Press Releases

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) has introduced two new pieces of bipartisan legislation to encourage new development, expand supply, and make housing more affordable for Virginians.

“In communities across the Commonwealth, both rural and urban, too many families are struggling to find safe, affordable housing,” Sen. Warner said. “This crisis needs an all-hands-on-deck solution, and that’s why I am proud to continue to look for innovative solutions to help tackle this problem. These bipartisan bills offer commonsense solutions to help boost our housing supply by both protecting our current stock and supporting new investment.”

The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, introduced with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), would create a new tax incentive to build and preserve more than 500,000 affordable, single-family homes for homeownership over ten years in under-resourced communities. The tax credit will cover the cost between building or renovating a home in these areas and the price at which they can be sold. The credits would only be available after the homes have been completed and sold to a homeowner – ensuring the investors, not the government, bear the risk. Full text of the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act is available here.

The Preserving Rural Housing Investments Act, introduced with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), will support more investment in rural and low-income housing by clarifying the tax-exempt controlled entity rules to ensure that Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are able to participate in partnerships that are crucial for low-income housing investments. Full text of the Preserving Rural Housing Investments Act is available here.

These bills are just the latest in Sen. Warner’s longstanding efforts to expand access to homeownership and make housing more affordable for Virginians. Since January, he has introduced multiple bills to amend the federal tax code to encourage new housing construction and rehabilitation, including the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act, the Rural Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act, and the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act – all bipartisan bills to encourage redevelopment and new construction in communities across the country. He is also the lead author of the Low-Income First Time Homebuyers (LIFT) Act to help qualified, first-generation homebuyers build equity in their homes by offering a 20-year mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a traditional 30-year loan. Warner has also joined his colleagues in sponsoring the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, which would provide federal grants to assist first-generation homebuyers with qualifying expenses toward purchasing their first home, including down payment costs, closing costs, and costs to reduce the rates of interest.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement regarding a Senate procedural vote on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act:

“This is an area that demands American leadership. Stablecoins are undeniably a part of the future of finance, and the United States should set the standard for responsible innovation in the digital financial space.

“While we’ve made meaningful progress on the GENIUS Act, the work is not yet complete, and I simply cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to vote for this legislation when the text isn’t yet finished.

“I remain fully committed to getting this right. I plan to continue working with my colleagues to strengthen this legislation and move it forward in a way that promotes innovation while protecting the interests of the American people. It is my sincere hope that we can start floor consideration next week after we have finalized our work and given our colleagues adequate time to review.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced two bills to protect wilderness in Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, and Bath counties.

“We are lucky to have such beautiful natural resources in Virginia, and we need to do more to ensure that these lands are protected for future generations,” said the senators. “We’re proud to introduce this legislation to preserve wilderness in Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, and Bath counties, protect wildlife, and support local economies that depend on tourism and outdoor recreation.”

These additions were recommended by the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 and endorsed by members of the George Washington National Forest Stakeholder Collaborative, a group of forest users that started work together over a decade ago to agree on acceptable locations in the George Washington National Forest for wilderness, timber harvest, trails, and other uses.

In 2023, the tourism economy directly employed 7,562 people and generated $842.5 million in expenditures in Augusta, Rockingham, Bath, and Highland counties, as well as Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro.

Shenandoah Mountain Act

The Shenandoah Mountain Act would establish a 92,562-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA) in Rockingham, Augusta, and Highland counties. National Scenic Areas protect the scenic, historic, recreational, and natural resources in specific areas and allow compatible uses such as outdoor recreation activities.

The SMNSA encompasses four wilderness areas—Skidmore Fork, Little River, Ramsey’s Draft, and Lynn Hollow—and establishes a wilderness area at Beech Lick Knob. It also includes headwaters for the Potomac and James Rivers and watersheds that provide municipal drinking water sources for Harrisonburg, Staunton, and other communities. The NSA designation would protect these rivers and streams from industrial development and safeguard populations of at-risk species, such as the Cow Knob and Shenandoah Mountain Salamander.

James Madison University scientists estimate that lands within the SMNSA proposal already generate $13.7 million per year in other local benefits, including the value of the water supply and energy savings, and that the designation of the SMNSA would further grow this value.

"Friends of Shenandoah Mountain is so pleased with the reintroduction of the Shenandoah Mountain Act. For decades, we've worked with folks who hunt, hike, paddle, fish, and ride mountain bikes in this landscape, and everyone agrees that a National Scenic Area designation strikes the right balance between recreation and preservation,” said Lynn Cameron, Co-Chair of Friends of Shenandoah Mountain.

Full text of the Shenandoah Mountain Act is available here.

Virginia Wilderness Additions Act

The Virginia Wilderness Additions Act would add 5,600 acres to the existing Rough Mountain and Rich Hole wilderness areas within the George Washington National Forest in Bath County.

"Expanding the Rough Mountain and Rich Hole Wilderness Areas honors decades of work by dozens of stakeholders, and results in a number of ecological, economic, and recreational benefits. The Virginia Wilderness Committee is grateful to Senators Kaine and Warner for this reintroduction,” said Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, Executive Director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee.

Full text of the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and 34 of their Senate colleagues introduced the bipartisan American Innovation and Jobs Act, legislation that will expand and strengthen research and development (R&D) by small businesses and startups throughout the United States by extending and making permanent an expired tax cut that allowed businesses investing in R&D to claim tax credits and deductions when filing federal taxes.

“Research and development is critical to the success and competitiveness of American businesses and to protecting our status as a global leader in innovation and tech—especially as adversaries like China race to catch up,” said the senators. “At a time when President Trump is slashing federal funding for important research initiatives in everything from medicine to technology, we’re committed to doing all that we can to fight back. That includes introducing this bipartisan legislation to provide tax incentives to support the research and development investments we need to create jobs and stay on top.”

The American Innovation and Jobs Act would extend and make permanent the ability of small businesses and startups that invest in R&D to claim a tax credit or deduct their investments when filing federal taxes. It would also permanently restore full expensing of R&D costs while allowing businesses to retroactively take advantage of the deduction for the tax years during which full expensing had expired.

