Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the SIMPLE Plan Modernization Act to provide greater flexibility and access to small businesses and their employees seeking to utilize the popular SIMPLE plans as an option for saving for retirement.

“Even before the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans were having trouble saving for retirement. Now, there are even more financial challenges facing our workforce,” said Senator Warner. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to make it easier for small business owners to support their employees in securing their financial future.”

“Increasing access to employer-sponsored retirement plans is one way to improve Americans’ financial security, yet approximately two out of every five Mainers in the private sector lack access to a retirement plan at work,” said Senator Collins. “The SIMPLE Plan Modernization Act is a win-win proposition that helps small businesses enhance their employee benefits and assists workers with taking steps to save for retirement.”

Congress established SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) retirement plans in the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 to encourage small businesses to provide their employees with retirement plans. Retirement plans among small employers continue to be scarcer than among medium and large employers. While these smaller businesses have access to tax-favored retirement savings plans (including traditional 401(k)s), those plans are more expensive to administer.

Businesses with 100 or fewer employees may currently create SIMPLE retirement savings accounts for their employees, so long as the employers do not have another employer-sponsored retirement plan.

The proposed legislation would increase the contribution limit for SIMPLE plans. Increasing the limit would achieve two basic goals: 1) Encourage more small business employers to offer a retirement savings benefit to their employees and 2) Allow small business employees to save even more each year on a tax-deferred basis.

The SIMPLE Plan Modernization Act would:

Raise the contribution limit for SIMPLE plans from $13,500 to $16,500 (halfway between current SIMPLE plans and traditional 401(k)s) for the smallest businesses (1 to 25 employees), with a corresponding increase in the catch-up limit from $3,000 to $4,750.

Give businesses with 26 to 100 employees the option of the higher contribution limits, and, in order to continue to encourage them to transition to 401(k)s when they can do so, increase their SIMPLE plan mandatory employer contribution requirements by one percentage point if they elect the higher limits.

Allow for a reasonable transition period for employers that grow beyond 25 employees.

Make the limit increases unavailable if the employer has had another defined contribution plan within the past three years (to encourage businesses that already have qualified plans to retain them).

Modernize SIMPLE plan form filing requirements and modify the transition rules from SIMPLE plans to traditional plans to facilitate and encourage such transitions.

Direct Treasury to study the use of SIMPLE plans and report to Congress on such use, along with any recommendations.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) will receive $6,505,200 in federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deliver individuals that have transportation needs to state run Community Vaccination Centers.

“We’re glad to see these federal dollars go towards helping Virginians who have transportation needs get vaccinated,” said the Senators. “As Virginians 16 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, we remain committed to expanding opportunities so that all eligible students, workers, and residents can get their shots as soon as possible.”

Sens. Warner and Kaine strongly supported the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan, which included $7.5 billion in funding for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and public health departments to expand vaccine distribution and administration, and several billion dollars in additional funding for local community health centers and medical personnel to assist in administering vaccines.

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WASHINGTON – Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) along with Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-MD) today applauded an announcement by the Biden administration that it will release an additional 22,000 H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker visas, a move that will benefit the seafood processing industries in Virginia and Maryland. The senators had previously called on the administration to make available the maximum number of congressionally-authorized H-2B visas in order to ensure that seafood processors in Virginia and Maryland have the seasonal workforce they need. Following today’s announcement, the senators released the following statement:

“As the harvest season begins on the Northern Neck and the Eastern Shore, we are pleased that seafood processors will be able to hire additional seasonal workers to keep their operations up and running. These businesses – most of them small and family-owned – are essential to the coastal economies in Virginia and Maryland, and so we appreciate that the administration listened to our requests and released these additional visas, ensuring that they will have the workforce they need as the processing season kicks up.”

The H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Visa Program allows U.S. employers to hire seasonal, non-immigrant workers during peak seasons to supplement the existing American workforce. In order to be eligible for the program, employers are required to declare that there are not enough U.S. workers available to do the temporary work, as is the case with the seafood industry, which relies on H-2B workers for tough jobs such as shucking oysters and processing crabs.

Sens. Warner, Kaine, Cardin, and Van Hollen have long advocated for the seafood processing industry – a community largely made up of rural, family-owned operations.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the Committee, and a group of their colleagues in urging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to challenge any abusive tax deductions that opioid companies may take for settlements that they are paying out related to their role in fueling the opioid epidemic.

The Senators’ letter follows recent reporting indicating that, after being sued by state or local governments for harmful practices, opioid companies are planning to manipulate the tax code in order to claim billions of dollars in tax benefits. The Senators are calling on the IRS to use the full extent of its authority under recent regulations to challenge these tax schemes. “We strongly encourage the IRS to fully enforce the tax code by challenging any erroneous interpretations of these recent regulations that opioid companies may use in an attempt to claim tax deductions for legal settlement expenses,” wrote the Senators.

In addition to Senators Hassan and Wyden, the letter was signed by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Angus King (I-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

Read the Senators’ full letter here or below:

Dear Commissioner Rettig:

We write to urge the Internal Revenue Service to use the full extent of its authority to challenge any abusive tax deductions claimed by opioid companies for expenses related to legal settlements regarding these companies’ role in fueling the opioid crisis.

Recent reporting indicates that four companies involved in the multi-district opioid litigation collectively plan to claim billions of dollars in tax deductions for expenses related to a pending $26 billion settlement with state and local governments, which sued these companies for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. Similarly, in 2019, a judge ordered one of these companies to pay $572 million to the State of Oklahoma for misleading marketing of its opioid products. Based on this reporting, we are concerned that opioid wholesalers and drug companies may mischaracterize legal settlement expenses in order to claim tax deductions under tax code section 162(f), which allows the deduction of restitution payments.

In January 2021, the IRS published TD 9946, final regulations regarding the deductibility of legal settlement expenses under section 162(f). We strongly encourage the IRS to fully enforce the tax code by challenging any erroneous interpretations of these recent regulations that opioid companies may use in an attempt to claim tax deductions for legal settlement expenses.

We thank you for your attention to this important issue.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and a bicameral group of lawmakers in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), requesting the agency include measures to better support the involvement of residential and small commercial energy consumers as it works to establish the Office of Public Participation (OPP).

As one of the lead agencies responsible for developing energy infrastructure and ensuring reliability of the electric grid, FERC has sweeping authority over the wholesale power markets and ultimate jurisdiction in the federal siting and permitting process for natural gas pipelines. While FERC’s decisions determine which energy projects are constructed and significantly influence the energy prices consumers pay, private citizens have expressed frustration that participating in FERC’s complex proceedings is extremely challenging.

“As sponsors of the Public Engagement at FERC Act, we write to commend the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the steps you are taking to encourage and facilitate greater public involvement in FERC proceedings as directed by Congress,” wrote the lawmakers. “As the Commission determines how to fulfill its responsibility to coordinate assistance to the public, we encourage you to pay particular attention to providing residential and small commercial energy consumers a strong voice in shaping our nation’s energy future.”

The lawmakers continued, “As you work to establish an organizational structure for this office, we urge the Commission to consider measures included in the Public Engagement at FERC Act as a way to further improve public participation and remove technical barriers that may prevent consumers from making their voices heard.” Specifically, the lawmakers urged the Commission to consider measures included in the Public Engagement at FERC Act to further improve public participation and remove technical barriers that may prevent consumers from making their voices heard, including:

The employment of directed outreach methods, such as consultation services and technical assistance, to ensure the interests of residential and small commercial consumers are adequately represented; and
The creation of a Public and Consumer Advocacy Advisory Committee for the office composed of representatives from the national and state-based nongovernmental consumer advocacy community and provide intervener funding to individuals or small commercial energy consumer groups to encourage their participation in FERC proceedings.

