WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the final passage of the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation passed through the Senate yesterday by a vote of 83-11, after being approved by the House of Representatives last week. The IAA authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

“I am pleased the House and Senate have passed the Committee’s bipartisan Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 as part of our nation’s defense authorization bill,” said Committee Chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA). “This year’s bill will enhance the country’s ability to confront our adversaries, including the growing threats to our national security posed by China and Russia.  It also takes significant steps to promote U.S. technology leadership, including by accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies and increasing our ability to compete with China.  Finally, I am pleased that this year’s bill drives serious improvement to the IC’s hiring and security clearance processes, so that the IC can attract and expeditiously on-board a talented, diverse, and trusted workforce.”

“This year’s Intelligence Authorization Act ensures that the Intelligence Community (IC) has the resources, authorities, and personnel to protect America’s national security and counter the growing threats from autocracies like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba,” said Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “This bill further enhances U.S. counterintelligence screening, foreign intelligence collection and analysis, and emerging technology capabilities to focus the IC on addressing our primary national security threat in the 21st century – countering Communist China.” 

Background:

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

• Confronting the growing national security threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by increasing hard target intelligence collection and analysis, as well as by identifying and exposing corruption, forced labor camps, global infrastructure financing, and malign economic investments in telecommunications and semiconductors;

• Bolstering intelligence support for Ukraine as it fights to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty against Russia’s unprovoked aggression, including by increasing oversight of China’s support to Ukraine, assessing the effects of sanctions on Russia and its allies, and evaluating opportunities to mitigate threats to food security due to the conflict;

• Establishing IC Coordinators to account for Russian atrocities and for countering proliferation of Iran-origin unmanned aircraft systems;

• Driving improvements to the IC’s hiring and security clearance processes by keeping the IC accountable for progress, including timeliness in bringing cleared personnel onboard, ensuring that key management and contract oversight personnel in industry can obtain clearances, and establishing personnel vetting performance measures;

• Accelerating and improving procurement, adoption, and integration of emerging technologies across the IC;

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

• Establishing measures to mitigate counterintelligence threats from foreign commercial spyware;

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

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

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

• Enhancing oversight of IC and Department of Defense collection and reporting on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today applauded Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the country’s annual defense bill.

“As the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware of the importance of the National Defense Authorization Act. I’m proud to have voted to pass legislation that will boost our national security by providing support for our servicemembers and their families, investing in projects that increase military readiness, and supporting critical jobs in Virginia while reinforcing our commitment to Ukraine’s fight against authoritarian brutality. I look forward to President Biden signing this legislation quickly,” said Sen. Warner.

The package provides $857.9 billion in funding for our nation’s defense, and includes a number of Warner-championed provisions that would:

• Help provide better housing support for servicemembers and their families. These provisions direct DoD to reevaluate methodologies for calculating the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to better reflect servicemembers’ housing needs, and look at barriers to home ownership that are unique to members of the military. These provisions are based on two Warner-sponsored bills, the BAH Calculation Improvement Act and the Increasing Home Ownership for Servicemembers Act.

• Authorize more than $285 million in funding for 14 military construction projects in Virginia, including in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Dahlgren, Newport News, Ft. Belvoir, Langley, and at the Pentagon:
  • $125 million for Submarine Pier 3 at Naval Station Norfolk.
  • $47.72 million for a Dry Dock Saltwater System for CVN-78 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
  • $26.6 million for a SOF (Special Forces) operations building addition at Dam Neck.
  • $19 million for a primary distribution substation at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads.
  • $18 million for a commercial vehicle inspection facility at the Pentagon.
  • $16.86 million for submarine logistics support facilities at Naval Station Norfolk.
  • $10.5 million for Langley AFB for Air Force Reserve construction and land acquisition projects.
  • $10.4 million for G/ATOR (Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar) support facilities at Dam Neck.
  • $10 million to support research and development of advanced fuels to support future DOD energy requirements. This development would happen at BWXT in Lynchburg, cementing Lynchburg’s leadership as a center for innovation.
  • $3.4 million for backup power generation at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads.
  • $2.5 million for electrical substation upgrades at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.
  • $2.3 million for Child Development Center planning and development at Naval Station Norfolk.
  • $1.23 million for Weapons Integration and Test Campus planning and development at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.
  • $1.1 million for a secondary cooling system at NCE Springfield at Fort Belvoir.