Specifically, the American Innovation and Jobs Act would:

Expand support for innovative startups by:
- Immediately doubling the cap on the refundable R&D tax credit from $250,000 to $500,000, and ultimately raising it to $750,000 over ten years.
- Expanding access to the R&D tax credit for startups by lowering certain threshold needed to qualify.
Expand the number of startups eligible to use the refundable R&D credit by:
- Increasing the eligibility threshold from $5 million to $15 million in gross receipts.
- Increasing the period during which startups can claim the credit from 5 years to 8 years after beginning to generate at least $25,000 in revenue.

The legislation is endorsed by the R&D Coalition, which includes companies of all sizes and many trade associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Information Technology Industry Council.

In addition to Warner and Kaine, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), James Lankford (R-OK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Patty Murray (D-WA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Angus King (I-ME), Ted Budd (R-NC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jon Husted (R-OH), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

Full text of the bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, reintroduced the Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (ACCESS) Act, legislation that would encourage market-based competition between major social media platforms by requiring the largest companies make user data portable – and their services interoperable – with other platforms, and to allow users to designate a trusted third-party service to manage their privacy and account settings.

“As social media and online platforms continue to become a larger part of our society, we've seen a handful of companies completely dominate the marketplace, giving consumers no real option to shift platforms without losing years’ worth of data and interactions,” Sen. Warner said. “By making it easier for social media users to easily move their data or to continue to communicate with their friends after switching platforms, startups will be able to compete on equal terms with the biggest social media companies. Interoperability and portability are powerful tools to promote innovative new companies and limit anti-competitive behaviors. This legislation will create long-overdue requirements that will boost competition and give consumers more power.”

Joining Warner in introducing the legislation are Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Online platforms have become vital to our economic and social fabric, but network effects and consumer lock-in have solidified a select number of companies’ dominance in the digital market and enhanced their control over consumer data, even as the social media landscape continues to change by the day and platforms’ user experiences become more and more unpredictable. The ACCESS Act would increase market competition, encourage innovation, and increase consumer choice by requiring large communications platforms (products or services with over 100 million monthly active users in the U.S.) to:

Make their services interoperable with competing communications platforms.
Permit users to easily port their personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
Allow users to delegate trusted custodial services, which are required to act in a user’s best interests through a strong duty of care, with the task of managing their account settings, content, and online interactions.

Sen. Warner first introduced the ACCESS Act in 2019 and, as a former tech entrepreneur, has been one of Congress’s leading voices calling for accountability in Big Tech. He has introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at addressing these issues, including the SAFE TECH Act, which would reform Section 230 and allow social media companies to be held accountable for enabling cyber-stalking, online harassment, and discrimination on social media platforms; the Honest Ads Act, which would require online political advertisements to adhere to the same disclaimer requirements as TV, radio, and print ads; and legislation requiring that the prominent social media platform TikTok divest from China-owned parent company ByteDance. Sen. Warner continues to advocate for the sale of the app to a company not beholden to a U.S. adversary.

Full text of the ACCESS Act is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led a coalition of senior Senate Democrats in sending a letter to President Donald J. Trump demanding an investigation into reports that senior White House advisor Elon Musk has used his government role to improperly advance his personal business interests abroad. The senators cited recent reporting on a disturbing pattern in which Musk allegedly leveraged high-level access to U.S. trade policy to pressure foreign governments – including India, South Africa, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Lesotho – into granting favorable treatment to his satellite internet provider Starlink in apparent exchange for U.S. policy concessions. These allegations, if true, would constitute a serious violation of federal ethics laws and a profound breach of public trust.

“Public servants must serve Americans, not their own bank accounts,” the senators wrote. “These alleged actions are an egregious breach of public trust, degrade our credibility with allies and partners, and potentially violate U.S. laws.”

In addition to Warner, the letter was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee; Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee; Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member, Senate Budget Committee; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee; Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member, Senate Agriculture Committee; Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The letter details instances of Musk meeting with foreign leaders – including those from India and Bangladesh – inside the White House complex and the Blair House, shortly before their governments fast-tracked regulatory approvals for Starlink. In one example, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission issued what was described as “the swiftest recommendation” in its history for a Starlink license shortly after officials requested a delay in U.S.-imposed tariffs and met with Musk on White House grounds.

The senators noted that these developments came amid ongoing U.S. trade negotiations, raising serious questions about potential quid pro quo arrangements. The senators further warned that allowing a special government employee to influence foreign trade decisions to benefit their private ventures represents not only a potential legal violation but a corrosion of America’s international credibility.

The senators also condemned the misuse of taxpayer-funded government properties for personal business dealings, writing, “The White House and the Blair House are not merely buildings – they are enduring symbols of American democracy and service. To use this public property for personal enrichment is not only a betrayal of the public trust – it also sends a dangerous signal that power is not a solemn responsibility, but an asset to be exploited for personal gain.”

The lawmakers called on President Trump to launch a full investigation into Musk’s conduct, to publicly disclose the findings, and to provide Congress with a complete account of Musk and his associates’ use of government positions for personal benefit.

A copy of the letter is available here.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner joined Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Angus King (I-ME) in introducing the America the Beautiful Act, legislation that builds on the senators’ landmark Great American Outdoors Act by strengthening and reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) and addressing the serious maintenance backlog in national parks and public lands.

“Our Great American Outdoors Act was transformative for America’s national public lands and the many communities whose economies depend on them,” said Sen. Warner. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to continue this great work. Investing in our beautiful natural treasures is a not only boosts our tourism economy but preserves these landmarks for generations to come.”