The lawmakers concluded, “As Federal policies continue to expand FERC’s impact on utility bills paid by families and small businesses, it is essential that the public play a more prominent role in decisions made by the Commission. Energy consumers have waited more than 40 years for FERC to create an office to strengthen public involvement and ensure the decisions being made are in the best interest of those who will be most impacted. We hope you will consider the priorities laid out in our legislation and establish the Office of Public Participation without delay.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden requesting that he fund the initiatives to restore semiconductor manufacturing to American soil from the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act that were signed into law as part of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act.

They wrote, “We write today to encourage you to prioritize securing funding to implement the initiatives authorized in the CHIPS for America Act that were enacted into law as part of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.”

“We would specifically request you consider joining us in support of funding levels that are at least the authorized amounts proposed in the original bill as you work with Congress on a package of policies to better compete with China and how best to strengthen our country’s economic competitiveness and resiliency as well as national security.”

He was joined on the letter by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AK), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), James Risch (R-ID), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Todd Young (R-IN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tim Scott (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The full text of the letter is here and below.

Dear President Biden,

We write today to encourage you to prioritize securing funding to implement the initiatives authorized in the CHIPS for America Act that were enacted into law as part of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (referred to as the ‘CHIPS provisions’). We would specifically request you consider joining us in support of funding levels that are at least the authorized amounts proposed in the original bill as you work with Congress on a package of policies to better compete with China and how best to strengthen our country’s economic competitiveness and resiliency as well as national security.

While signing your Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains on February 24, 2021, we were pleased to hear your comments: “bipartisan work has already been done…We need to make sure these supply chains are secure and reliable. I’m directing senior officials in my administration to work with industrial leaders to identify solutions to this semiconductor shortfall and work very hard with the House and Senate.” We agree that the United States must build on the bipartisan Congressional efforts to authorize the CHIPS provisions and now swiftly move to fund these programs so they can be implemented and begin to address the current supply-chain vulnerabilities that threaten our national and economic security and ensure our nation’s continued global leadership in this critical technology. We are especially encouraged by the opportunity to do emergency mandatory funding for implementation of CHIPS as part of a competitiveness package the Senate is currently compiling, and would welcome your support in that effort.

The United States cannot wait to provide these resources over the years ahead. The halted production lines for consumer technology, auto manufacturers, truckers, and other critical industries due to a semiconductor shortage further highlights the pressing need to act quickly and fund the enacted bipartisan provisions.

In your Build Back Better initiative, you recognized the value of restoring critical supply chains to U.S. soil to help revitalize our domestic manufacturing capacity and create good-paying jobs. Full funding and implementation of CHIPS would reinvigorate our economy by creating high-paying jobs, developing talent pipelines for American workers, and increasing technological innovation. The CHIPS provisions authorize funding for manufacturing, R&D and job-training programs, with a focus on creating pathways for Americans to acquire the skills necessary for these jobs, including expanding employment opportunities for disadvantaged workers. Ensuring these provisions are fully funded would support thousands of American jobs and create a ripple effect throughout the economy, benefiting countless industries, communities and working families.

In addition to enabling sustainable economic growth today, funding the CHIPS provisions is a top national security priority. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has aggressive plans to reorient and dominate the semiconductor supply chain, pouring over $150 billion in semiconductor manufacturing subsidies and investing $1.4 trillion in their efforts to become the dominate global technological power. Even full funding of the originally filed CHIPS provisions pales in comparison to the investments being made by the CCP, which speaks to why consideration of an even higher level of funding is worthwhile.

The United States must also work with our allies and strategic partners to out-scale the CCP in manufacturing capabilities for advanced semiconductors. If we lose these highly-skilled jobs and know-how to China, the United States will never recapture them. Further, we risk dependence on a strategic competitor for the advanced semiconductors that power our economy, military, and critical infrastructure.

As you develop your FY 2022 budget request, we encourage you to include some initial investments to support semiconductor R&D and manufacturing at agencies like Commerce, DOD, DOE, and NSF as intended by CHIPS.

Finally, should you explore executive actions to address this urgent semiconductor matter, we encourage you to continue pursuing a technology neutral approach.

We are committed to meeting the national imperative of securing our critical supply chains and look forward to working with you and your Administration to achieve this vital objective.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) participated in a virtual Senate Banking Committee hearing on public transportation infrastructure investment. During the hearing, Sen. Warner stressed the need for dependable federal funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the entity that oversees Metro, given its importance to the region and the number of federal agencies and essential workers that rely on the system, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“The truth is, in many ways, the federal government runs on Metro. Before the pandemic, this was the system that kept our federal government and region running. As a matter a fact, 40 percent of Metro riders were federal employees. The unfortunate thing is COVID-19 has a dramatic effect on Metro, just like it had on systems all across the country. So we’ve got to make sure to provide support for WMATA,” said Sen. Warner during today’s hearing.

Signed into law last month, the American Rescue Plan provides $1.4 billion in federal funds for transit systems in the D.C. region, which includes WMATA. In December, Sen. Warner also personally negotiated a COVID-19 package that provided $14 billion in emergency relief for public transit agencies to continue operations during the pandemic, ensuring access to transportation for frontline workers and civil servants. As a result, the National Capital Region received over $800 million in emergency funding.

During the committee hearing, Sen. Warner also underscored the importance of renewing the federal funding commitment for WMATA to ensure the long-term safety and reliability of the Metro system.

“In 2008, Congress recognized the importance of Metro and finally passed – in a bipartisan way – ‘PRIIA’ legislation, a 10 year deal where $150 million in federal funds were authorized to the Metro system. The bill recognized the fact that all the localities – Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. – were chipping in a lot and the federal government was chipping in a bit to take care of the special needs of our federal workers,” continued Sen. Warner.

In February, Sen. Warner along with Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced the Metro Safety, Accountability and Investment Act to provide a dependable federal funding commitment for WMATA. Specifically, the bill would reauthorize $150 million annually for WMATA capital expenses over the next 10 years which is then matched by funding from Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. The bill also provides an additional $50 million per year in federal funding in exchange for key safety, oversight, and governance reforms at WMATA.

In the hearing, Sen. Warner also underscored the importance of additional funding programs to ensure the safety and reliability of Metro and other public transit systems, which includes the State of Good Repair program. Currently, WMATA’s State of Good Repair needs are estimated at $16 billion.

“One of the things we have to grapple with is the State of Good Repair investments, they are critically important to transit systems across the country, including Metro and some of our smaller systems around Virginia,” continued Sen. Warner.

Sen. Warner concluded his remarks in the hearing by thanking transit workers for their work amid the COVID-19 crisis, “I want to acknowledge our transit worker unions who’ve had to stay on the front lines during the entire COVID-19 crisis despite facing enormous challenges. One of the reasons that it’s so important to get the transit funds in place is not only to continue to operate our transit systems, but to show our support for our workforce.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine reintroduced the Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act, legislation to federally enact a series of commonsense gun violence prevention measures adopted by the Commonwealth of Virginia last year. The bill includes provisions to close current background check loopholes, mandate reporting of lost and stolen firearms, prevent children from accessing firearms, and implement a one-handgun-a-month policy.

