasonal labor needs. In 2022, Kaine and Warner also successfullypushed the Department of Homeland Security for the release of additional H-2B visas.  

The legislation was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Full text of the legislation is available here.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) have introduced legislation to eliminate food deserts and expand access to affordable and nutritious food by incentivizing food providers to expand access to healthy food options in underserved communities. The Healthy Food Access for All Americans (HFAAA) Act was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Emilia Sykes (OH-13) and Jennifer McLellan (VA-04).                                                                                                                    

“Fresh and nutritious foods are a cornerstone of health and wellbeing, but too many families in Virginia and across America live in places where these foods are out of reach,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation will help us fight food deserts by incentivizing grocery stores to come to communities that have the hardest time accessing fresh produce.”

“Even while living in the breadbasket of our nation, food insecurity affects far too many Kansans, particularly those living in rural communities far from a grocery store,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation, which would incentivize food providers to establish and renovate grocery stores, food banks and farmers markets in communities that traditionally lack affordable, healthy and convenient food options, would help provide those who are hungry with access to nutritious food.”

“Many West Virginians struggle to access fresh, nutritious food to keep their families and communities well fed. I’m proud to reintroduce the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act, which will expand access to healthy foods through food banks and local grocery stores in rural communities across West Virginia and the nation,” said Sen. Capito.

“Access to nutritious food is essential for every family’s health and well-being, but it remains out of reach for far too many communities. This bipartisan legislation offers a key solution to eliminating food deserts in Maryland and across the country – ensuring every American can buy fresh, affordable, healthy food in their neighborhood, regardless of where they live,” said Sen. Van Hollen.

According to recent data, an estimated 18.8 million Americans live in what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies as a “food desert.” Urban areas designated as food deserts lack a grocery store within one or more miles. Rural areas designated as food deserts lack a grocery store within ten or more miles. Studies have shown that Americans who live in communities with low-access to healthy food options are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Specifically, the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act – which defines a grocery market as a retail sales store with at least 35 percent of its selection (or forecasted selection) dedicated to selling fresh produce, poultry, dairy, and deli items – would encourage investment in food deserts across the country that have a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher, or a median family income of less than 80 percent of the median for the state or metro area.

It would grant tax credits or grants to food providers who service low-access communities and attain a “Special Access Food Provider” (SAFP) certification through the Treasury Department. Incentives would be awarded based on the following structure:

• New Store Construction – Companies that construct new grocery stores in a food desert will receive a one-time 15 percent tax credit after receiving certification.
• Retrofitting Existing Structures – Companies that make retrofits to an existing store’s healthy food sections can receive a one-time 10 percent tax credit after the repairs certify the store as an SAFP.
• Food Banks – Certified food banks that build new (permanent) structures in food deserts will be eligible to receive a one-time grant for 15 percent of their construction costs.
• Temporary Access Merchants – Certified temporary access merchants (i.e. mobile markets, farmers markets, and some food banks) that are 501(c)(3)s will receive grants for 10 percent of their annual operating costs.

The Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act boasts the support of numerous organizations, including Feeding America, the National Grocers Association, and Share Our Strength.

“Feeding America commends Senator Warner for confronting the unfortunate fact that for the 47 million Americans living with hunger, access to affordable nutritious food is significantly harder for those who live in food deserts. The Feeding America network of more than 200 food banks understands that areas without affordable, healthy food options have higher rates of food insecurity. Rural communities in particular lack access to adequate transportation to the nearest grocery store or food pantry. Feeding America supports the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act as a critical step to give nonprofits and retailers support to increase food access in underserved areas,” said Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America.

"The National Grocers Association applauds Senator Warner and Representatives McClellan and Sykes for their leadership on this important legislation focused on eliminating the challenges confronting grocers seeking to expand access to nutritious food in underserved rural and urban areas alike. Independent grocers are the backbone of the communities they serve and have a long-standing tradition of leading efforts to provide improved food options for those most in need. Enhanced access to healthy food bolsters both the physical well-being and economic vitality of local communities everywhere, and we look forward to working with Congress to pass this important bipartisan legislation,” said Stephanie Johnson, Vice President, Government Relations, National Grocers Association.