Specifically, this legislation reauthorizes the LRF through 2033 and increases funding to $2 billion per year to help address the maintenance backlog in national parks and public lands. Currently, the maintenance backlog for each agency is as follows:

U.S. Park Service: $23.26 billion
U.S. Forest Service: $8.695 billion
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: $2.65 billion
U.S. Bureau of Land Management: $5.72 billion
U.S. Bureau of Indian Education: $804.5 million

Joining Sens. Warner, Daines, and King in introducing this legislation are Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The senators’ Great American Outdoors Act was one of the largest-ever investments in conservation and public lands in our nation’s history. Signed into law by President Trump in 2020, the bipartisan legislation provided billions of dollars to improve infrastructure and expand recreation opportunities in national parks and other public lands after years of underinvestment led a massive backlog in needed maintenance and repairs to Park Service sites. In Virginia alone, this historic legislation has provided over $470 million for projects at Virginia’s 22 park service units and supported thousands of jobs.

The America the Beautiful Act is supported by over 40 public lands, conservation and recreation groups.

"America's parks are our legacy to uphold — and bold action is essential to fulfill that promise. The National Park Foundation applauds Senators Daines and King for their leadership in introducing bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund. Since its establishment through the Great American Outdoors Act, this vital program has already delivered billions toward transformative infrastructure projects across our national parks. As we approach America's 250th anniversary, reauthorizing this investment affirms a bold democratic ideal — that every generation deserves to experience our parks as we do today. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure these magnificent landscapes and historic sites can continue welcoming visitors for generations to come,” said Jeff Reinbold, President and CEO, National Park Foundation.

“The National Forest Foundation thanks Sens. Daines, King, Cramer and Warner for their leadership in investing in the future of America’s public lands. The investments in recreation infrastructure as outlined in the America the Beautiful Act will benefit the economies of local communities and enhance the enjoyment of the millions of visitors who hike, camp, hunt, fish, paddle, and play in our nation’s 193-million acres of National Forests and Grasslands,” said Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl, President and CEO, National Forest Foundation.

“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is grateful for the leadership of Senators Daines, King, Cramer, and Warner for the America the Beautiful Act. Chronic underinvestment, extreme weather events, and heavy use have left our public lands in a precarious position. The Appalachian Trail relies on more than 5,000 volunteers and dozens of partners to keep it accessible to people and functional for nature. With ATC in its 100th year, the long-term care needs for the A.T. and its connected national parks and forests have never been clearer. This legislation will increase the monetary support, public awareness, and the impact of partners like the ATC in addressing critical deferred—and cyclic—maintenance needs for our public lands. We are proud to strongly endorse this legislation and will work diligently for its enactment,” said Sandra Marra, President and CEO, The Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after President Donald Trump released his Fiscal Year 2026 discretionary budget request to Congress:

“The budget the President released today reflects what we’ve seen over the past 103 days—that the Trump Administration is laser-focused on taking a chainsaw to important government programs that Americans rely on so that they can cut taxes for billionaires. This cruel budget would cut critical funding for education, such as Federal Work Study; substance use disorder prevention; rural development; housing; support for small businesses; research into cancer and other diseases; cybersecurity; foreign assistance; violence prevention, including Jabara-Heyer NO Hate grants; and more. It would also roll back funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other historic legislation that we were proud to help pass in Congress. As Congress continues negotiating a budget in the coming months, we are committed to pushing back against these massive cuts that will harm Virginians and our economy and make communities less safe.”

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WASHINGTON – Despite significant advancements in digital technology, remote notarization has yet to be fully deployed and accepted on an interstate basis. While nearly every state allows for remote electronic notarization, regulations and recognition vary between states.

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced their bipartisan Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic (SECURE) Notarization Act. This bill would permit the nationwide use of Remote Online Notarizations (RON), enabling notaries and signers to complete the process from different physical locations. It authorizes every notary in the United States to perform RON and provides certainty for interstate recognition of RON. The SECURE Notarization Act requires tamper-evident technology and fraud prevention measures through the use of multifactor authentication.

“It’s time to finally bring the notarization process into the 21st century,” said Sen. Warner. “Remote notarizations have proven to be a safe and convenient way for individuals to complete essential services such as executing wills, completing financial documents, and buying or selling a home online. This legislation would continue to modernize this system by permitting nationwide use of Remote Online Notarization to complete important documents.”

“We’ve made a lot of progress toward much more widespread use of online notarizations in the past few years, particularly through the pandemic,” said Sen. Cramer. “But this patchwork of state regulations really leaves consumers without consistent access to some notary services. Quite honestly, I think it violates, certainly, the spirit of interstate commerce. Our bill simply makes sure online notarizations are valid across [state] lines and allow every notary to perform them, and perform them in a very secure way.”

The SECURE Notarization Act will complement state regulations, including those in North Dakota, which already allow for remote notarizations.

The bill is endorsed by American Land Title Association (ALTA), Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), National Association of REALTORS (NAR), and American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).

“Senators Cramer and Warner have been longstanding champions in recognizing the clear benefits of extending RON access to all Americans and leading this bipartisan legislation, which offers a safe and secure path to remotely close real estate and mortgage transactions,” said Diane Tomb, CEO of ALTA. “By passing the SECURE Notarization Act, Congress will embrace a proven innovation and modernize the notarization process with a secure system that meets consumer needs and expectations, including those of our military heroes overseas, the elderly, and homebuyers seeking convenience.”

"The SECURE Notarization Act would make the mortgage closing process more convenient for consumers by creating federal minimum standards to allow notaries in all states to perform remote online notarization (RON) transactions,” said Bill Killmer, Senior Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs at MBA. “MBA appreciates Senator Cramer and Warner’s commitment to enable nationwide use of RON technology. Their continued diligence and hard work on this critical issue will greatly simplify and improve mortgage transactions for all borrowers.”

“The National Association of REALTORS applauds Senators Cramer and Warner for reintroducing the SECURE Notarization Act,” said Shannon McGhan, EVP & Chief Advocacy Officer for the National Association of REALTORS. “This commonsense, bipartisan bill will modernize an essential part of real estate transactions by allowing nationwide use of secure, remote online notarization. Reliable, accessible notarized records are the bedrock of real estate, and this technology ensures Americans can continue to buy, sell, and finance property with confidence in today’s digital age.”

