WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statements regarding the devastating flooding in Buchanan County:

“I’m heartbroken for the families in Buchanan County who have lost their homes, as well as for members of the community who are once again grappling with the destruction left behind by devastating flooding. My office will continue to stay in contact with state authorities and officials on the ground to help provide any federal support that may be needed in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, I urge any Virginian in need of immediate assistance to contact the Virginia Department of Emergency Management,” said Sen. Warner.

“My heart goes out to every Virginian affected by this catastrophic flooding in Buchanan County. This spring, I met with families who were still grappling with the aftermath of last year’s flooding in Hurley, and saw up close the need to support the road to recovery. I’m going to do everything I can to be a strong partner to local officials and impacted Virginians to make that road as smooth as possible. I offer my sincere gratitude to the first responders on the scene helping victims,” said Sen. Kaine.

The Senators urge Virginians with loved ones who are missing as a result of the flooding to report those missing persons to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office by calling 833-748-1424, and to go to the reunification center at Twin Valley Elementary/Middle School at 9017 Riverside Drive in Oakwood. The school is also serving as an emergency shelter.

The Senators urge Virginians whose property was damaged in the flood to contact Buchanan County Emergency Management by calling 276-935-5872 to arrange for a property damage assessment. Assessments will be shared with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, which can recommend that the Governor request a federal disaster declaration. Sens. Warner and Kaine would then support that disaster declaration on the federal level, which would enable more federal resources to assist the recovery efforts.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $50,265,000 in federal funding for two Virginia airports awarded through the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, which was created through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act negotiated by Sen. Warner and strongly supported by Sen. Kaine.

“These funds will go toward modernizing and updating both Dulles and Richmond International Airports,” the senators said. “We are glad to see continued, meaningful investment in the Commonwealth’s infrastructure thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law that will make travel through our airports easier and more accessible.”

The funding is distributed as follows:

• $49,600,000 for Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, VA for the construction of a 14-gate Concourse to replace the existing temporary concourse.
• $665,000 for Richmond International Airport (RIC) in Richmond, VA for the renovation of the Federal Inspection Station to meet Customs and Border Protection Service Facility standards for international travel processing.

The funds awarded to Richmond International Airport come in addition to $3.969 million in Congressionally Directed Spending secured by Sens. Warner and Kaine in the 2022 government spending bill for the project and will enable consistent, international passenger flights through Richmond. Last year, the senators announced nearly $400 million in funding for Virginia airports secured through the bipartisan infrastructure law. 

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the statement below, celebrating a joint plan between the Department of Justice and Envigo RMS LLC. to facilitate the surrender of nearly four thousand dogs from an Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland, Va., which has been repeatedly cited for egregious animal welfare violations. Under the agreement, ownership and physical custody of the dogs will be transferred to the Humane Society of the Unites States (HSUS), which will work to place these dogs into homes. This transfer is the result of a warrant and subsequent lawsuit filed by federal authorities after Sens. Warner and Kaine shed light on the issue and demanded federal action. After a preliminary injunction against the facility was issued in the Western District of Virginia, Envigo and its parent company agreed to close the facility permanently, meaning that soon no more dogs will be made to suffer in the horrific conditions at the Cumberland, Virginia site.

“After months of advocacy, we’re heartened to know that nearly 4,000 Envigo dogs will be spared a lifetime of suffering and will instead head to loving homes. We’re also pleased to know that Inotiv – Envigo’s parent company – will shutter its Cumberland facility and that no more dogs will be subject to the appalling conditions and inexcusable distress endured by so many dogs and puppies at the facility.  We will continue working in the Senate to prevent the mistreatment of innocent animals across Virginia and the nation,” said the senators.

In March, Sens. Warner and Kaine expressed horror and demanded immediate and aggressive action by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) following more than 70 animal welfare violations at the Envigo breeding and research facility in Cumberland. After these calls for action, the federal government stepped in, seizing 446 beagles in acute distress and placing a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the breeding, sale, or otherwise dealing of beagles at the Cumberland facility.

Sen. Warner, a dog owner, has been an advocate for dogs in Virginia and throughout the country, earning a 100% on the Humane Society of the United States’ Humane Scorecard for 2021. In March, Sen. Warner secured the passage of new language requiring the Department of State to report on the status of dogs in the Explosive Detection Canine Program (EDCP). This program came under scrutiny in 2019 after an Inspector General (IG) report found that the Department failed to conduct proper follow-up after sending highly-trained dogs to foreign partner nations, resulting in the death of at least ten dogs from largely preventable illnesses.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have been consistent cosponsors of the Puppy Protection Act, which would amend the Animal Welfare Act to include additional care and safety standards for dog breeders like Envigo. Under the bill, breeders would be required to house dogs in appropriately sized enclosures with solid ground and keep them on a regular diet and exercise routine. As Governor of Virginia, Kaine signed a law that imposed stricter legal penalties for dogfighting offenses.