• Accelerate the construction of two new Child Development Centers in Hampton Roads to help provide critical child care for infants and children on installations. This provision mirrors a Congressionally Directed Spending request made by Sen. Warner to help address the larger challenges military families face with the supply of available child care.

• Accelerate the construction of two new Child Development Centers in Hampton Roads to help provide critical child care for infants and children on installations. This provision mirrors a Congressionally Directed Spending request made by Sen. Warner to help address the larger challenges military families face with the supply of available child care.

• Overhaul how the military understands and studies food insecurity among members of in the military. The provision – based on an amendment led in the Senate by Sen. Warner – will improve how the military collects data and analyzes rates of food insecurity among servicemembers and their families, to better measure and more effectively address the concerning issue of food insecurity in the military.

• Support the critical work of the U.S. Intelligence Community by including the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (IAA). The IAA allocates funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community.

• Bring federal data collection into the 21^st century and boost financial transparency by modernizing data collection by the federal financial regulators. This provision is based on Sen. Warner’s Financial Data Transparency Act, which requires these regulators to develop common data formatting standards that promote the usability and organization of financial data they already collect from regulated institutions – rules that will make data easier for the public to use and for agencies to process.

The bill also includes a number of other crucial measures supported by Sen. Warner.

To support investments in our nation’s defense and diplomatic capabilities, this bill would:

• Support Navy shipbuilding with $32.6 billion in funding for the procurement of 11 battle force ships, including full funding for the Columbia-class submarine program and for the procurement of two Virginia-class submarines. The bill also would reverse plans for the early retirement of 12 vessels in the coming year. The legislation also guarantees a minimum of 31 operational amphibious warfare ships for the Navy and Marine Corps.

• Support the critical work of the U.S. State Department by advancing funding and a range of provisions vital to supporting our nation’s diplomatic efforts the men and women who work tirelessly to advance those around the world.

• Support the work of the U.S. Coast Guard with more than $28 billion in funding.

• Authorize nearly $132 million for defense research activities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions. Last year, Sen. Warner successfully led an effort in the NDAA to better position HBCUs and MSIs to compete for federal research dollars.

For members of the military and their families, this bill would:

• Authorize a 4.6 percent pay raise to servicemembers and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians.

• Take steps to address the suicide and mental health crisis in the military by directing DoD to undertake more detailed research into mental health and rates of suicide. This provision seeks to provide a better understanding of the different ramifications across military career fields. It also directs an Inspector General review of efforts by the Navy to prevent and respond to suicides in light of deaths in the Hampton Roads region and elsewhere.

• Make historic reforms to the military justice system’s handling of certain offenses, including sexual assaults. Following years of tireless effort by advocates, this bill would remove commanders from all prosecutorial and judicial functions for a range of covered offenses. Sen. Warner is a proud sponsor of Sen. Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act of 2021, which, combined with bipartisan efforts across both Chambers this year, formed the foundation for these reforms.

• Tackle issues with military housing by:
  • Extending DoD’s authority to raise the Basic Allowance for Housing for military families living in higher-cost areas of the country.
  • Improving oversight over military housing issues and codifying the position of Chief Housing Officer. Sen. Warner has pushed to have a single, designated lead for housing at DoD to improve accountability to residents as well as Congress, and to promote and increase coordination.
  • Requiring the Secretary of Defense to implement health-related recommendations made by the Department’s Inspector General related to privatized military housing.