“Senators Cramer and Warner understand that families need practical, modern tools to plan for their financial futures,” said David Chavern, President and CEO of the ACLI. “During COVID, life insurers demonstrated how well remote online notarization works for consumers. Allowing its use nationwide is a smart, commonsense step to bring the notarization process into the 21st century.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Rural Patient Monitoring (RPM) Access Act to ensure Medicare patients in rural and underserved communities have access to remote physiologic monitoring services, which lower costs and improve access to care by using technology to collect and transmit patient health data to healthcare providers.

“Too often, patients are struggling to receive the medical care they need because of how difficult it is to see a doctor in person,” said Sen. Warner. “Remote monitoring services offer a life-saving solution, expanding care options and allowing individuals to regularly receive the medical consultations they need, all while lowering costs and hospital admissions. I’m proud to introduce the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act to improve health care services for our seniors.”

“Medicare beneficiaries in rural and underserved areas often face serious barriers to health care, and they deserve better,” said Sen. Blackburn. “The Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act would ensure Tennessee Medicare patients have access to high-quality remote physiologic monitoring services to manage chronic conditions and help patients eliminate unnecessary hospital visits.”

U.S. Reps. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introducing companion legislation in the House.

Rural Medicare patients face high rates of chronic conditions like heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes. In particular, Medicare patients living in rural areas have limited access to healthcare because of roadblocks like lack of transportation. Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) helps patients manage chronic conditions and eliminates unnecessary hospital visits. A recent study of over 4,000 hypertension patients found that RPM decreased patients’ total monthly cost of care by more than 50%. Current lack of adequate Medicare reimbursement leads to not implementing RPM programs in rural areas, reducing access to cost-saving and patient-centered care.

Specifically, The Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act would ensure high-quality remote physiological monitoring services are established and maintained for Medicare beneficiaries in rural and underserved geographies; allow rural areas to provide RPM services at the national average rate; and decrease patients’ total monthly cost. Under the RPM Access Act:

RPM providers must be capable of responding to data anomalies detected by the monitoring service;
RPM providers must be capable of promptly transmitting captured vitals and treatment management notes to electronic health record of the supervising provider; and
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may require providers of RPM to report data to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in order to facilitate the evaluation of cost savings generated to the Medicare program through the proliferation of remote physiologic monitoring services.

This legislation is supported by National Rural Health Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, HIMSS, American Telemedicine Association, Alliance for Connected Care, Ascension, LifePoint Health, Marshfield Clinic, SSM Health, the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth, and the Bipartisan Policy Center.

“Technology-enabled care is crucial to ensuring seniors in rural areas are able to safely manage their chronic conditions. Remote physiologic monitoring allows for chronic disease complications to be captured early – saving lives, reducing health care costs, and helping to mitigate common rural barriers such as longer distances to in-person treatment,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of National Rural Health Association.

“On behalf of HIMSS, we applaud Senators Blackburn and Warner, and Representatives Kustoff, Balderson, Pocan, and Davis for introducing the Rural Patient Monitoring (RPM) Access Act. Remote patient monitoring is a critical digital health tool that helps providers and patients work together to improve patient access and outcomes. We urge Congress to take action to advance the safe and effective use of RPM for millions of Medicare beneficiaries,” said Hal Wolf, President and CEO of HIMSS.

“Patients in rural and underserved communities deserve the same opportunity to manage their health as those in more resourced areas. At Lifepoint, we’ve seen firsthand how high-quality remote patient monitoring can help bridge long-standing access gaps and drive meaningful clinical improvement, especially for chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. This bill is an important step forward in ensuring fair reimbursement for rural providers, empowering them to deliver high-quality, proactive care to the patients who need it most,” said Dr. Chris Frost, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer at Lifepoint Health.

“We are proud to support the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act, which will help to ensure rural practitioners can provide remote physiologic monitoring services. RPM supports coordinated chronic disease management and acute and chronic disease risk reduction, while improving health outcomes helping patients remain healthy at home,” said Michael Richards, System Vice President at SSM Health.

“The Alliance for Connected Care applauds Senators Blackburn and Warner for their leadership to ensure rural patients have access to high-quality, innovative patient-centered care. Remote patient monitoring has a huge potential to empower rural seniors with technology to better take accountability for their own health,” said Chris Adamec, Executive Director of The Alliance for Connected Care.

“This proposed legislation will incentivize healthcare systems in rural areas to establish remote monitoring programs and ensure sustainability of existing programs. We are grateful for Sen. Warner and Sen. Blackburn’s leadership on this issue. Remote monitoring has been shown to improve outcomes and ultimately lower the cost of care,” said Karen Rheuban, MD, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth.

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WASHINGTON —Today U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner joined Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in introducing legislation to help build nearly 1.6 million new affordable homes over the next decade. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would lead to more affordable housing options for families and workers by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, our country’s most successful affordable housing program.

Currently, nearly one-in-four renters, over 11 million families, spend more than half of their household income on rent, cutting into other essential expenses like child care, medication, groceries, and transportation. At the same time, over 600,000 Americans are experiencing homelessness on any given day, an increase over pre-COVID levels.

Since its creation, the Housing Credit has built or restored more than 4 million affordable housing units, nearly 90 percent of all federally funded affordable housing during that time. Roughly nine million American households have benefitted from the credit, and the economic activity that it generated has supported 6.6 million jobs and spurred more than $746 billion in wages.

“The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is one of the most successful tools our country has to address the affordable housing crisis our communities are facing,” Sen. Warner said. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to update and modernize this credit in order to build more homes, bring down costs, and tackle the growing demand for housing across the Commonwealth and the country.”

More specifically, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would:

Increase the number of credits available to states by 50 percent for the next two years and make the temporary 12.5 percent increase secured in 2018 permanent—which has already helped build more than 59,000 additional affordable housing units nationwide;
Stabilize financing for workforce housing projects built using private activity bonds by decreasing the amount of private activity bonds needed to secure Housing Credit funding. As a result, projects would have to carry less debt, and more projects would be eligible to receive funding; and
Improve the Housing Credit program to better serve veterans, victims of domestic violence, formerly homeless students, Native American communities, and rural Americans.