“To end childhood hunger in America, we must ensure that low-income families have access to healthy, affordable food options no matter their zip code or circumstances. Ending food deserts will help more families put food on the table and help children get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong. Share Our Strength supports The Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act and thanks Sens. Warner, Capito, Van Hollen, and Moran for their leadership on this issue,” said Jason Gromley, Senior Director of Share Our Strength.

Bill text for the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act can be found here. A summary of the bill can be found here.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Senate Banking Committee, wrote to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson and to Attorney General Pam Bondi expressing concern over continued prevalence of fraud in the digital advertising industry, highlighting how this fraud hurts U.S. Government (USG) customers, and therefore, American taxpayers.

“The failures and misrepresentations of these verification vendors amount to far more than simple contradictions of their marketing puffery,” wrote Sen. Warner. “As publishers and advertisers rely on these services’ asserted ability to avoid bot traffic and deliver content to customers, these verification firms serve as cover for the systemic failure by key ecosystem stakeholders, potentially compromising a significant sector of the online ad market.”

The phenomenon of digital fraud has skyrocketed in recent years, with reports indicating that as of 2023, digital fraud has grown to $84 billion, up from $7.4 billion in 2017.

He continued, “Failure to meet the terms of contracts result in the misuse of taxpayer dollars, and undermine the efficacy of government public awareness and job recruitment campaigns. These failures drive inflated ad costs and reduced effectiveness for thousands of small and midsize businesses and charities that rely on digital advertising to succeed, and these increased costs trickle down to consumers who end up paying more for basic goods and services.”

In his letter to the FTC, Sen. Warner requested the commission investigate this wide-spread fraud:

1. Did verification vendors such as Integral Ad Science (“IAS”), DoubleVerify (“DV”), and HUMAN Security, among others, claim in their marketing materials to be able to perform real-time bot filtering and have the capability to prevent ads from serving to declared bots, such as those on the IAB Bots & Spiders List?
2. Do these verification vendors receive access to the “User Agent” field in real-time programmatic ad auctions from demand side platforms like Google DV360 and the Trade Desk?
3. Can the verification vendors’ pre-bid technology actually stop ads from serving to declared bots on the IAB Bots & Spiders List, or merely prevent ads from serving on website domains with historically high levels of bot traffic? If the latter, what evidence exists that can demonstrate specific websites are getting blocked, deliberately or inadvertently, from ad campaigns and thus de-monetized?
4. If the verification vendors do not receive access to the User-Agent and cannot block declared bots, did these vendors make false advertising claims and engage in deceptive trade practices when promoting their pre-bid bot avoidance or suspicious activity blocking technology?
5. What is the extent of the resulting financial harm to the United States government and non-profit advertisers, as well as to publishers that paid for this ineffective bot avoidance technology?

Additionally, Senator Warner requested that the Justice Department investigate the following:

1. Whether ad verification companies such as IAS, DV, and HUMAN have knowingly misrepresented their capabilities to federal government clients or government contractors, particularly regarding their ability to detect and filter bot traffic in real-time.
2. Whether the ad verification firms involved in these failures violated the False Claims Act by charging the government – or government contractors – for services they did not deliver.

Sen. Warner has been vocal about the harm caused by this continued fraud for years, and as the digital space continues to grow in reach and importance, he has stressed the need to reign it in. In 2016, Sen. Warner first called on the FTC to protect consumers from this digital fraud. In 2018, he expressed concern over its continued prevalence following a detailed reporting about inaction by the FTC and Google to curb these efforts.

A copy of the letter to the FTC is available here. A copy of the letter to the DOJ is available here.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in introducing the of the Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination (MERIT) Act. This timely legislation would reinstate recently terminated probationary federal employees and provide them back pay.