“Virginia knows all too well the heartbreaking consequences of gun violence,” the Senators said. “We’ve seen it in the tragedies of Virginia Tech and Virginia Beach and the countless drive-by shootings, domestic violence, and suicides by firearm across the country. We’re proud of the Commonwealth for leading the way to advance gun reform; now it’s time for Congress to save lives.”

The Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2021 builds on Virginia’s 2020 commonsense framework to reduce gun violence by including the following provisions:

Universal Background Checks: Closes loopholes in existing federal law by requiring background checks on all firearm sales and transfers, with exemptions for certain family members, law enforcement officers, servicemembers, hunting, target shooting, and self-defense.

One-Handgun-a-Month: Limits purchases of handguns to one per month to curtail the stockpiling and trafficking of firearms.

Reporting of Lost or Stolen Firearms: Requires gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to the appropriate state or local law enforcement agency within 48 hours. State and local law enforcement agencies would be directed to report data collected to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.

Preventing Firearm Access to Minors: Promotes responsible gun ownership and safe storage practices by holding individuals liable for leaving a loaded, unsecured gun in the presence of a minor.

Protection Order Prohibitions: Strengthens safeguards for victims of domestic violence by closing the “boyfriend loophole,” which currently allows abusive non-spousal partners to possess firearms, and expands firearms laws to prohibit persons convicted of dating violence or stalking from possessing firearms.

Extreme Risk Protection Orders: Establishes a federal extreme risk protection order process to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a high risk of harming themselves or others and incentivizes states to implement their own extreme risk protection laws and court protocols.

You can view the full bill text here.

Warner and Kaine have long-supported a sensible, comprehensive approach to curbing gun violence, including the expansion of mental health services, background record checks prior to gun purchases, and responsible limits on combat-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. In March, the Senators reintroduced the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to all gun sales. Kaine has also introduced legislation to close the Charleston loophole, which allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) took to the Senate floor to express his support for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, legislation that would be particularly impactful in Virginia, where more than 565,000 individuals make up the nation’s 8^th-largest population of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). In his remarks, Sen. Warner called attention to the alarming spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans and urged his colleagues to stand up to hate.

“It’s tragic but not surprising that hate crimes in America have always been critically underreported. In fact, reports released by the Department of Justice in recent years suggest that the majority of hate crimes are not reported,” said Sen. Warner on the Senate floor. “Not only does this mask the true scale of hate incidents across our nation, it also means that investigative resources and support structures may not be available to the victims who need them. This problem can be exacerbated by cultural and language barriers, and made even worse by the pandemic, which has made it more difficult for folks to get connected with reporting mechanisms or useful resources. Fortunately, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act seeks to address these challenges by providing a clearinghouse for these cases.”

Introduced by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and cosponsored by Sen. Warner, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would help address the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes, which have surged during the pandemic as a result of racist rhetoric that places undue blame on Asian Americans for COVID-19. Specifically, this bill would direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to designate a point person to expedite the review of COVID-19-related hate crimes. This bill would also provide support for state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to these hate crimes, and promote coordination with local and federal partners to mitigate racially discriminatory language used to describe the pandemic.

In his remarks, Sen. Warner also highlighted the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, legislation he cosponsored to improve the reporting of hate crimes, and expand assistance and resources for victims of hate crimes.

“Over the past decade, our nation has seen a steady rise in hate crimes. Groups and individuals targeting minority and religious groups have increasingly perpetrated sickening acts of violence fueled by hateful ideologies. In Charlottesville, Virginia, we saw this hate and violence on our streets when a white supremacist drove a car into group of peaceful protestors, injuring many and killing a young woman, Heather Heyer. It’s critical that we give our law enforcement the tools they need to curb these horrific acts. That’s why I’m also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer NO Hate Act,” said Sen. Warner. “Both the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act are straightforward pieces of legislation that give victims and law enforcement officers the tools they desperately need to tackle the increasing prevalence of hate incidents in our country. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to meet this challenge and stand up to hate.”

The Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act would help combat the surge in hate crimes by improving reporting of hate crimes, establishing hate crime hotlines, allowing judges to require community-specific education and community service for perpetrators of hate crimes, and encouraging law enforcement prevention, training, and education on hate crimes.

Sen. Warner’s remarks as prepared are available below:

I rise today in support of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation has witnessed a surge in racism, xenophobia, and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In fact, between March of last year and February of this year there were nearly 3,800 hate incidents targeting Asian Americans.

It should go without saying that these actions have no place in our communities. To address this spike in anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes, we must stand in solidarity with the AAPI community and we must act against these heinous crimes.

The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act helps address this crisis head on.

This bill, very simply, requires Attorney General Garland to designate a coordinator within the Department of Justice to expedite, review, and facilitate reporting of COVID-19 related hate crimes.

Further, it requires the DOJ to issue guidance to state and local law enforcement to equip them with the tools needed to deal with the disturbing surge in incidents targeting the AAPI community.

It’s tragic but not surprising that hate crimes in America have always been critically underreported. In fact, reports released by the Department of Justice in recent years suggest that the majority of hate crimes are not reported.

Our current patchwork system paired with inconsistent reporting and resources guarantees that many instances of hate related violence and crimes go uncounted. Not only does this mask the true scale of hate incidents across our nation, it also means that investigative resources and support structures may not be available to the victims who need them.

This problem can be exacerbated by cultural and language barriers, and made even worse by the pandemic, which has made it more difficult for folks to get connected with reporting mechanisms or useful resources.

Fortunately, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act seeks to address these challenges by providing a clearinghouse for these cases.

Over the past decade, our nation has seen a steady rise in hate crimes. Groups and individuals targeting minority and religious groups have increasingly perpetrated sickening acts of violence fueled by hateful ideologies.

In Charlottesville, Virginia, we saw this hate and violence on our streets when a white supremacist drove a car into group of peaceful protestors, injuring many and killing a young woman, Heather Heyer.

It’s critical that we give our law enforcement the tools they need to curb these horrific acts.

That’s why I’m also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer NO Hate Act.

This bill modernizes our reporting system for hate crimes so that we can respond to accurate data.

It also provides grants to establish hate crime hotlines to record information about hate crimes and to redirect victims and witnesses to law enforcement and local support services, as needed.

Finally, this bill provides a federal private right of action for hate crime victims and allows judges to sentence community-specific education and community service. Together, these changes create a new model for addressing these crimes and preventing them from going unreported or unpunished.

Both the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act are straightforward pieces of legislation that give victims and law enforcement officers the tools they desperately need to tackle the increasing prevalence of hate incidents in our country.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to meet this challenge and stand up to hate.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the Biden administration announced several steps to respond to Russian aggression, including interference in the 2020 election, the hack impacting thousands of SolarWinds customers, bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan, and the illegal annexation of Crimea:

“I am glad to see the Biden administration formally attributing the SolarWinds hack to Russian intelligence services and taking steps to sanction some of the individuals and entities involved. The scale and scope of this hack are beyond any that we’ve seen before, and should make clear that we will hold Russia and other adversaries accountable for committing this kind of malicious cyber activity against American targets. Across both the public and private sector, we have a lot of work to do to deter our adversaries from conducting these types of damaging intrusions, and to guard against future interference in our elections. But this is a good first step in making clear that these sorts of actions are unacceptable and will be met with consequences.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that Fairfax County will receive $3,309,299.18 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The federal funds will be used to purchase, preposition, and distribute Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as: coveralls, eye and face shields, gloves, gowns, masks, N95 masks, respirators, shoe covers, lab coats, ponchos, hair nets, test kits, protective sleeves, tents, bags, door openers, and tables for essential workers as they deliver vital services to the community.