• Tackle food insecurity by:
  • Expanding eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance to help ensure that all men and women in uniform and their families have the basic necessities they need. The Basic Needs Allowance was created through the Warner-sponsored Military Hunger Prevention Act, and is aimed at combating disturbing rates of food insecurity in the military.
  • Creating a pilot program to better address rates of food insecurity among veterans. This provision would offer grant funding to organizations that are actively working to address this challenge.
  • Adding $210 million in authorized funding for the military’s commissary system to help support food access for servicemembers and their families.

• Increase access to timely child care for military families who undergo a permanent change of station by creating a pilot program to provide child care-related reimbursement to these families.

For the ongoing effort to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s authoritarianism, this bill would:

• Extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) – one of the main tools used by the U.S. in support of Ukraine’s defensive needs – and authorize $800 million for this program in the coming fiscal year.
• Authorize more than $6 billion to fully fund the European Deterrence Initiative.
• Hold Russia accountable for its atrocities by stating that the United States will collect, analyze, and preserve evidence related to Russian war crimes, and will assist in pursuing appropriate accountability for those responsible.

• Increase transparency and accountability by taking steps to ensure that Inspectors General are able to adequately conduct oversight of U.S. funding to ensure it is most effectively being applied in support of Ukraine’s efforts.
• Express the full commitment of the United States to NATO and to continuing Ukrainian assistance during Russia’s violent and illegal invasion.
• Authorize more than $2.7 billion for munitions production capacity, and direct an assessment of our defense industrial base’s capacity long-term.

To bolster our ability to compete in the 21^st century, this bill would:

• Continue to strengthen U.S.-India relations by directing the Departments of Defense and State to pursue greater engagement and expanded cooperation with India related to emerging technology, joint R&D, defense and cyber capabilities, and other opportunities for collaboration – including for reducing India’s reliance on Russian-built defense equipment. These provisions support an effort by Sen. Warner, co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, to highlight the importance of our defense partnership with India, and to support accelerated efforts by India to diversify defense systems.

• Better invest in emerging technologies by boosting funding for basic and applied research and development of advanced tech by $2.85 billion including the allocation of funding for research at Virginia-based institutions Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University.

• Support the commercialization of critical capabilities by authorizing $300 million in funding for new bio-manufacturing facilities.
• Authorize an increase of $120 million for 5G technology R&D and transition support.

• Authorize an increase of $75 million for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as it looks to implement recommendations put forward by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (AI). It would also authorize an increase of $50 million for AI at U.S. Cyber Command, and require more strategic, longer-term planning related to DoD’s efforts to rapidly adopt AI to relevant cyber missions.
• Support DARPA’s quantum computing activities with an increase of $20 million.
• Increase productivity and cooperation in microelectronics by establishing a working group of government, private sector, and academia experts to better enable coordination and consultation related to R&D and manufacturing.
• Support technology improvements and advancements in our military by requiring the DoD to report transition plans for 5-G communications infrastructure at all military installations as well as establish a consortium specifically for the purpose of studying cybersecurity problems within the DoD.  

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, issued the following statement applauding last night’s unanimous Senate passage of legislation Sen. Kaine led to recognize and reaffirm the significant contributions of the African diaspora to the growth and prosperity of the U.S. The passage of the bill—which was cosponsored by Sen. Warner and U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Chris Coons (D-DE)—came on the first day of the Biden-Harris Administration’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which is being attended by African leaders from across the continent.

“Our Commonwealth and our country wouldn’t be what they are today without the African diaspora, which has made countless contributions to our communities despite extraordinary adversity,” said the Senators. “We are gratified by the passage of this legislation to acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate this fast-growing and dynamic community, and will continue working to ensure that its members have a seat at the table to share their essential perspectives.”