“The Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on the federal workforce have hit Virginians especially hard. Not only have these senseless cuts and layoffs caused unnecessary pain for the federal workforce, but they are making us less safe in the process. Congress must act to undo this damage by reinstating federal employees who were unjustly fired and giving them the back pay they deserve,” said Sen. Warner. 

“Trump and Musk’s illegal cuts to the nonpartisan civil service have disrupted government’s basic operation and disproportionately impacted veterans in Virginia and across the country,” said Sen. Kaine. “Reinstating these professional civil servants is critical for our economy and national security. That’s why I’m cosponsoring the MERIT Act, and will keep doing all that I can to fight for the patriotic Americans who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities through public service.”

“This bill protects and restores the meritorious civil servants shamefully attacked by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. If DOGE were serious about rooting out unqualified workers, they’d focus on their own disastrous cabinet nominees: be it a Secretary of Defense who is leaking classified war plans, or a Secretary of Labor who isn’t clear on collective bargaining agreement enforcement, or a Secretary of Health and Human Services who believes our race should determine our vaccine schedules. We have a duty to stand by the patriotic civil servants who work day and night on behalf of the American people. Our bill is an important step towards restoring the full suite of services that our federal employees provide to the American people,” said Sen. Alsobrooks.

“The Trump-Musk Administration’s illegal purge of federal employees is not only hurting our hard-working public servants — it is wreaking havoc on important services for all Americans. As we support efforts in the courts to reverse these dangerous attacks on federal employees and the work they do, we’re also fighting in Congress. This legislation will allow our federal workers to get back on the job so they can continue serving the American people,” said Sen. Van Hollen.

“NFFE is fully supportive of the MERIT Act to reinstate illegally terminated federal employees, allowing them to return to work and continue delivering critical services for the American people,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “These are dedicated public servants who care for our veterans, maintain our military readiness, protect our communities from natural disasters, and so much more. Congress must reverse the President's unlawful and dangerous attempts to dismantle the civil service. Thank you to Senator Alsobrooks for her commitment to federal workers.”

“Our union applauds Senator Alsobrooks for leading this bill to reinstate thousands of highly qualified federal employees who have been unjustly terminated as part of a Trump-Musk effort to dismantle federal agencies and public services. Not only were these mass firings a reckless misuse of taxpayer dollars and public resources, but these actions have been judged illegal by federal courts. So many of these talented federal workers are veterans, and experienced professionals who were recently promoted, but all of them were hired as federal civil servants due to their qualifications and their competency for the job,” said International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matt Biggs.

“The MERIT ACT is greatly needed at a time when so many in our federal workforce have been unjustly fired, and when thousands more, including SEIU members, are doing their jobs in the hostile, chaotic environment created by this administration and DOGE. Federal workers who provide critical services to our communities from agencies such as Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency are navigating through massive job layoffs while scrambling to pay rent, keep the lights on, and feed their families. SEIU is proud to support this bill that will reinstate DOGE-fired workers and ensure that they have backpay they’re due, so they can continue to provide vital services in good and bad times.” said SEIU President April Verrett. 

The MERIT Act would reinstate federal employees, including probationary workers who were recently promoted or hired, who were fired from federal agencies and departments as part of the ongoing mass layoffs. The bill would provide back pay, treat the employees as “involuntarily separated without cause,” and require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit to Congress a report on the number of workers fired and other information about the layoffs. 

The MERIT Act has been endorsed by: 

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)

National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

The American Federation of Labor (AFL)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), joined by U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), introduced the China Financial Threat Mitigation Act, legislation aimed at shoring up America’s response to financial threats stemming from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The China Financial Threat Mitigation Act would require deeper analysis of potential financial threats from the CCP that may have substantial impacts on the U.S. economy.

“We continue to see increased aggression from the Chinese Communist Party towards the United States, including in the financial sector. This increased action requires us to take meaningful steps to protect U.S. institutions and interests. That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will help to shore up our financial systems and ensure that the U.S. is prepared to counter the CCP’s attacks,” said Sen. Warner.