Joining Sens. Warner, Young, and Cantwell in introducing this legislation are Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act was also recently introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19).

The ACTION Campaign and the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition endorsed the bill.

“The reintroduction of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act is a vital step toward addressing our nation’s housing crisis. Expanding the Housing Credit is the most effective way to increase the supply of affordable housing, leveraging public-private partnerships to build and preserve homes for working families, seniors, and vulnerable communities. At a time when rents are rising and supply is lagging, strengthening the Housing Credit will ensure that more Americans have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said co-chairs of the ACTION Campaign Ayrianne Parks and Jennifer Schwartz. “The ACTION Campaign thanks Senators Todd Young, Maria Cantwell, Marsha Blackburn, and Ron Wyden for their leadership.”

“The overwhelming bipartisan support for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 underscores the critical need to increase the supply of affordable rental homes,” said Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition Chief Executive Officer Emily Cadik. “We thank Senator Todd Young, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Senator Ron Wyden for their leadership and the 30 bipartisan cosponsors for supporting this commonsense solution to expand and strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a proven, pro-growth tool with a nearly 40-year record of leveraging private investment to fill a critical need.”

This is the latest action in Sen. Warner’s longstanding efforts to make housing more affordable for Virginians. So far this year, he has already introduced the New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act, the Rural Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act, and the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act – all bipartisan bills to encourage redevelopment and new construction in communities across the country. He is also the lead sponsor of the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act – which would create a new tax incentive to build and preserve more than 500,000 affordable, single-family homes over ten years – and the lead author of the Low-Income First Time Homebuyers (LIFT) Act to help qualified, first-generation homebuyers build equity in their homes by offering a 20-year mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a traditional 30-year loan. Warner has also joined his colleagues in sponsoring the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, which would provide federal grants to assist first-generation homebuyers with qualifying expenses toward purchasing their first home, including down payment costs, closing costs, and costs to reduce the rates of interest.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, wrote to leadership at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expressing the need for the agencies to exercise all available authorities to protect the sensitive genomic information of Americans, including in the bankruptcy proceedings of 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company that holds the DNA and sensitive information of millions of individuals.

The senators highlighted the attempts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other foreign adversaries to collect this type of genomic data from Americans and the various ways in which the PRC has used sensitive biometric data for surveillance efforts.

“As the Chinese government has realized, genomic data is incredibly valuable. Biological data is critical to biomedical discovery, particularly when, as here, it contains substantial amounts of personal genomic data. It can be used to create, design, and optimize everything from biopharmaceuticals and medical devices to optimizing AI models for medical applications,” the senators wrote. “The PRC also has demonstrated a sustained effort to leverage genomic and other biometric data for extensive surveillance; accessing this data - either directly or indirectly - could further enable PRC transnational surveillance, including posing counter-intelligence threats to the United States. In addition, genomic data can be used to create dual-use technologies that, on the one hand, could help create vaccines for diseases, but on the other hand, can be weaponized by our adversaries to for malign intent.”

While applauding the recent actions by the Justice Department in current proceedings, the senators underscored the need to take more steps to ensure that bad actors are prevented from acquiring, legally or illegally, Americans’ genomic information.

The senators continued, “In addition to the Department's recent filing, and any anticipated CFIUS review, the Department, in conjunction with the Commission and other U.S. agencies as appropriate, must closely monitor the sale or transfer of, or access to, 23andMe's genomic databank, regardless of whether that activity is in the ordinary course of business, for compliance with all applicable statutes related to national security and consumer protection.”

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

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

Dear Attorney General Bondi and Chairman Ferguson:

We write to urge the Department of Justice ("Department") and the Federal Trade Commission ("Commission") to exercise the full scope of their legal and statutory authorities in 23andMe Holding Co. ("23andMe")'s bankruptcy proceeding. We commend the Department on its April 22, 2025 filing in the 23andMe bankruptcy proceeding, recognizing that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) should review this transaction in light of the substantial national security concerns involved. However, additional action from agencies are necessary in order to prevent adversaries, including the People's Republic of China (PRC), from acquiring millions of Americans' genomic data.

Chinese authorities have already collected genomic data on millions of their own citizens, and continue to actively target foreign companies, including in the U.S., for acquisition or investment, as well for theft, in order to obtain foreign individuals' genomic data, creating serious implications for national security, public health, economic security, and Americans' privacy. As the Chinese government has realized, genomic data is incredibly valuable. Biological data is critical to biomedical discovery, particularly when, as here, it contains substantial amounts of personal genomic data. It can be used to create, design, and optimize everything from biopharmaceuticals and medical devices to optimizing AI models for medical applications. The PRC also has demonstrated a sustained effort to leverage genomic and other biometric data for extensive surveillance; accessing this data - either directly or indirectly - could further enable PRC transnational surveillance, including posing counter-intelligence threats to the United States. In addition, genomic data can be used to create dual-use technologies that, on the one hand, could help create vaccines for diseases, but on the other hand, can be weaponized by our adversaries to for malign intent.

In order to prevent China from weaponizing this data, or outcompeting the U.S. economically, the U.S. must urgently prioritize the protection of biological and genomic data, particularly of Americans, starting with that held by 23andMe.

As the Department notes in its recent filing, its Data Security Program must be better utilized to ensure the protection, and prevent the acquisition, of Americans' sensitive genomic data. In addition to the Department's recent filing, and any anticipated CFIUS review, the Department, in conjunction with the Commission and other U.S. agencies as appropriate, must closely monitor the sale or transfer of, or access to, 23andMe's genomic databank, regardless of whether that activity is in the ordinary course of business, for compliance with all applicable statutes related to national security and consumer protection. Chairman Ferguson's letter to the Office of the U.S. Trustee lays out a clear rationale for robust oversight by the Justice Department over the legal obligations and protections that 23andMe owes its customers ("users"). 23andMe's users also should have the ability to remove their genetic data from acquisition by a foreign government or entities under the control or influence of a foreign government, including data associated with other personally-identifiable information and any other data generated by 23andMe that uses genetic data in the aggregate.