Virginia is home to more than 115,000 African immigrants, thousands of whom are small- and medium-sized business owners who have helped bring more than $200 million in international trade to the state. The Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution to designate September as Virginia African Diaspora Heritage Month in March 2022.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement on President Biden’s signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation which will ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are recognized by every state:

“We’re proud that Congress has passed and the President has signed the Respect for Marriage Act to ensure all Americans have their marriages recognized across the country. We saw this summer in the Dobbs decision that the Supreme Court is willing to throw out decades of precedent on equal protection and threaten important decisions like Obergefell. We’re glad that we could pass this bill to give same-sex and interracial couples the certainty they deserve that their marriages will be respected no matter what the Court does in the future. Now, it’s time to repeal the shameful ban on same-sex marriages that is still in Virginia’s constitution.”

Virginia passed a ban on same-sex marriage in 2006, which remains in the Virginia Constitution today. The Obergefell decision, which is currently the law of the land, overrides Virginia’s ban. However, if the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell, the right of LGBTQ Virginians to marry in the Commonwealth would be jeopardized unless that ban is repealed.

In the U.S. Senate, Warner and Kaine were among the 212 members of Congress who signed an amicus brief arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that same-sex married couples should have the same legal security, rights, and responsibilities that federal law provides all other married couples. Warner and Kaine are also cosponsors of the Equality Act, which would amend federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, and federal jury service.

See the full text of the Respect for Marriage Act here.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), today applauded the inclusion of a number of Virginia priorities in the draft of the nation’s annual defense bill that was announced late last night after weeks of talks between House and Senate negotiators. A full summary of the draft FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is available here.

“As the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I’m glad to see an agreement on draft legislation that will help bolster our military readiness, support critical Virginia jobs, tackle the needs of military families, and reinforce our commitment to Ukraine in its fight against authoritarianism. I look forward to considering this legislation in the Senate,” said Sen. Warner.

The proposal supports $857.9 billion in funding for our nation’s defense, and includes a number of Warner-championed provisions that would:

• Help provide better housing support for servicemembers and their families. These provisions direct DoD to reevaluate methodologies for calculating the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to better reflect servicemembers’ housing needs, and look at barriers to home ownership that are unique to members of the military. These provisions are based on two Warner-sponsored bills, the BAH Calculation Improvement Act and the Increasing Home Ownership for Servicemembers Act.

• Authorize more than $285 million in funding for 14 military construction projects in Virginia, including in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Dahlgren, Newport News, Ft. Belvoir, Langley, and at the Pentagon.

• Accelerate the construction of two new Child Development Centers in Hampton Roads to help provide critical child care for infants and children on installations. This provision mirrors a Congressionally Directed Spending request made by Sen. Warner to help address the larger challenges military families face with the supply of available child care.

• Overhaul how the military understands and studies food insecurity among members of in the military. The provision – based on an amendment led in the Senate by Sen. Warner – will improve how the military collects data and analyzes rates of food insecurity among servicemembers and their families, to better measure and more effectively address the concerning issue of food insecurity in the military.

• Support the critical work of the U.S. Intelligence Community by including the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (IAA). The IAA allocates funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community.

• Bring federal data collection into the 21^st century and boost financial transparency by modernizing data collection by the federal financial regulators. This provision is based on Sen. Warner’s Financial Data Transparency Act, which requires these regulators to develop common data formatting standards that promote the usability and organization of financial data they already collect from regulated institutions – rules that will make data easier for the public to use and for agencies to process.

The bill also includes a number of other crucial measures supported by Sen. Warner.

To support investments in our nation’s defense and diplomatic capabilities, this bill would:

• Support Navy shipbuilding with $32.6 billion in funding for the procurement of 11 battle force ships, including full funding for the Columbia-class submarine program and for the procurement of two Virginia-class submarines. The bill also would reverse plans for the early retirement of 12 vessels in the coming year.

• Support the critical work of the U.S. State Department by advancing funding and a range of provisions vital to supporting our nation’s diplomatic efforts the men and women who work tirelessly to advance those around the world.