“We’re glad to see these federal dollars go towards managing, controlling, and reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” said the Senators. “As Virginians continue to wear a mask, social distance, and get tested and vaccinated, we remain committed to ensuring that the Commonwealth has the necessary tools to continue to combat this health crisis.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has approved $500,000 in grant funding for the Millwald Theatre Restoration and Economic Revitalization project. The funding will be used to renovate and reopen the 15,000-square-foot theatre, attract an estimated 47,000 visitors annually, and bolster 20 businesses in downtown Wytheville, Virginia.

“We are pleased to announce that these federal dollars will go towards renovating the historic Millwald Theatre – a project that will increase local tourism and spur economic activity in the region by drawing visitors to the central business district,” said the Senators.

ARC project grants are awarded to local and state government entities and non-profits, and matched by local funding sources. In addition to ARC funds, this project will receive $604,230 in Federal Historic Tax Credits, $1.1 million in state Historic Tax Credits and other state sources, $425,000 in New Markets Tax Credits, and $475,080 from local funding sources, bringing the total project funding to $3,104,310.

ARC is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments, focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation. Since 1965, ARC has invested $4.5 billion in approximately 28,000 economic development projects across Appalachia, attracting over $10 billion in matching project funds.

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WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and U.S. Rep. David Price (D-NC) reintroduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation that would provide much-needed relief for individuals who previously consolidated their student loan debt with their spouse. While Congress eliminated the joint consolidation program in 2006, it did not provide a way for borrowers to sever existing loans, even in the event of domestic violence, economic abuse, or unresponsiveness from a former partner. The Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, cosponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and John Cornyn (R-TX), would fix this oversight, which has unfortunately left too many borrowers liable for their former spouse’s student loan debt.

“Victims of domestic violence who flee their dangerous living situations shouldn’t find themselves burdened with their partner’s debt when trying to move forward with their lives. Unfortunately, that’s the reality for some Americans who are stuck with joint consolidation loans,” said Sen. Warner. “This commonsense bill would help a vulnerable population who’s been unfairly held responsible for their former partner’s debt, by giving them the ability regain their financial independence.”

“This bill is a direct response to my constituent’s experience with a damaging joint consolidation loan. I introduced this bill to provide relief to borrowers who are victims of abusive or uncommunicative spouses by allowing them to sever these loans,” said Rep. Price. “The impact on borrowers is often crippling and I’m grateful for the bipartisan support that this common-sense bill has received. Congressional action is long overdue.”

“Survivors of domestic violence should never have to pay the debts of their abuser,” Sen. Rubio said. “This legislation would provide financial independence to those survivors who previously consolidated their student loan debt with their partner. I am proud to join Senators Warner and Cornyn in reintroducing this legislation, and I urge my Senate colleagues to support this bill to deliver relief to these individuals.”

“Victims of domestic abuse should never, ever be on the hook for an abusive partner’s debt,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I am proud to join this commonsense, bipartisan effort that will be key in helping vulnerable Texans, and others across the nation, regain their financial autonomy.”

Specifically, the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act would allow borrowers to submit an application to the Department of Education to split the joint consolidation loan into two separate federal direct loans. The joint consolidation loan remainder – the unpaid loan and accrued unpaid interest – would be split proportionally based on the percentages that each borrower originally brought into the loan. The two new federal direct loans would have the same interest rates as the joint consolidation loan.

Each borrower would also have the ability to transfer eligible payments made on the joint consolidation loan towards income-driven repayment programs and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

The Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act is supported by a number of organizations, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Consumer Law Center, North Carolina Coalition against Domestic Violence, and the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

“When survivors escape abuse, they should be able to start over without the debts of their abusers. We applaud this bill for creating a solution for those survivors who consolidated loans either in good faith or under duress and are now rebuilding their lives,” said Monica McLaughlin, Director of Public Policy at the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

“For far too long, many student loan borrowers have been stuck in joint consolidation loans, and this bill ensures that struggling borrowers, including survivors of domestic and economic abuse, who previously consolidated their student loan debts, have the opportunity to regain their financial footing. We applaud Senator Warner and Representative Price for their efforts. This bill would benefit many vulnerable student loan borrowers, and we are proud to support it,” said Persis Yu, Director, Student Borrower Assistance Project for the National Consumer Law Center.

“Survivors of domestic violence in North Carolina face many barriers when they decide to leave an abusive relationship; shouldering the burden of an abusive partner’s debt should not be one of them. We applaud Congressman Price for filing this bill and helping survivors get one step closer to regaining rebuild their lives and regain their financial independence,” said Kathleen Lockwood, Legal & Policy Director at the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

“The Action Alliance is pleased to support these efforts to provide victims of domestic and economic abuse with student loan relief. This bill will make a difference for people who need it, and I hope Congress will move swiftly to enact it,” said Jonathan Yglesias, Policy Director at the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

A copy of the one-pager can be found here. A copy of the bill text and be found here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $19,155,185 in federal funding to provide economic relief to 11 airports across Virginia. The funding, awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), was authorized by the December 2020 emergency COVID-19 relief bill supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine.

“We are happy to announce that these funds will go towards supporting 11 airports in Virginia,” said the Senators. “While we work to get folks vaccinated and the economy back on track, these dollars will help ensure that our regional airports have what they need to continue combating COVID-19 and serving travelers.”

The funding will be distributed as follows:

Airport:	Location:	Amount:
Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport	Albemarle County	$2,928,978
Culpeper Regional Airport	Culpeper County	$23,000
Louisa County/Freeman Field Airport	Louisa County	$13,000
Lynchburg Regional Airport	Campbell County	$1,261,006
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport	Newport News	$1,951,578
Norfolk International Airport	Norfolk	$5,768,825
Richmond International Airport	Henrico County	$6,143,825
Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport	Augusta County	$ 1,005,973
Stafford Regional Airport	Stafford County	$13,000
Warrenton-Fauquier Airport	Fauquier County	$23,000
Winchester Regional Airport	Frederick County	$23,000

Specifically, this funding will go towards helping airports cover costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments, and efforts to combat the spread of pathogens.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long fought for increased investments to infrastructure, including for Virginia’s airports. Most recently, they supported the passage and signing of the American Rescue Plan, which provides robust transportation funding for airports and other transit systems throughout Virginia.

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the extension of the Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) application deadline to ensure the highest level of participation from eligible community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and minority depository institutions (MDIs).

“We know Treasury is committed to implementing this historic, $9 billion investment in MDIs and CDFIs, and that your staff is committed to ensuring ECIP meets its transformative potential. While we are encouraged by the speed at which Treasury has implemented the program, we are concerned that key questions are unanswered,” wrote the lawmakers. “…We urge Treasury to continue to work with industry stakeholders to identify the additional guidance needed to ensure there is robust participation in ECIP. While Treasury has already demonstrated it will thoughtfully implement ECIP, eligible institutions’ concerns should be considered and fully evaluated before the deadline to apply for ECIP closes.”

See the full text of the letter below.