23andMe's users provided their sensitive, personal genetic data to a privately-owned U.S. company, potentially without fully understanding the implications of this data falling into the hands of adversaries, including cybercriminals and foreign nation-states. Further, the genetic information held in 23andMe's databank has implications for relatives of 23andMe users who share common genetic markers, creating additional privacy concerns for such individuals who had no opportunity to consent to how 23andMe's data could be used in ways that affect them.

Outside of this proceeding, we urge the Department, the Commission, and other relevant federal entities to closely monitor future transactions, and use all levers as appropriate, where foreign entities, particularly those under the control or influence of foreign nations of concern, are attempting to purchase - through bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise-Americans' sensitive biologic and genomic data. To this end, we encourage the DOJ to evaluate any appropriate updates to its recently-released Final Rule,6 implementing Executive Order 14117 on "Preventing Access to Americans' Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern", to address any novel risks posed by potential acquisition (and resale) of 23andMe data by covered vendors.

In addition, the Department and the Commission must work with lead agencies to support the cybersecurity of genomic data. In March 2022, 23andMe suffered a security breach that compromised the genetic information of millions of users, underscoring concerns around genomic data privacy and misuse.

In short, it is paramount to our national and economic security that there is a whole-of government approach to protecting Americans' sensitive genomic data, including by preventing malign entities from gaining access to such data through commercial acquisition, cyberattacks, or other illicit means. We remain committed to working with the Department, the Commission, and the Administration broadly on this issue.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the below statement:

“Throughout his career, Gerry Connolly has exemplified the very best of public service — fiercely intelligent, deeply principled, and relentlessly committed to the people of Northern Virginia and our nation. Whether it’s standing up for federal workers, advocating for good governance, or now confronting cancer with the same resilience and grit that have defined his life of public service, Gerry is one of the toughest fighters I know. I have no doubt that Gerry will continue to fight — for his health, for his community, and for the causes he believes in.

“I am proud to call Gerry a friend. Lisa and I are keeping him in our hearts and prayers, and we stand with him every step of the way.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), joined by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), wrote to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem urging the Department to reverse its decision canceling the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities (BRIC) program, which included funding for two major projects in Richmond and Portsmouth, as well as tens of millions in funding for other communities across the Commonwealth.

BRIC was established by Congress through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to support state and local governments in reducing risks posed by natural hazards and future disasters. The bipartisan infrastructure law, which Sens. Warner and Kaine supported and saw through final passage, included $1 billion in funding for BRIC projects over five years, including $133 million that has already been provided to applicants.

Through the BRIC program, Virginia had been set to receive tens of millions in funding for critical projects, including $12 million to make improvements to the Richmond Water Treatment Facility and $24 million to enhance the Lake Meade Dam in Portsmouth. However, DHS recently notified applicants that it was terminating the BRIC program and canceling all applications for funding through the BRIC program – including projects that had already been awarded funding.

“We strongly urge you to reverse this decision that will impact vulnerable residents, businesses, and critical infrastructure in Virginia,” the lawmakers wrote to Sec. Noem.

They continued, “BRIC projects support Virginia localities as they work to reduce immediate hazard risks that threaten community safety. For example, the city of Richmond was awarded $11.99 million in FY2022 to address design flaws and degradation at the Richmond Water Treatment Facility. This facility serves 4,721 businesses, 360 public properties, and 780 essential community facilities. The project is intended to protect water treatment and distribution services for those within the facility’s service area, making the plant more resilient to 100-year flood events. Unfortunately, the necessity of this award was made clear earlier this year when the facility experienced a power failure that resulted in loss of water service for residents across the region. If this award is revoked, the region will be more susceptible to future water contaminations and disruptions in water delivery.

The lawmakers highlighted how the cancelation of this funding will impact vulnerable residents, businesses, and critical infrastructure in Virginia, specifically underscoring that these projects are already underway.

Added the members, “The potential revocation of existing BRIC awards is an unanticipated shock to Virginia localities that have budgeted, planned, and in some cases begun work on these crucial projects. The city of Portsmouth received a $24.21 million BRIC award in FY2022 to protect the community’s drinking water supply by enhancing the Lake Meade Dam. The dam, which serves as a critical reservoir for drinking water and supplies residential, commercial, and industrial users in the Hampton Roads area, is at risk of instability and potential overtopping during heavy precipitation events. The project involves strengthening the dam, upgrading spillways, and improving flood protection, all of which serves to protect the more than 80 occupied residential properties and almost 30 businesses within the dam break inundation zone.”

“The mission of the BRIC program is to build more resilient communities to prevent the need for reactive and more costly disaster spending. Terminating this program – and many of the awards made in recent years – will make communities in Virginia less resilient and more vulnerable to disaster events. We urge you to maintain this critical funding for localities in Virginia,” they concluded.

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

Dear Secretary Noem:

We write regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent decision to end the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and cancel BRIC applications from Fiscal Years (FY) 2020 – 2023. We strongly urge you to reverse this decision that will impact vulnerable residents, businesses, and critical infrastructure in Virginia.

BRIC projects support Virginia localities as they work to reduce immediate hazard risks that threaten community safety. For example, the city of Richmond was awarded $11.99 million in FY2022 to address design flaws and degradation at the Richmond Water Treatment Facility. This facility serves 4,721 businesses, 360 public properties, and 780 essential community facilities. The project is intended to protect water treatment and distribution services for those within the facility’s service area, making the plant more resilient to 100-year flood events. Unfortunately, the necessity of this award was made clear earlier this year when the facility experienced a power failure that resulted in loss of water service for residents across the region. If this award is revoked, the region will be more susceptible to future water contaminations and disruptions in water delivery.

The potential revocation of existing BRIC awards is an unanticipated shock to Virginia localities that have budgeted, planned, and in some cases begun work on these crucial projects. The city of Portsmouth received a $24.21 million BRIC award in FY2022 to protect the community’s drinking water supply by enhancing the Lake Meade Dam. The dam, which serves as a critical reservoir for drinking water and supplies residential, commercial, and industrial users in the Hampton Roads area, is at risk of instability and potential overtopping during heavy precipitation events. The project involves strengthening the dam, upgrading spillways, and improving flood protection, all of which serves to protect the more than 80 occupied residential properties and almost 30 businesses within the dam break inundation zone.