“The Chinese Communist Party has the ability to intervene in China’s banking system to achieve outcomes that benefit them the most, which has potential to harm American businesses,” said Sen. Rounds. “We must gain a clearer understanding of how China’s financial sector affects the U.S. economy and other global financial systems. Our legislation tasks the Treasury Department, working with other federal agencies, to assess and report on U.S. exposure to China's financial activities, providing a clearer picture of the threat."

“The Chinese Communist Party is a serious threat to our national and economic security,” said Sen. Lummis. “I am partnering with my colleagues to protect U.S. financial interests and hold the CCP accountable, and I look forward to getting this bipartisan legislation across the finish line.”

The legislation would also require the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Federal Reserve, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and State Department, to issue a report on the exposure of the United States to the threats posed by China's financial sector. Specifically, the required report must include:

• Effects the reforms to China's financial sector have on U.S. and global financial systems;
• Description of the policies the United States is adopting to protect U.S. interests;
• Description and analysis of any risks presented by China to the financial stability of the United States and the global economy; and
• Recommendations for additional actions to strengthen international cooperation to mitigate risks and protect U.S. interests.

As Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Warner has worked to ensure the U.S. is prepared to counter threats posed by foreign adversaries including the CCP across various sectors. Sen. Warner spearheaded the push to force CCP-based Bytedance to divest from TikTok in order to allow the app to continue operations in the United States. Last year, Sen. Warner introduced the Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act, legislation to cut off dangerous CCP drone companies from the U.S. telecommunication infrastructure. Sen. Warner also introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation to improve information sharing between private companies and the Intelligence Community in order to mitigate the threat that foreign adversaries including the CCP pose to United States companies in foreign jurisdictions on projects relating to energy generation and storage, including in the critical minerals industry. This legislation is the latest step in his efforts to safeguard American interests.

The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Roger Williams (R-TX).

Full text of the legislation is available here. 

###

BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO OF SEN. WARNER’S OPENING REMARKS IS AVAILABLE HERE

WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) delivered opening remarks at the Intelligence Committee’s annual Worldwide Threats Assessment hearing.

Sen. Warner’s opening remarks as delivered are below:

Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, everybody, and I want to thank all the witnesses for being here.

I got to say, I've been on the committee now for 14 years, and this year's assessment is clearly one of the most complicated and challenging in my tenure on the committee.

And I want to get into that in a moment, but I want to, first of all, address the recent story that broke in the news.

Yesterday, we stunningly learned that senior members of this administration and according to reports, two of our witnesses here today, were members of a group chat that discussed highly sensitive and likely classified information that supposedly even included ‘weapons packages, targets and timing,’ and included the name of an active CIA agent.

Putting aside for a moment that classified information should never be discussed over an unclassified system, it's also just mind boggling to me that all these senior folks were on this line and nobody bothered to even check, security hygiene 101...

Who are all the names? Who are they?

Well, it apparently includes a journalist.

And no matter how much the Secretary of Defense or others want to disparage him, this journalist had at least the ethics to not report everything he heard.

The question I raise is: everybody on this committee gets briefed on security protocols. They're told you don't make calls outside of SCIFs of this kind of classified nature.

Director Gabbard is the executive in charge of all keeping our secrets safe. Were these government devices? Or were they personal devices? Have the devices been collected to make sure there's no malware?

There’s plenty of declassified information that shows that our adversaries, China and Russia, are trying to break in to encrypted systems like Signal.

I can just say this. If this was the case of a military officer, or an intelligence officer, and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired. I think this is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly towards classified information, that this is not a one off or a first time error.

Let me take a couple of minutes and review some of the other reckless choices that this administration has made regarding our national security. We all recall it seems like it wasn't that long ago, but less than two months ago, in the first two weeks, the administration canceled all U.S. foreign assistance.

Now, some may say, how can that how bad can that be, its foreign assistance?