The Honorable Janet Yellen
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest
Washington, D.C. 20002

Dear Secretary Yellen:

We write to urge the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to extend the Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) application deadline. Extending the deadline would ensure eligible Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) have the time and information necessary to apply for the program. Key industry stakeholders have raised concerns that further guidance and time are needed to ensure eligible institutions take advantage of the resources available through ECIP.

We know Treasury is committed to implementing this historic, $9 billion investment in MDIs and CDFIs, and that your staff is committed to ensuring ECIP meets its transformative potential. While we are encouraged by the speed at which Treasury has implemented the program, we are concerned that key questions are unanswered. For example, we understand that guidance that affects institutions’ eligibility, capital offerings, compliance, and reporting still needs to be published. As a result, institutions that would otherwise participate are hesitant to do so and may be unable to apply by the current deadline of May 7, 2021.

We urge Treasury to continue to work with industry stakeholders to identify the additional guidance needed to ensure there is robust participation in ECIP. While Treasury has already demonstrated it will thoughtfully implement ECIP, eligible institutions’ concerns should be considered and fully evaluated before the deadline to apply for ECIP closes.

We appreciate your commitment to this historic program and ensuring ECIP is successful. We look forward to our continued collaboration implementing ECIP and supporting CDFIs and MDIs, which play a critical role in supporting access to capital in underserved communities.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Warner
United States Senator

Maxine Waters
Chairwoman, Committee on Financial
Services, U.S. House of Representatives

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WASHINGTON – Today Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) led a bipartisan group of Senators in urging President Joe Biden to request at least $3 billion as part of his budget request to Congress for the adoption of 5G alternatives to Chinese-made equipment. Specifically, the Senators urged Biden to request at least $1.5 billion each for two funds established by Congress to encourage the adoption of Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) equipment, which would allow additional vendors to enter the 5G market and compete with manufacturers like Huawei, which is heavily subsidized by the Chinese government.

“Current RAN infrastructure relies on closed, end-to-end hardware solutions that are expensive to operate and dominated by foreign companies. For example, Huawei, a company with inextricable links to the Chinese government and a history of disregard for the intellectual property rights of U.S. companies, offers end-to-end RAN hardware, which poses significant counterintelligence concerns. For years, we have called on telecommunications providers in the U.S., as well as our allies and partners, to reject Huawei 5G technology, but we have not provided competitively-priced, innovative alternatives that would address their needs,” the Senators wrote in a letter. “As wireless networks adapt to the growing demands for 5G connectivity, a new Open RAN architecture will allow telecommunications providers to migrate from the current hardware-centric approach into a software-centric model that relies heavily on cloud-based services. This architecture will break down the current end-to-end proprietary stack of hardware; lower barriers to entry and prompt innovation; diversify the supply chain and decrease dependence on foreign suppliers; and spur Open RAN deployments throughout the United States, particularly in rural America. Providing resources for these Funds in your budget request presents an opportunity to realize this vision.”

Today’s letter was signed by bipartisan members of the Senate Intelligence Committee: Chairman Warner, Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

The full text of the letter appears below, and a copy is available here.

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

The President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you prepare your budget request for Fiscal Year 2022, we ask that you provide at least $1.5 billion each for both the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund and the Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund. These Funds provide critical foundations for robust, secure, and efficient fifth-generation (5G) networks, and will be integral to the ability of the United States and its allies to adopt Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) equipment at a scale necessary to compete with the equipment vendors of our strategic rivals, including China.

These Funds, established in Section 9202 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, are consistent with your Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, which calls for investments to retain our scientific and technological edge, build secure 21st century digital infrastructure (including secure 5G networks), and partner with democratic friends and allies. Investments in these Funds will also enable the development and deployment of an Open RAN approach to network standardization for nationwide 5G (and successor) wireless capabilities.

Current RAN infrastructure relies on closed, end-to-end hardware solutions that are expensive to operate and dominated by foreign companies. For example, Huawei, a company with inextricable links to the Chinese government and a history of disregard for the intellectual property rights of U.S. companies, offers end-to-end RAN hardware, which poses significant counterintelligence concerns. For years, we have called on telecommunications providers in the U.S., as well as our allies and partners, to reject Huawei 5G technology, but we have not provided competitively-priced, innovative alternatives that would address their needs.

As wireless networks adapt to the growing demands for 5G connectivity, a new Open RAN architecture will allow telecommunications providers to migrate from the current hardware-centric approach into a software-centric model that relies heavily on cloud-based services. This architecture will break down the current end-to-end proprietary stack of hardware; lower barriers to entry and prompt innovation; diversify the supply chain and decrease dependence on foreign suppliers; and spur Open RAN deployments throughout the United States, particularly in rural America. Providing resources for these Funds in your budget request presents an opportunity to realize this vision.

We look forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner on this critical national priority.

Cc:

Mr. Ronald A. Klain, White House Chief of Staff

Mr. Jacob J. Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

Mr. Robert Fairweather, Acting Director, Office of Management and Budget

The Honorable Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce

The Honorable Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) joined by Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), today unveiled their framework to overhaul international taxation and invest in America by ensuring mega-corporations pay their fair share.

The framework details an overhaul of three taxes Republicans created in their 2017 bill: Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI), Foreign Derived Intangible Income (FDII) and the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT).

“We need an international tax system that rewards companies making investments here in the U.S., particularly in cutting-edge technologies that will dictate the future success of our economy and ability to create good-paying jobs,” Senator Warner said. “Unfortunately, the 2017 law’s changes to the international tax system were riddled with incentives that do the opposite, encouraging companies to offshore operations and jobs. This framework is a first step in allowing us to find novel, creative approaches that fix the problems with the current system and provide long-term certainty for businesses and stability for federal revenues so that we remain globally competitive.”

“The Republican tax law was a massive giveaway to mega-corporations, and corporate tax revenue has fallen through the floor. While working families have struggled to pay rent and buy groceries, companies that saw their taxes cut in half are doing better than ever before. Congress needs to ensure mega-corporations pay their fair share to fund critical investments in the American people,” Chair Wyden said. “That starts with ending incentives to ship jobs overseas and closing loopholes that allow companies to stash their profits in tax havens, and, instead, rewarding companies that invest in the United States. Our framework would not only generate critical revenue to pay for President Biden’s infrastructure package, it would encourage additional investment in the United States and its workers.”

“For decades, our tax code has rewarded corporations that shut down production in the U.S. and move American jobs overseas, and the 2017 Republican tax law only made it worse, with its 50 percent off coupon for corporations that move jobs to Mexico or China,” Senator Brown said. “Our plan is simple: Corporations should pay their fair share, just like Ohio families do, and they shouldn’t get a tax break for shipping workers’ jobs overseas. We’re going to reward companies that create jobs and invest in America.”

To overhaul GILTI, the senators propose repealing the tax exemption for overseas factories that incentivizes shipping jobs overseas, raising the GILTI rate, and moving to a country-by-country system that prevents multinational corporations from shielding income in tax havens from U.S. tax. The senators’ proposed “high-tax exclusion” would simplify the country-by-country approach by grouping income from low-tax countries together and excluding income from countries where it is already taxed at a higher rate than GILTI. Lastly, the treatment of research and development expenses would be adjusted, so that companies would no longer pay higher GILTI rates when they invest in the United States.

To overhaul FDII, the senators similarly propose ending the built-in incentive to offshore factories and other assets and equalizing the FDII and GILTI rates. The offshoring incentive will be replaced with a new provision to reward current year innovation-spurring activities in the United States, like research and development.