The mission of the BRIC program is to build more resilient communities to prevent the need for reactive and more costly disaster spending. Terminating this program – and many of the awards made in recent years – will make communities in Virginia less resilient and more vulnerable to disaster events. We urge you to maintain this critical funding for localities in Virginia.

Thank you for your attention to this letter. We look forward to your response.

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

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

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

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement regarding an incident at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) where two airplanes bumped into each other on the tarmac:

“Thank God no one was hurt this time. We need a full investigation into this incident as soon as possible. We have said this over and over and hate having to say it again: when planes are taking off and landing every minute of the day, FAA funding is cut, air traffic controllers are fired, and current staff is spread thinner to cover more—that is when mistakes happen. The traveling public deserves action.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full text of the bills are available here and here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) along with Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) issued a statement on the formal approval of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration in response to the February winter storms that caused widespread flooding and damage to Southwest Virginia. This declaration triggers the release of Public Assistance for Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Franklin, Grayson, Lee, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, and Wise Counties and the independent city of Bristol. The Commonwealth’s request for Individual Assistance remains under review.

“After weeks of pushing at the federal level, we are glad to see this crucial assistance approved for Southwest Virginia,” said the lawmakers. “This is a strong first step towards supporting recovery efforts and we will continue pushing for Individual Assistance to help deliver resources to the families most hard-hit by this devastating flooding.”

This approval comes more than six weeks after the Senators and Rep. Griffith originally wrote to President Trump in support of Virginia’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 23 of their Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally under protected status in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration last month and sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The Trump Administration has admitted Abrego Garcia’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error” but has not returned Abrego Garcia to his family and home in Maryland.

Specifically, the senators call on the Trump Administration to comply with the court order requiring that they facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and ask for responses to a series of questions regarding ICE’s enforcement policies that may have led to this grave error—and what measures they will take to ensure such an incident does not occur again.

“It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador,” the senators wrote. “We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.”

“Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence,” the senators continued. “This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.”

“Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible,” they continued. “And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens.”

The senators concluded the letter with a series of questions for Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons about Abrego Garcia’s protected status, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s failure to follow well-established procedures and practices to avoid erroneous deportations and to promptly fix such errors if they do occur, and to demand evidence for unsupported accusations from Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13 gang. The senators requested a response by April 22.

In addition to Sens. Warner and Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,

We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.

According to court filings, on March 12, 2025, shortly after Mr. Abrego Garcia had picked up his son from the boy’s grandmother’s house, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped Mr. Abrego Garcia, inaccurately telling him that his protected status had changed. After giving his wife a few minutes to arrive to take custody of his son, ICE arrested and detained him without any further explanation as to the reason for his arrest. ICE then transferred Mr. Abrego Garcia and other detainees to Texas, where on March 15, 2025, they were loaded onto planes and deported to El Salvador. Mr. Abrego Garcia was reportedly on the only plane that was not sent under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act but instead was transporting migrants with formal removal orders signed by a judge. This occurred despite the fact that ICE knew, as the Administration conceded in court, that his protected legal status specifically prohibited his removal to El Salvador.

Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence. The judge found that Mr. Abrego Garcia and his relatives credibly testified that gang members had been trying to extort his family and recruit him and his brother to join the gang, forcing his family to move multiple times, ultimately compelling both him and his brother to flee to the United States out of fear.

The immigration judge agreed that Mr. Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution if deported back to El Salvador and thus granted him a form of legally mandated protection known as “withholding of removal.” Withholding of removal, which may only be granted by an immigration judge, provided Mr. Abrego Garcia the ability to stay and work in the United States despite being the subject of a deportation order. This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.

Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible. Though the Administration has admitted in court that his deportation was a mistake, it alleges that there is nothing it can do to address this injustice, given that Mr. Abrego Garcia is now in the jurisdiction of the government of El Salvador as part of an agreement to imprison U.S. deportees in exchange for financial compensation.

Your unwillingness to immediately rectify this “administrative error” is unacceptable. Under multiple Democratic and Republican administrations, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE followed the rule of law and worked to quickly return people who were wrongfully deported, in the rare instances where such “administrative errors” occurred. The Administration’s mass deportation agenda does not transcend immigration law or the need for due process. And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens. On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order.

To address our concerns about this matter and to provide clarity on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s policy regarding the immigration enforcement actions against immigrants with protected status, we ask that your Administration answer the following questions by April 22, 2025:

The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case?
In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?
Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors.
Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors?
What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process?

We appreciate your prompt attention to this vital matter and look forward to reviewing your fulsome, timely response.

Sincerely,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

###

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dear President Trump:

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-RI), and Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chris Coons (D-DE), led their committee colleagues in a letter to President Trump regarding the firing of the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), General Timothy Haugh, as well as the reassignment of the Deputy Director of the NSA, Wendy Noble.

Joining Vice Chairman Warner and Ranking Members Reed and Coons in this letter are Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

“These actions severely compromise our ability to keep Americans safe. As you are well aware, our nation currently faces serious cyber threats from foreign adversaries, such as from China’s Salt Typhoon, with near-daily attacks against our critical infrastructure,” the senators wrote. “In addition, our nation’s military is engaged in ongoing operations against multiple threats, from the Houthis in Yemen to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Given the dangers facing the United States, it is inexplicable that the Administration would remove the senior leaders of NSA/CYBERCOM without cause or warning, and risk disrupting critical ongoing intelligence operations.”

The senators also highlighted the impact this move would have on the dual-hat arrangement, in which a single officer leads both the NSA and CYBERCOM, and stressed that prematurely severing this agreement could put U.S. national security at risk.