• Support the work of the U.S. Coast Guard with more than $28 billion in funding.
• Authorize nearly $132 million for defense research activities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions. Last year, Sen. Warner successfully led an effort in the NDAA to better position HBCUs and MSIs to compete for federal research dollars.

For members of the military and their families, this bill would:

• Authorize a 4.6 percent pay raise to servicemembers and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians.

• Take steps to address the suicide and mental health crisis in the military by directing DoD to undertake more detailed research into mental health and rates of suicide. This provision seeks to provide a better understanding of the different ramifications across military career fields. It also directs an Inspector General review of efforts by the Navy to prevent and respond to suicides in light of deaths in the Hampton Roads region and elsewhere.

• Make historic reforms to the military justice system’s handling of certain offenses, including sexual assaults. Following years of tireless effort by advocates, this bill would remove commanders from all prosecutorial and judicial functions for a range of covered offenses. Sen. Warner is a proud sponsor of Sen. Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act of 2021, which, combined with bipartisan efforts across both Chambers this year, formed the foundation for these reforms.

• Tackle issues with military housing by:
  • Extending DoD’s authority to raise the Basic Allowance for Housing for military families living in higher-cost areas of the country.
  • Improving oversight over military housing issues and codifying the position of Chief Housing Officer. Sen. Warner has pushed to have a single, designated lead for housing at DoD to improve accountability to residents as well as Congress, and to promote and increase coordination.
  • Requiring the Secretary of Defense to implement health-related recommendations made by the Department’s Inspector General related to privatized military housing.

• Tackle food insecurity by:
  • Expanding eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance to help ensure that all men and women in uniform and their families have the basic necessities they need. The Basic Needs Allowance was created through the Warner-sponsored Military Hunger Prevention Act, and is aimed at combating disturbing rates of food insecurity in the military.
  • Creating a pilot program to better address rates of food insecurity among veterans. This provision would offer grant funding to organizations that are actively working to address this challenge.
  • Adding $210 million in authorized funding for the military’s commissary system to help support food access for servicemembers and their families.

• Increase access to timely child care for military families who undergo a permanent change of station by creating a pilot program to provide child care-related reimbursement to these families.

For the ongoing effort to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s authoritarianism, this bill would:

• Extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) – one of the main tools used by the U.S. in support of Ukraine’s defensive needs – and authorize $800 million for this program in the coming fiscal year.
• Authorize more than $6 billion to fully fund the European Deterrence Initiative.
• Hold Russia accountable for its atrocities by stating that the United States will collect, analyze, and preserve evidence related to Russian war crimes, and will assist in pursuing appropriate accountability for those responsible.

• Increase transparency and accountability by taking steps to ensure that Inspectors General are able to adequately conduct oversight of U.S. funding to ensure it is most effectively being applied in support of Ukraine’s efforts.
• Express the full commitment of the United States to NATO and to continuing Ukrainian assistance during Russia’s violent and illegal invasion.
• Authorize more than $2.7 billion for munitions production capacity, and direct an assessment of our defense industrial base’s capacity long-term.

To bolster our ability to compete in the 21^st century, this bill would:

• Continue to strengthen U.S.-India relations by directing the Departments of Defense and State to pursue greater engagement and expanded cooperation with India related to emerging technology, joint R&D, defense and cyber capabilities, and other opportunities for collaboration – including for reducing India’s reliance on Russian-built defense equipment. These provisions support an effort by Sen. Warner, co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, to highlight the importance of our defense partnership with India, and to support accelerated efforts by India to diversify defense systems.

• Better invest in emerging technologies by boosting funding for basic and applied research and development of advanced tech by $2.85 billion.

• Support the commercialization of critical capabilities by authorizing $300 million in funding for new bio-manufacturing facilities.
• Authorize an increase of $120 million for 5G technology R&D and transition support.