To overhaul BEAT, the senators propose restoring the value of tax credits for domestic investment. To pay for this change, the proposal creates a higher, second tax bracket for income associated with base erosion; this raises revenue from the biggest base eroders, and uses that revenue to support companies investing in the United States.

A copy of the framework is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) joined by Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, urging the EPA to use all tools available to meet the 2025 goals of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The pollution reduction requirements in the Bay TMDL are vital to protecting the health of the Chesapeake Bay and ensuring the Bay’s surrounding states each do their part in reducing pollution. Recently, however, Pennsylvania has fallen behind in their TMDL requirements. While the Trump Administration refused to use its legal authority to ensure compliance, the Senators are urging the EPA to take the necessary action to do so.

The Senators write, “On December 29, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, a historic and comprehensive agreement that includes accountability features to restore clean water in the seven jurisdictions within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The agreement is a national and indeed international model for watershed restoration. It sets limits for pollution that equate to a 25 percent reduction in nitrogen, 24 percent reduction in phosphorous, and 20 percent reduction in sediment. As the Bay TMDL states, ‘The TMDL is designed to ensure that all pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Bay and its tidal rivers are in place by 2025[.]’”

“The Courts have upheld the legality of the Bay TMDL. As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has noted, the ‘Clean Water Act does not simply direct the publication of the TMDL; it is one step in a process with several layers, each placing primary responsibility for pollution controls in state hands with ‘backstop authority’ vested in the EPA,’” they continue.

“The implementation of the Bay TMDL and the Bay jurisdiction’s Watershed Implementation Plans are, therefore, part of EPA’s legal obligation to achieve and maintain the nutrient goals of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL under the Clean Water Act,” the Senators note.

The Senators point to the need for action, writing, “We are at a critical juncture in implementation of the Bay TMDL. EPA’s response to Pennsylvania’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) noted that Pennsylvania is on track to meet only 75 percent of its nitrogen reduction targets and the Commonwealth itself identified a $324 million annual shortfall in their plan. The State of New York’s Phase III WIP is also 1 million pounds under its nitrogen goal. We ask that you use all tools at your disposal—including those identified in Bay TMDL Section 7—to make sure that all jurisdictions are on track for 2025.”

The text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Administrator Regan:

Congratulations on your confirmation as Administrator to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

We stand by to offer our partnership to your efforts as Administrator of the EPA to achieve our mutual goal of clean water in the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.

On December 29, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), a historic and comprehensive agreement that includes accountability features to restore clean water in the seven jurisdictions within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The agreement is a national and indeed international model for watershed restoration. It sets limits for pollution that equate to a 25 percent reduction in nitrogen, 24 percent reduction in phosphorous, and 20 percent reduction in sediment. As the Bay TMDL states, “The TMDL is designed to ensure that all pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Bay and its tidal rivers are in place by 2025[.]”

The goal of the Clean Water Act is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” To that end, states are first required to set water quality standards for all waters within their boundaries regardless of the sources of pollution. When those water quality standards cannot be met and maintained through effluent limitations and technology-based controls on point sources, water quality-based controls are required under Section 303(d) of the Act. States are required to identify waters within its boundaries that cannot achieve water quality standards based on effluent limitations, and then “shall establish for [impaired] waters […] the total maximum daily load, for those pollutants which the Administrator identifies […] as suitable for such calculation.” A TMDL is a specification of the maximum amount of a particular pollutant that can pass through a waterbody each day without violating water quality standards. Such “load shall be established at a level necessary to implement the applicable water quality standards with seasonal variations and a margin of safety which takes into account any lack of knowledge[.]” Once the 303(d) list and any TMDLs are approved by the EPA, the reporting state must incorporate the list and TMDLs into its continuing planning process.

The Courts have upheld the legality of the Bay TMDL. As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has noted, the “Clean Water Act does not simply direct the publication of the TMDL; it is one step in a process with several layers, each placing primary responsibility for pollution controls in state hands with ‘backstop authority’ vested in the EPA.”

In addition to these requirements, Section 117(g) of the Act requires EPA to take certain actions regarding the implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. It states that the EPA Administrator, “in coordination with other members of the Chesapeake Executive Council, shall ensure that management plans are developed and implementation is begun by signatories to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement to achieve and maintain (A) the nutrient goals of the Chesapeake Bay Agreements for the quantity of nitrogen and phosphorous entering the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed; (B) the water quality requirements necessary to restore living resources in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem; […] (D) habitat restoration, protection, creation, and enhancement goals established by Chesapeake Bay Agreement signatories for living wetlands, riparian forests, and other types of habitat associated with the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem; and (E) the restoration, protection, creation, and enhancement goals established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement signatories for living resources associated with the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.” (emphasis added).

The implementation of the Bay TMDL and the Bay jurisdiction’s Watershed Implementation Plans are, therefore, part of EPA’s legal obligation to achieve and maintain the nutrient goals of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL under the Clean Water Act.

Since the inception of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL – and through its Reasonable Assurance and Accountability Framework in Section 7 – EPA has communicated its expectations for the Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia to develop Watershed Implementation Plans and two-year milestones and “demonstrate satisfactory progress toward achieving nutrient and sediment allocations established by EPA in the Chesapeake Bay TMDL.” In addition, the Agency laid out potential backstop actions the Bay jurisdictions would face if they failed to demonstrate progress on their obligations under the Bay TMDL, noting that the “identification of possible federal actions is intended to strengthen our individual and collective resolve to make the difficult choices and decisions along the road to a restored Chesapeake Bay and watershed and fill in the gaps to aid States and the District to meet their commitments in order to ensure that the allocations in the TMDL are achieved.”

Time and again, EPA has demonstrated through its approach in establishing and implementing the Bay TMDL, including its application of “backstop actions” when states deviated from their respective obligations, its view that the Bay jurisdictions are responsible for meeting the allocations in the Bay TMDL. Indeed, as recently as April of 2017, in laying out its expectations for Pennsylvania’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan, EPA noted several examples of potential actions it could take specific to Pennsylvania if it determined that the state did not meet these expectations. Those backstop actions included: (1) Targeting federal enforcement and compliance assurance in the watershed; (2) Directing Chesapeake Bay funding to identified priorities; (3) Establishing finer scale wasteload and load allocations through a Pennsylvania state-specific proposed amendment to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL; (4) Requiring additional reductions of loading from point sources through a Pennsylvania state-specific proposed amendment to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL; and (5) Initiating a process to propose promulgating nitrogen and phosphorous numeric water quality standards for Pennsylvania applicable to streams and rivers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

EPA’s defense of the Bay TMDL and its historic approach to the Bay jurisdiction’s development of the Watershed Implementation Plans clearly indicates that it took its responsibilities under Sections 303d and 117(g) seriously and that it viewed achieving the allocations in the Bay TMDL as necessary to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act.

We are at a critical juncture in implementation of the Bay TMDL. EPA’s response to Pennsylvania’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) noted that Pennsylvania is on track to meet only 75 percent of its nitrogen reduction targets and the Commonwealth itself identified a $324 million annual shortfall in their plan. The State of New York’s Phase III WIP is also 1 million pounds under its nitrogen goal.

We ask that you use all tools at your disposal—including those identified in Bay TMDL Section 7—to make sure that all jurisdictions are on track for 2025.