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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $6,999,632 in federal funding for the Hampton Roads Community Action Program and Total Action Against Poverty in Roanoke Valley to provide training and career counseling services to incarcerated individuals so that they are prepared for employment opportunities and able to successfully transition into the workforce following their release.

“By expanding employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated Virginians, we can help them successfully transition back into the community, reduce recidivism, and strengthen our neighborhoods,” said the senators. “This federal funding will help individuals find employment and stay on the right track.”

The funding is distributed as follows:

• $3,999,633 for the Hampton Roads Community Action Program, Inc. in Newport News
• $2,999,999 for Total Action Against Poverty in Roanoke Valley, Inc. in Roanoke

The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA)’s Pathway Homes program, which works to improve employability outcomes for adults during the reentry process from incarceration. 

In 2018, Warner and Kaine voted to pass the First Step Act, which reauthorized grant funding for state and local reentry programs that reduce recidivism. In 2015, Warner and Kaine successfully urged President Obama to “ban the box” on federal job applications to help expand job opportunities and reduce recidivism among ex-offenders. “Ban the Box” refers to the section on job application forms that inquired whether the applicant has ever been convicted.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led a group of their colleagues in sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure expressing their strong support for a CMS proposal that encourages hospitals to buy American products and bolsters American mask manufacturers to help prevent future shortages of lifesaving personal protective equipment. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the shortage of American made, medical use-approved masks that are essential for the protection of healthcare workers, and the proposed effort by CMS will help prevent future shortages and support American manufacturers.

“It is critically important now and moving forward for our country to possess a ready-supply of NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators and raw material inputs that are wholly domestically made,” said the senators. “U.S. companies and their workers are ready to support this effort, and we applaud your work to ensure that hospitals and health systems have the resources needed to buy American-made masks.”

The letter was also signed by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Bob Casey (D-PA).

The full letter can be found here or below:

The Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Administrator
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244

Dear Administrator Brooks La-Sure:

We write to express our strong support for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal to bolster American mask manufacturers and encourage hospitals to buy American. Specifically, we appreciate CMS’ recognition of the need for a robust domestic supply of surgical N95 respirators in its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. It is critically important that the agency move forward with a final rule that would provide payment adjustments to support hospitals’ purchase of domestically produced NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, American hospitals faced severe shortages of NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators. These surgical respirators are essential for the protection of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and those who provide care to patients, and we must do everything we can to prevent future shortages. Thankfully, for the past two years, American companies and American workers have retooled manufacturing lines to meet the need for this essential product. The entrepreneurship and patriotism of these companies has saved lives, and we now have dozens more manufacturers of N95 respirators, their components and raw materials, based here in the United States than we did before the pandemic, when less than 10 percent of N95 respirators were manufactured domestically.

Unfortunately, too many U.S.-based manufacturers are struggling to exist as hospitals and health systems continue to grapple with the choice between purchasing more expensive domestically-made N95s or cheaper masks made in China. We agree that implementation of a payment adjustment for purchases of wholly domestically made NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators would help sustain “a level of supply resilience for surgical N95 respirators that is critical to protect the health and safety of personnel and patients in a public health emergency.” Both approaches outlined by the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule would improve our nationwide preparedness for future threats, promote the safety of providers and patients, and bolster our domestic manufacturing supply chains by supporting our Made in America economy. Further, we encourage CMS to examine ways to incentivize purchases of other domestically manufactured PPE, including surgical and isolation gowns, face masks, face shields, and eyewear, during future rulemaking.

It is critically important now and moving forward for our country to possess a ready-supply of NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators and raw material inputs that are wholly domestically made. U.S. companies and their workers are ready to support this effort, and we applaud your work to ensure that hospitals and health systems have the resources needed to buy American-made masks.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Sens. Mark R Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) in presenting POW medals to Virginia veteran David Strickland and Maryland veteran Army Specialist Ronald Dolecki.

“In 1975, Army Specialist David S. Strickland was abducted while serving our nation. He spent four months in captivity, enduring ongoing physical and psychological hardships and not knowing when, or if, he would ever see his family again,” said Sen. Warner. “Although this recognition is more than 46 years overdue, I’m very proud to join my colleagues in recognizing Specialist Strickland’s sacrifice with the Prisoner of War Medal he rightfully deserves.” 