Well, U.S. foreign assistance paid for the units in Ukraine to provide air defense to civilian cities being attacked by Russia.

Foreign assistance paid for guarding camps in Syria, where ISIS fighters are to be detained.

Foreign assistance paid for programs abroad that ensure that diseases like Ebola don't come home.

And until recently, it paid for the construction of a railway in Africa that would have help given the United States much needed access to critical minerals in Congo.

Now that project… China is going to try to finance it as well.

In the first two weeks, the administration fired several of our most experienced FBI agents, including the head of the criminal Investigative submission, the head of the intelligence division, the head of the Counterterrorism division, the heads of the New York, Washington and Miami field office, all individuals who were distinctly and directly responsible for helping to keep America safe.

The irony a little bit, was the recently dismissed head of the counterterrorism division was involved in disrupting the ISIS attacks planned for Oklahoma City and Philadelphia and helped lead the effort to bring to justice the key planner of the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, who killed 13 U.S. servicemen and 150 civilians.

That very Abbey Gate effort was actually praised by the president in his state of the Union address.

The administration’s response to these agents’ good works and years of service was to force these folks out.

It's hard to imagine how that makes our country safer.

Nor can I understand how Americans are made more secure by firing more than 300 staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, including those responsible for overseeing the security and safety of the nuclear stockpile, or by ousting 130 employees at CSA.

The agency directly responsible for trying to take on China's salt typhoon attack again. After Salt Typhoon, I would have thought folks on that group chat might have thought twice.

Or how are we made safer by sacking a thousand employees at the CDC and NIH. We're actually directly working on trying to keep our country safe from disease by pushing out hundreds of intelligence officers.

The amazing thing is our intelligence officers, they're not interchangeable like a Twitter coder. Our country makes $20,000 to $40,000 of an investment just in getting a security clearance.

It literally goes into six figures when you take the training involved. Can anyone tell how firing probationary individuals without any consideration for merit or expertise is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars?

And just to make clear that yesterday's story in the Atlantic was not this rookie one-off, it's a pattern.

I want to acknowledge Director Ratcliffe was not here in his position with this took place.

But again, earlier in the administration, when a new unclassified network was used, thereby exposing literally hundreds of CIA officers’ identities.

Those folks can't go into the field now.

How does that make our government more efficient?

You know, again, this pattern of an amazing, cavalier attitude towards classified information is reckless and sloppy.

And perhaps what troubles me most is the way the administration has decided that we can take on all of our problems by ourselves without any need for friends or allies.

I agree that we've got to put America's priorities first, but American first cannot mean America alone.

The intelligence we gather to keep Americans safe depends on a lot of allies around the world who have access to sources that we don't have.

That's sharing of information saves lives. And it's not hypothetical.

We all remember (because it was declassified) last year when Austria worked with our community to make sure to expose a plot against Taylor Swift in Vienna that could have killed literally hundreds of individuals.

However, these relationships are not built in stone. They're not dictated by law. Things like the Five Eyes are based on trust built on decades, but so often that trust is now breaking literally overnight.

Yet suddenly, for no reason that I can understand, the United States is starting to act like our adversaries are our friends. Voting in the UN with Russia, Belarus and North Korea. It's a rogues gallery if ever heard one.

Treating our allies like adversaries, whether it's threats to take over Greenland or over the Panama Canal, a destructive trade war with Canada, or literally threatening to kick Canada out of the Five Eyes, I feel our credibility is being enormously undermined with our allies, who I believe, and I think most of us on this committee, regardless of party believes, makes our country safer and stronger.

But how can our allies ever trust us as the kind of partner we used to be when we, without consultation or notice, for example, stop sharing information to Ukraine in its war for survival against Russia. Or how can our allies not only not trust our government, but potentially not our businesses with such arbitrary political decision?

Let me give you a few examples. You know, as a result of a lot of work from this committee and others in Congress, we made sure America's commercial space industry is second to none from space to launch to commercial sensing and communications.