The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load has made strong progress towards cleanup of this national treasure and economic engine in our region. We are at a critical moment, and we look forward to working with you to make sure we meet our 2025 goals for clean water in the Chesapeake Bay.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Amid the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, a bill written and passed into law by U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner is set to create more than 18,851 jobs nationwide in 2021, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Great American Outdoors Act, which was championed by Sen. Warner and signed into law by President Trump last year, provides for up to $1.6 billion a year for five years to help address a multi-billion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog at national parks and other public lands.

Warner announced today that among the projects that will receive funding this year are overdue upgrades at three National Park Service (NPS) sites in Virginia: the GW Memorial Parkway ($207.8 million in overdue upgrades); Colonial National Historical Park ($10 million in upgrades); and Skyline Drive ($26.2 million in upgrades), as well as additional repairs at Shenandoah National Park (to the tune of $3.5 million).

“Amid the COVID-19 crisis, this law will create thousands of jobs,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m proud that Virginia’s national park sites will finally be receiving crucial repairs that have been postponed for years. Future generations will reap the benefits of this once-in-a-lifetime investment in our national treasures.”

The Great American Outdoors Act is a product of Sen. Warner’s effort of more than three years to provide relief to national parks in Virginia, where the overall maintenance backlog currently sits at $1.1 billion dollars. A previously released estimate found that the law is expected to create or support more than 10,000 jobs in Virginia over the life of the bill.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner, D-VA. and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questioned eight digital advertising exchanges about the possible sale of Americans’ personal information to foreign-owned companies, in a series of letters sent yesterday with Senators Bill Cassidy, R-La., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The senators are seeking information about the sharing of Americans’ data through “real time bidding” – the auction process used to place many targeted digital advertisements. For most online ads, although only one company wins the auction, hundreds of firms participating receive information about the potential recipient of the ad, including device identifiers and cookies, web browsing and location data, IP addresses, and age and gender.

“Few Americans realize that some auction participants are siphoning off and storing ‘bidstream’ data to compile exhaustive dossiers about them. In turn, these dossiers are being openly sold to anyone with a credit card, including to hedge funds, political campaigns, and even to governments,” the senators wrote.

“This information would be a goldmine for foreign intelligence services that could exploit it to inform and supercharge hacking, blackmail, and influence campaigns,” they continued.

The letter was sent to AT&T, Index Exchange, Google, Magnite, OpenX, PubMatic, Twitter and Verizon.

The senators asked for answers to the following questions by May 4, 2021:

1. Please identify the specific data elements about users, their devices, the websites they are accessing, and apps they are using that you provide to auction participants.

2. Please identify each company, foreign or domestic, to whom your firm has provided bidstream data in the past three years that is not contractually prohibited from sharing, selling, or using the data for any purpose unrelated to bidding on and delivering an ad.

3. If your firm has contractual restrictions in place prohibiting the sharing, sale, or secondary use of bidstream data, please detail all efforts to audit compliance with these contractual restrictions and the results of those audits.

4. Please identify each foreign-headquartered or foreign-majority owned company to whom your firm has provided bidstream data from users in the United States and their devices in the past three years.

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WASHINGTON – Across Virginia, relief funds are headed to schools, localities and bank accounts, as a result of the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law earlier this month.

An overview of resources going to Virginia as a result of the American Rescue Plan can be found here. A list of direct aid amounts for local governments in Virginia are available here.

Here’s what some local leaders around Virginia are saying:

“Since day one, local governments have been on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19. Across the country, municipal employees have been dogged in working to defeat the virus and carry out vital functions despite immense budgetary uncertainty. I am thankful to Senator Warner for making sure Fairfax County has the funding critical to continuing to fight the virus and vaccinate our residents while maintaining essential services and promoting the economic recovery.” – Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay

“Prince William County has weathered immense challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding in this relief bill will help us emerge from this crisis stronger than ever as it will address the needs of all families and address local inequities which have become more visible during this crisis. I am grateful for Senator Warner and his tireless leadership during this current health and economic crisis.” – Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler

“The Town of Dumfries is extremely grateful to be a direct recipient of funding from the ARP. We will continue to use the funding to help our community defeat this virus and rebuild our economy. We appreciate Senator Warner for making sure that localities like the Town of Dumfries and our residents have much-needed resources to weather the season of this pandemic.” – Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood

“On behalf of all Alexandrians, I want to share my heartfelt gratitude to Senator Warner, Senator Kaine and Representative Beyer for their assistance in achieving this legislation. The assistance from the American Rescue Plan will help our residents and business community in many ways over the coming years and will certainly expedite our recovery after the devastating economic and personal impacts of the last year. We will continue to persevere together, and this aid will help to see us through to the other side of this global pandemic.” – Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson

“Cities like Richmond have been on the front lines of this pandemic for a year now, and we all know that communities of color have disproportionately borne the brunt of the public health threat and economic devastation wrought by COVID-19. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, the American Rescue Plan will give us the economic shot in the arm we need to continue to fight the battle against COVID and help us recover the right way. I’m grateful to President Biden and leaders like Senator Warner for coming to the rescue of Virginia – and the City of Richmond.” – Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney

“It’s an opening to transform our town. It’s a historic chance to make a lasting difference, to turn a painful time into a promising one.” – Scottsville Vice Mayor Laura Mellusi

“The American Rescue Plan will allow the City to disburse the money more quickly and efficiently than previous funding, which is incredibly important because it includes critical financial support for municipal services as well as direct relief for citizens and businesses. The ARP Act took a holistic and thoughtful approach by recognizing that several funding sources should work together on behalf of businesses. For example, the mechanism by which entities can take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program can also apply for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) administered by the Small Business Administration. This is a great example of how local governments can help our federal partners get funding directly where it is needed most.” – Virginia Beach Mayor Robert M. “Bobby” Dyer

“Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the city of Hampton will receive millions in direct fiscal relief to help deal with the effects of COVID-19. Our residents have been hard-hit by the health and economic effects of the virus. This relief funding – along with other aid to this region for schools, transit, and more – will go a long way to helping us respond and set Hampton on a path to a strong recovery from the pandemic.” – Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck

“Chesapeake has been extremely hard-hit by the effects of COVID-19. The direct funding for Chesapeake that the American Rescue Plan provides will help us continue our efforts to defeat the virus and build back our economy. I am thankful to Senator Warner for making sure the Chesapeake and our residents have the tools we need to deal with the effects of the pandemic.” – Chesapeake City Council Member Dr. Ella D. Ward

“The passage of the American Rescue Plan provides direct aid to localities which have been significantly impacted by COVID-19. These resources will allow Bristol, VA and localities across the nation to continue to provide services to citizens even when localities have seen substantial negative impacts to their revenue. Local government employees have continued to serve their communities during the pandemic with minimal interruptions from COVID-19, and this funding will allow us purchase items to fight the virus in order to keep our schools, children and citizens safe.” – Bristol City Manager Randall Eads

“Local governments have been on the frontline since the beginning of the pandemic providing critical public health and essential services, and ensuring the well-being of our most vulnerable citizens. For more than a year, we have continued this important work despite the immense challenges and fiscal uncertainty we have faced due to COVID-19 and the subsequent economic fallout. This critical funding will help us to continue fighting the virus and expedite the vaccinating of our residents while maintaining the delivery of core services and promoting the economic recovery.” – Pulaski County Administrator Jonathan D. Sweet

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today announced the appointment of two senior staffers in Virginia. Zack Golden will lead Sen. Warner’s Virginia operations as State Director, overseeing offices and staff in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Southwest Virginia, and Cynthia Downs-Taylor will serve as Senior Advisor.