“This is about fairness. The change that was made in the NDAA is not only opening up opportunities for Army Specialist David S. Strickland and Army Sergeant Ron Dolecki to be recognized with the POW medal. The change that has been made is going to enable many, many others who have long been denied to eventually see the day that they do as well. That work is already underway thanks to this effort. I know I speak for all of us: we feel honored to play a part in getting here,” said Sen. Kaine.

“Ron Dolecki’s story is the story of American heroism. After making a daring escape from captivity in Ethiopia, he helped save his two mission partners who were also taken prisoner. He displayed true courage in action, and after a years-long effort to award him the Prisoner of War Medal, we were finally able to secure the recognition he so clearly deserves,” said Sen. Van Hollen. “It is my honor to congratulate Ron and thank his family and friends who helped get this across the finish line.”

“We cannot overstate our gratitude for all the sacrifices made by Specialist Dolecki while serving this country. He is a hero who endured excruciating conditions while held captive,” said Sen. Cardin. “It is a privilege to join in honoring Mr. Dolecki for his incredible spirit, patriotism, grit and bravery.”

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“Virginians know all too well the pain of gun violence—pain no one should have to experience. While nothing can bring back a life lost to gun violence, we are hopeful that the reasonable measures advanced through this bill will help curb the plague of shootings that continue to haunt American communities. We will continue to work to build on today’s milestone by advocating for additional measures to protect our neighborhoods from further senseless attacks. In the meantime, we urge our colleagues in the House to move quickly so that this bill can start saving lives.”

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes similar provisions to those proposed by Sens. Warner and Kaine in their Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence—a bill they introduced last year based on a series of commonsense measures adopted by Virginia. These provisions include improving background checks, strengthening safeguards for victims of domestic violence, and incentivizing states to implement their own Extreme Risk Protection Orders to remove firearms from individuals who pose a high risk of harming themselves or others.

Full text of the bill is available here.  A summary of the bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-MD) released the following statement regarding Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) announcement that the Silver Line expansion project, which will provide service to Loudoun County, is fully constructed and now ready for final operational readiness testing:

“Today’s news takes us one big step closer to our shared goal of ensuring that our transportation infrastructure is reliable, convenient, and capable of keeping up with the National Capital Region’s growth. We welcome this development and encourage WMATA to safely and expeditiously put the finishing touches on this project so the Silver Line can fully open for customer service.”

While he was Governor, Kaine helped broker the deal between Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), WMATA, the Commonwealth and local governments to construct the Silver Line.  He also led efforts to secure 900 million in federal funds for Phase I of the project.

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WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. Mark R Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee today sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging the House of Representatives to immediately pass and send to the President’s desk—before adjourning this week—the Warner-Hagerty bipartisan legislation providing emergency security resources to protect the U.S. Supreme Court, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent yesterday.

“There is no question that the Supreme Court, its justices, their families, and court employees are under unprecedented threat, as evidenced by recent highly publicized threats against Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Sotomayor. These threats may very well become more acute in the coming weeks, as the Court concludes its term. There is no question that protecting the Court from these threats requires additional, unexpected resources in Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22),” the senators wrote.

The Supreme Court Security Funding Act of 2022, which the senators introduced last week, provides an additional $10.3 million to the U.S. Marshals Service and $9.1 million to the U.S. Supreme Court to cover unexpected, increased security costs for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). If the funding is not immediately provided, the Court and Marshals Service will be forced to transfer funds from other critical functions and entities.

“Last week, Congress passed—and the President signed into law—important legislation by Senators Cornyn and Coons to increase the scope of authorized Supreme Court Police protection to include the justices’ immediate family members. There should be no question regarding whether Congress will similarly provide the resources necessary to protect the Supreme Court during this hour of need. We look forward to the House swiftly passing this legislation so that it can be enacted into law before the Supreme Court concludes its term in the next couple of weeks,” the senators concluded.

A copy of the letter can be found below.

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy,

Yesterday, the Senate passed by unanimous consent the Supreme Court Security Funding Act of 2022, which we introduced last week.  This bipartisan legislation provides emergency security resources to protect the Supreme Court of the United States.  We strongly urge the House of Representatives to immediately pass H.R. 4346, as amended by the Senate, before adjourning this week, so that this time-sensitive legislation is sent directly to the President’s desk. 

The need for and urgency of this security funding is plain.  There is no question that the Supreme Court, its justices, their families, and court employees are under unprecedented threat, as evidenced by recent highly publicized threats against Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Sotomayor.  These threats may very well become more acute in the coming weeks, as the Court concludes its term. There is no question that protecting the Court from these threats requires additional, unexpected resources in Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22).  This legislation provides those necessary resources. 