• Authorize an increase of $75 million for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as it looks to implement recommendations put forward by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (AI). It would also authorize an increase of $50 million for AI at U.S. Cyber Command, and require more strategic, longer-term planning related to DoD’s efforts to rapidly adopt AI to relevant cyber missions.
• Support DARPA’s quantum computing activities with an increase of $20 million.
• Increase productivity and cooperation in microelectronics by establishing a working group of government, private sector, and academia experts to better enable coordination and consultation related to R&D and manufacturing.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) applauded introduction of the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), Terri Sewell (D-AL-7), and Drew Ferguson (R-GA-3), all members of the House Ways & Means Committee. Sen. Warner introduced the Senate version of the legislation in September. 

“Ensuring that the investments that Congress has made to ensure Americans have access to high-speed internet have the maximum possible impact is a bipartisan – and now bicameral – goal,” said Sen. Warner, a member of the Finance Committee that oversees the nation’s tax code and a primary author of the broadband provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and American Rescue Plan (ARP). “I appreciate Representatives Panetta and Kelly introducing this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with them to get it over the finish line before the end of the year.”

Since introduction on September 29, 2022, six additional senators – Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) – have signed on to the legislation which would prevent critical broadband investments from counting as taxable income for grant recipients. They join original co-sponsors Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV),  

Already supported by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association and WTA - Advocates for Rural Broadband, the legislation has also received several additional endorsements since introduction.

"We appreciate the leadership of Senators Warner and Moran for their efforts to eliminate the tax on broadband grants," said Brandon Heiner, USTelecom Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. "With an eye toward 100 percent connectivity, Congress made a historic investment in the broadband grant program in 2021. However, requiring grant recipients to return as much as 20 percent of those grants in the form of taxes jeopardizes our shared goal of universal connectivity. It is vital that Congress move to eliminate this tax, as America’s broadband providers carefully plan and prepare to allocate resources to connect as many Americans as possible."

“CTIA applauds Senators Warner and Moran for their work to protect investments that strengthen and expand broadband infrastructure," said CTIA Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Kelly Cole. "Ensuring grants can be used for their fullest purpose to deploy broadband to unserved and underserved communities is critical to bringing the benefits of connectivity to all Americans.”

“I appreciate Senators Warner and Kaine introducing legislation to prevent the taxation of broadband grants," said Bill Franklin, CEO, Scott County Telephone Cooperative. "One of the requirements for these grants is financial sustainability. This tax burden would make many rural unserved and underserved areas ineligible due to their inability to meet the financial sustainability requirement. I appreciate Senator Warner’s business knowledge and experience to recognize that fact. This legislation will ensure many rural Virginians and rural households across the US get access to reliable and robust broadband!”

Full text of the bill is available here.  

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved President Biden’s nomination of Mr. Jamar Walker to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia:

“After proudly recommending Mr. Jamar Walker to the Biden Administration for the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, we’re pleased the Senate Judiciary Committee voted today to advance his nomination. We remain confident he will serve Virginia and our country with great distinction and urge the full Senate to confirm him as soon as possible.”

In March 2022, Sens. Warner and Kaine sent a letter to President Biden recommending candidates, including Mr. Jamar Walker, for the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia following Judge Raymond A. Jackson’s decision to take senior status in November 2021. Warner and Kaine recommend these individuals based on their distinguished records and the advice of an independent panel of attorneys from across the Commonwealth. The President announced his nomination of Mr. Walker in July 2022.

Mr. Walker’s nomination is now subject to confirmation by the full Senate. 

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement after the Senate voted to avert a rail shutdown:

“We’re relieved that we averted a rail shutdown, which would have had disastrous consequences on our economy right before the holidays. But we’re disappointed that our colleagues rejected a separate bill we supported to provide sick days for our rail workers. The workers who keep our trains and economy running are invaluable. They need and deserve paid sick leave. Especially after COVID, the notion of seven days of paid sick leave for full-time workers is basic common sense. It keeps coworkers and customers healthier when sick employees are able to take time off to attend to their health needs. And this adds to the productivity of workplaces. We will continue to look for ways to protect workers.”