They continued, “Premature termination of the dual-hat arrangement would severely degrade the speed and effectiveness of NSA’s and CYBERCOM’s abilities to execute their missions and could have dire consequence for our national security. As Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis has repeatedly made clear in the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2020, clear criteria must be met before any termination can be considered and both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs must together certify that separation will not “pose risks to the military effectiveness of the United States Cyber Command that are unacceptable to the national security interests of the United States.”

As members of the key committees tasked with conducting oversight over NSA, the senators requested written justification for why Director Timothy Haugh and Ms. Wendy Noble were removed from their posts, and asked for a Congressional briefing regarding any additional actions the administration plans to take with respect to NSA and CYBERCOM, including but not limited to the separation of the dual-hat.

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

Dear President Trump,

We write with alarm at the sudden and inexplicable firing of the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, General Timothy Haugh, as well as the reassignment of the Deputy Director of the NSA, Wendy Noble. Not only have both dutifully served this nation for decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations, but their removals were conducted in the middle of the night with no consultation with Congress and, according to reports, at the behest of a private citizen who has a record of promoting conspiracy theories.

These actions severely compromise our ability to keep Americans safe. As you are well aware, our nation currently faces serious cyber threats from foreign adversaries, such as from China’s Salt Typhoon, with near-daily attacks against our critical infrastructure. In addition, our nation’s military is engaged in ongoing operations against multiple threats, from the Houthis in Yemen to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Given the dangers facing the United States, it is inexplicable that the Administration would remove the senior leaders of NSA/CYBERCOM without cause or warning, and risk disrupting critical ongoing intelligence operations.

Furthermore, we urge you to exercise careful consideration and consultation with Congress on any further actions that may impact NSA’s or CYBERCOM’s abilities to provide the critical intelligence and operational support to policymakers and warfighters. This includes, but is not limited to, any considerations to terminate the dual-hat arrangement. Premature termination of the dual-hat arrangement would severely degrade the speed and effectiveness of NSA’s and CYBERCOM’s abilities to execute their missions and could have dire consequence for our national security. As Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis has repeatedly made clear in the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2020, clear criteria must be met before any termination can be considered and both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs must together certify that separation will not “pose risks to the military effectiveness of the United States Cyber Command that are unacceptable to the national security interests of the United States.”

As Members of the respective committees of oversight, we request that you formally provide in writing a justification for why Director Timothy Haugh and Ms. Wendy Noble were removed from their posts and provide a briefing to Congress on any additional actions you plan to take with respect to NSA and CYBERCOM, including but not limited to the separation of the dual-hat.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), joined by Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-10), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), wrote a letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pushing back against the cancellation of $500 million in previously-approved funding through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for food banks and other emergency food providers.

Virginia’s families, food growers, and community foodbanks have already been hit hard by cuts to vital programs from the Trump administration. This continued attack on food security is set to impact more than 400 pantries and food delivery organizations across the Commonwealth.

“Through TEFAP, USDA purchases nutritious commodity food from growers and producers, which is then provided to state agencies. Those agencies then deliver that food to distributers, including food banks and community organizations at no cost,” the lawmakers wrote. “More than 400 local pantries, including many faith-based partners from Hampton Roads to Southwest Virginia, distribute the food to eligible low-income recipients who typically do not qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and have few alternatives to turn to for help.”

Given widespread impact of this move, the lawmakers are asking for more information regarding the decision to halt this funding:

Since USDA has relayed that it does not plan to move forward with distributing the previously announced $500 million in funding from the CCC to food banks through TEFAP in FY25, does the Department have alternative plans to provide supplemental nutrition assistance to food banks and other food providers who were relying on these earlier TEFAP commodities? If so, what authorities does the Department plan to utilize?
Has USDA communicated with any producers or growers regarding the suspension or cancellation of commodity purchases through TEFAP? How will the Department work with these producers to ensure they face minimal economic harm?
Has USDA communicated with any state distributing agencies, including the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), regarding the suspension or cancellation of food purchases and distributions through TEFAP? Is USDA working with the Commonwealth of Virginia and other states to ensure food banks and other food providers have adequate supplies of nutritious foods to serve their communities following the withdrawal of these funds?

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

Dear Secretary Rollins:

We write regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent decision to halt up to $500 million in funding intended to support food banks and other providers from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). Emergency food providers, producers, and community organizations across the country rely on TEFAP to deliver critical nutrition assistance to millions of Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Virginians.

Through TEFAP, USDA purchases nutritious commodity food from growers and producers, which is then provided to state agencies. Those agencies then deliver that food to distributers, including food banks and community organizations at no cost. More than 400 local pantries, including many faith-based partners from Hampton Roads to Southwest Virginia, distribute the food to eligible low-income recipients who typically do not qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and have few alternatives to turn to for help.

In Virginia, approximately 10 percent of households are “food insecure,” meaning their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources. On average, food pantry visits increased more than 20 percent in Virginia last year and Virginia food banks are spending five times more money now than in 2019 due to greater demand and higher food prices. TEFAP accounts for 20 percent of the food distributed by Virginia’s food banks, and the currently suspended CCC orders represent around one-third of all TEFAP product Virginia food banks were expecting this year.

Given any suspension of TEFAP affects Virginia’s families, growers, and communities, we request answers to the following questions:

Since USDA has relayed that it does not plan to move forward with distributing the previously announced $500 million in funding from the CCC to food banks through TEFAP in FY25, does the Department have alternative plans to provide supplemental nutrition assistance to food banks and other food providers who were relying on these earlier TEFAP commodities? If so, what authorities does the Department plan to utilize?
Has USDA communicated with any producers or growers regarding the suspension or cancellation of commodity purchases through TEFAP? How will the Department work with these producers to ensure they face minimal economic harm?
Has USDA communicated with any state distributing agencies, including the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), regarding the suspension or cancellation of food purchases and distributions through TEFAP? Is USDA working with the Commonwealth of Virginia and other states to ensure food banks and other food providers have adequate supplies of nutritious foods to serve their communities following the withdrawal of these funds?

Thank you for your attention to this letter. We look forward to your response.

###

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

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

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

###

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full text of the legislation is available here.

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