The United States has taken a lead. Yet overnight, this administration called into question the reliability of American commercial tech industry.

When maps are and other commercial space companies were directed to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

I'm going to tell you… I’m a business guy. Can't say longer than being an elected official, but pretty close. That shockwave across all of commercial space and frankly, not just commercial space. I've heard it from some of our hyperscalers, in the tech community, has sent an enormous chill.

Who's going to hire an American commercial space company, government or foreign business with the ability to have that taken down so arbitrarily?

It's not just in the case of commercial space.

We've seen that Canada, Germany, Portugal have all been saying they're rethinking buying F-35s.

I've heard from Microsoft and Google directly, and Amazon that they're having questions about whether they can still sell their services.

We've also seen foreign adversaries and friends take advantage of this RIF in our national security areas, and our scientists.

Germany has already put out ads trying to attract some of our best scientists who've been RIFed and the Chinese intelligence agencies are posting on social media sites in the hopes of luring individuals with that national security clearance who've been pushed out, perhaps arbitrarily, to come into their service.

So, no, the signal fiasco is not a one off. It is, unfortunately, a pattern we're seeing too often repeated.

I fear that we feel the erosion of trust from our workplace, from our companies, and from our allies and partners can't be put back in the bottle overnight. Make no mistake, these actions make America less safe.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) wrote a letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the Trump administration to reverse their decision cancelling the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), vital programs that support Virginia’s food banks, schools, and other food providers in purchasing food directly from local farms, ranchers and producers.

Across the country, LFPA and LFS boost local economies by allowing states to procure local food and distribute to providers. With USDA’s decision, Virginia alone will lose out on nearly $21 million in federal funding that would directly support the Commonwealth’s farmers, ranchers and other food producers. Already in Virginia, the impact of these abrupt cancellations are felt, with local food banks struggling to make ends meet following the sudden loss of funding.

“LFPA and LFS allow Virginia to procure local food and distribute to providers such as food banks and schools, benefitting producers, those experiencing food insecurity, and local economies,” the senators wrote. “In Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), Virginia was eligible to receive nearly $21 million through LFPA and LFS – including $10.1 million for schools and $3.4 million for childcare facilities – to support 183 farmers in providing fresh produce and other healthy foods to food-insecure households across the Commonwealth. With USDA’s decision to cancel these funds, Virginia farmers are deprived of a crucial market for this season and low-income communities face even greater barriers to access fresh, healthy foods.”

They continued, “Cancelling LFPA and LFS, with the ~$21 million Virginia was to receive in FY25, hurts Virginia farmers, food providers, families, and those working tirelessly to support them.”

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Dear Secretary Rollins:

We write to share our serious concerns regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to cancel the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), both vital programs intended to support Virginia’s food systems by expanding purchases from local producers and distributing that fresh food to underserved communities. We strongly urge you to reverse this decision and continue these programs of great importance to Virginia’s local communities.

LFPA and LFS allow Virginia to procure local food and distribute to providers such as food banks and schools, benefitting producers, those experiencing food insecurity, and local economies. In Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), Virginia was eligible to receive nearly $21 million through LFPA and LFS – including $10.1 million for schools and $3.4 million for childcare facilities – to support 183 farmers in providing fresh produce and other healthy foods to food-insecure households across the Commonwealth. With USDA’s decision to cancel these funds, Virginia farmers are deprived of a crucial market for this season and low-income communities face even greater barriers to access fresh, healthy foods.

Communities across the Commonwealth work with USDA and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure LFPA and LFS funding has the maximum impact among families, farmers, and local economies. In the first year of LFPA, for example, over 100 local producers were supported, providing over 100,000 Virginians with fresh, healthy food. This is fresh, nutritious produce for food-insecure families that often cannot afford healthy food, all while providing local farmers a dependable market for their products. Cancelling LFPA and LFS, with the ~$21 million Virginia was to receive in FY25, hurts Virginia farmers, food providers, families, and those working tirelessly to support them. 

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. 

 ###