More specifically, the U.S. Marshals Service has been providing around-the-clock security for the nine Justices at their homes and needs $10.3 million in additional funding to cover these costs for the remainder of FY22.  The Supreme Court needs $9.1 million to cover its increased security costs for FY22, from overtime pay for Supreme Court Police officers to mutual-aid payments to assisting law enforcement agencies and increased physical security around the Supreme Court Building.

If Congress does not immediately provide this funding, the Court and Marshals Service will have to transfer funds from other critical functions and entities, like the U.S. District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals.

Last week, Congress passed—and the President signed into law—important legislation by Senators Cornyn and Coons to increase the scope of authorized Supreme Court Police protection to include the justices’ immediate family members.  There should be no question regarding whether Congress will similarly provide the resources necessary to protect the Supreme Court during this hour of need. 

We look forward to the House swiftly passing this legislation so that it can be enacted into law before the Supreme Court concludes its term in the next couple of weeks. 

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence passed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (IAA) today on a unanimous 16-0 vote. The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

 “The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 reflects the Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan commitment to ensuring America’s intelligence agencies have the resources they need to protect our country,” said Committee Chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA). “This year’s bill will enhance the country’s ability to confront our adversaries, including by providing support to Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against Russia.  It also takes significant steps to promote U.S. technology leadership and cybersecurity, increasing our ability to compete with China. Finally, I am pleased that this year’s bill drives serious improvement to the IC’s hiring and security clearance processes, so that the IC can attract and expeditiously on-board a talented, diverse, and trusted workforce.”

“This year’s Intelligence Authorization Act directs action and resources in the Intelligence Community where they are needed most – to counter the ever-increasing threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as well as rogue states in our hemisphere including Cuba and Venezuela,” said Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “Additionally, this bill protects America’s national security, technology, and innovation from multiple foreign adversaries, while increasing our foreign intelligence collection and analysis, as well as enhancing personnel talent and expertise.” 

Background:

The IAA for Fiscal Year 2023 authorizes funding and ensures that the Intelligence Community (IC) has the resources, personnel, and authorities it needs to protect our country and inform decision makers, while under robust Congressional oversight, including in the following key areas:

• Confronting the growing national security threat posed by China by increasing hard target intelligence collection and analysis, as well as by identifying and exposing China’s  online influence operations, leadership corruption, forced labor camps, and malign economic investments in telecommunications and semiconductors;

• Bolstering intelligence support for Ukraine as it fights to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty since Russia’s second unprovoked invasion, including by assessing the effects of sanctions on Russia and its allies and opportunities to mitigate threats to food security at home and abroad;

• Driving improvements to the IC’s hiring and security clearance processes by keeping the IC accountable for progress, including for timeliness in bringing cleared personnel on-board, ensuring that key management and contract oversight personnel in industry can obtain clearances, and assessing the utilization rates and accessibility of government and contractor secure facilities;

• Establishing counterintelligence protections for IC grant funding against foreign-based risks of misappropriation, theft, and other threats to U.S. innovation;

• Strengthening oversight of national security threats associated with the regimes in Cuba and Venezuela;

• Establishing an Office of Global Competition Analysis to ensure U.S. leadership in technology sectors critical to national security;

• Ensuring continued support to the victims of anomalous health incidents (“Havana Syndrome”) and maintaining continued oversight over the IC’s investigations into the causes of anomalous health incidents; 

• Maintaining strong congressional oversight of, and protections for, IC whistleblowers who come forward to report waste, fraud or abuse;

• Promoting cybersecurity enhancements and establishing cybersecurity minimum standards across the IC, including for classified systems;

• Enhancing oversight of IC and Department of Defense collection and reporting on Unidentified Aerospace-Undersea Phenomena; and

• Increasing transparency and promoting efforts to reform the declassification process.

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WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, who served as Virginia’s Governor during the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, released the following statement after the release of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act text—based on a framework to reduce gun violence that was announced on June 12 and applauded by Warner and Kaine:  

“Congress can no longer stand by as the scourge of gun violence tears apart communities. Following tragedy after tragedy, action to make our communities safer couldn’t be more urgent. We support this bipartisan legislation that will improve background checks for buyers under 21, strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence, and make significant investments in community-based mental health services. There is more that can—and must—be done to address gun violence, but we welcome this meaningful progress and look forward to voting for this bill soon.”

A summary of the bill is available here.

The bipartisan proposal includes similar provisions to those proposed by Warner and Kaine’s Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence, such as improving background checks, strengthening safeguards for victims of domestic violence, and incentivizing states to implement their own Extreme Risk Protection Orders to remove firearms from individuals who pose a high risk of harming themselves or others.

Full text of the bill is available here. 

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