“I am thrilled that Zack and Cynthia will be joining our staff, rounding out a diverse and experienced senior management team in Virginia and Washington, D.C.,” said Sen. Warner. “Zack and Cynthia both have extensive knowledge of Virginia and they will both be enormous assets to our operations as we work to serve Virginians and help the Commonwealth recover from COVID-19.”

Golden and Downs-Taylor join a leadership team steering Warner’s operations that includes Chief of Staff Elizabeth Falcone; Legislative Director Lauren Marshall; Communications Director Rachel Cohen; Administrative Director Reagan Blewett; and Director of State Operations Lou Kadiri.

Golden is native of Virginia Beach and previously was Warner’s Director of Scheduling and Advance from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, Golden served as a legislative aide and staff assistant in the Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. He rejoins Warner’s team after six years working for Dyson Capital Advisors in Alexandria, Virginia as Client Service Director. He has a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University, where he was student body president, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Golden and his wife Holly live in Arlington with their daughter and dog. He will be based in Vienna.

Downs-Taylor is a consultant and community organizer from Hampton Roads, Virginia. She consulted for Sen. Warner’s successful re-election campaigns to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and 2020. She has also worked on the campaigns of a number of Virginia officeholders, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Gov. Ralph Northam, and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA). She is a former Virginia State Director for the NAACP National Voter Fund and a graduate of Virginia State University. She will be based in Richmond.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $1,169,961 in federal funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for three organizations across Southwest and Southside Virginia that are supporting individuals suffering from substance use disorder.

“Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen an increased demand for substance abuse treatment,” said the Senators. “We are glad to announce that this funding will provide increased support to those struggling with addiction in Southwest and Southside Virginia.”

The following organizations will receive funding as listed below:

Piedmont Regional Community Services Board in Martinsville, Virginia will receive a grant of $498,961 to increase the number of recovering individuals in Martinsville and Henry County and expand the program that currently serves Patrick County.
LENOWISCO in Duffield, Virginia will receive a grant of $371,000 to develop a substance abuse recovery ecosystem and remove barriers to obtaining employment.
Western Virginia Workforce Development Board in Roanoke, Virginia will receive a grant of $300,000 to develop and enhance the recovery ecosystem in Alleghany, Craig, and the City of Covington.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that two emergency projects across the Commonwealth will receive $2,624,138.82 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The federal funds will be used to communicate COVID-19 warnings and guidance to Virginians, and procure and utilize medical supplies and equipment to combat the virus.

The following projects will receive funding as listed below:

Recipient	Amount
Virginia Port Authority	$1,599,519.03
Virginia Beach	$1,024,619.79

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WASHINGTON – Today, a bipartisan group of U.S. national security leaders penned a letter to the Biden administration urging it to strongly consider the provisions laid out in the bipartisan Democracy Technology Partnership Act. The bill – introduced by U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and a bipartisan group of Senators earlier this month – aims to develop a partnership and strategy among democratic countries to compete against growing technological strength and influence by the Chinese Communist Party and other authoritarian regimes.

The letter is penned by a broad bipartisan cohort of national security experts including, Ash Carter, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Jim Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence (DNI); Richard Danzig, former U.S. Secretary of the Navy; Michèle A. Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Richard Fontaine, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS); Stephen J. Hadley, former U.S. National Security Advisor; Michael V. Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA); Admiral William H. McRaven, retired U.S. Navy four-star Admiral and former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command; Stephanie O’Sullivan, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence; and Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and former Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State.

“We believe the bill offers an important idea: creating a diplomatic mechanism to execute a national security strategy, which places technology competition and international partnerships at its center,” the bipartisan national security leaders wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and U.S. National Security Advisory, Jake Sullivan. “The strength of the United States – politically, economically, and militarily – will depend on the ability of the United States and like-minded democratic countries to lead in the development and deployment of emerging and critical technologies. Significant advances are occurring across a variety of technology sectors, including wireless telecommunications, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing, with major implications for every aspect of American life.”

In the letter, the national security leaders describe how the Democracy Technology Partnership Act would help set international standards and norms on emerging and critical technologies.

“For the better half of a century, the United States led in scientific research and the development of transformational technologies, translating into significant economic and military benefits for the American people. This leadership also enabled us to set the rules of the road governing the use of new technologies in ways that reflected our democratic values,” they continued. “However, in recent years, as U.S. leadership has eroded, the People’s Republic of China has stepped up its efforts to dominate critical and emerging technologies. Their approach has included heavily subsidizing Chinese companies, conducting forced technology transfers, investing significantly in research and development, heavily promoting the global adoption of Chinese technologies, and leveraging international standard setting bodies. They have used these technologies for undemocratic ends internally, such as censorship and surveillance, and exported these technologies, with their illiberal values, abroad.”

“Given the size of the PRC and the scale of its investments, the United States cannot protect its technologies nor compete on its own. The world’s major liberal-democratic nations must work together to help set international standards and norms, conduct joint research, coordinate export controls and investment screening, and make collaborative investments abroad. The Democracy Technology Partnership Act outlines an important vision and strategic plan for how the United States should collaborate with friends and allies on a technology strategy while promoting and protecting our common interests. We ask for your strong consideration of its provisions,” they concluded.

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

The Honorable Antony J. Blinken

Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20520

Mr. Jake Sullivan

National Security Advisor

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Secretary Blinken and Mr. Sullivan:

We write to convey our support for the bipartisan Democracy Technology Partnership Act (S.604), recently introduced by Senators Warner, Menendez, Schumer, Young, Cornyn, Sasse, Rubio and Bennet. The bill establishes an office that would seek to create a new diplomatic partnership of the world’s tech-leading democracies to coordinate technology policy, standards, and development. We believe the bill offers an important idea: creating a diplomatic mechanism to execute a national security strategy, which places technology competition and international partnerships at its center.

The strength of the United States – politically, economically, and militarily – will depend on the ability of the United States and like-minded democratic countries to lead in the development and deployment of emerging and critical technologies. Significant advances are occurring across a variety of technology sectors, including wireless telecommunications, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing, with major implications for every aspect of American life.

For the better half of a century, the United States led in scientific research and the development of transformational technologies, translating into significant economic and military benefits for the American people. This leadership also enabled us to set the rules of the road governing the use of new technologies in ways that reflected our democratic values.

However, in recent years, as U.S. leadership has eroded, the People’s Republic of China has stepped up its efforts to dominate critical and emerging technologies. Their approach has included heavily subsidizing Chinese companies, conducting forced technology transfers, investing significantly in research and development, heavily promoting the global adoption of Chinese technologies, and leveraging international standard setting bodies. They have used these technologies for undemocratic ends internally, such as censorship and surveillance, and exported these technologies, with their illiberal values, abroad.

Given the size of the PRC and the scale of its investments, the United States cannot protect its technologies nor compete on its own. The world’s major liberal-democratic nations must work together to help set international standards and norms, conduct joint research, coordinate export controls and investment screening, and make collaborative investments abroad.

The Democracy Technology Partnership Act outlines an important vision and strategic plan for how the United States should collaborate with friends and allies on a technology strategy while promoting and protecting our common interests. We ask for your strong consideration of its provisions.

Sincerely,

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