Sens. Warner and Kaine voted for both the bill to avert a rail shutdown and the bill to provide paid sick leave for rail workers.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and extend federal protections for gay and interracial marriages:

“Marriage is not only a spiritual bond between two individuals, it’s also a binding contract that cements essential benefits, rights, and privileges. This bill will ensure that gay marriages are recognized across the country, thereby protecting same-sex couples from discrimination that would otherwise block their access to health care, paid family medical leave, hospital visitation, and parental rights — among many others. I was proud to vote for this piece of legislation and urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass it and send it to the President’s desk soon.

“This is a meaningful step to protect rights already established by the Obergefell ruling, but Virginia still has a ban on same-sex marriages at the state level, and it’s time to repeal it.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) wrote to Sundar Pichai – the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google – urging him to curb deceptive advertisements and ensure that users receive accurate information when searching for abortion services on the platform. This letter comes on the heels of an investigation that reveals how Google regularly fails to apply disclaimer labels to misleading ads by anti-abortion clinics. It also follows a successful effort by Sen. Warner and Rep. Slotkin who previously urged Google to take action to prevent misleading search results for anti-abortion clinics. This push ultimately led Google to clearly label facilities that provide abortions and prevent users from being misled by fake clinics or crisis pregnancy centers.

“We are encouraged by and appreciative of the recent steps Google has taken to protect those searching for abortion services from being mistakenly directed to clinics that do not offer comprehensive reproductive health services. However, we ask you to address issues with misrepresentation in advertising on Google’s site and take a more expansive, proactive approach to addressing violations of Google’s stated policy,” wrote the lawmakers.

“According to an investigation by Bloomberg News and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), depending on the search term used, Google does not consistently apply disclaimer labels to ads by anti-abortion clinics.  CCDH recently conducted searches that returned 132 misleading ads for such clinics that lacked disclaimers. Specifically, researchers found that queries for terms such as ‘Plan C pills,’ ‘pregnancy help,’ and ‘Planned Parenthood’ often returned results with ads that are not labeled accurately,” they continued. “Furthermore, the Tech Transparency Project found that some ads from ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ even when they were properly labeled, the ads themselves included deliberately deceptive verbiage aimed at tricking users into believing that they offer abortion services.  For example, ads for ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ were found to contain language such as ‘Free Abortion Pill’ and ‘First Trimester Abortion.’ Such deceptive advertising likely reduces the effectiveness of labels and may lead to detrimental health outcomes for users who receive delayed treatment.”

In addition to urging Google to rectify these issues, the lawmakers also requested answers to the following questions:

1. What specific search terms does Google consider related to “getting an abortion”?
2. What criteria does Google use to determine whether specific queries are related to “getting an abortion”?
3. What additional steps will Google take to identify and remove ads with misleading verbiage that violates Google’s policies against misrepresentation?

A copy of the letter is available here and full text of the letter can be found below:

Dear Mr. Pichai,

We write today regarding the responsibility that Google has to ensure users receive accurate information when searching for abortion services on your platform. We are encouraged by and appreciative of the recent steps Google has taken to protect those searching for abortion services from being mistakenly directed to clinics that do not offer comprehensive reproductive health services. However, we ask you to address issues with misrepresentation in advertising on Google’s site and take a more expansive, proactive approach to addressing violations of Google’s stated policy.

On June 17, 2022, we wrote to you, along with 19 other senators and representatives, regarding research that showed Google results for searches such as “abortion services near me” often included links to clinics that are anti-abortion, sometimes called “crisis pregnancy centers.”   We were extremely concerned with this practice of directing users toward “crisis pregnancy centers” without any disclaimer indicating those businesses do not provide abortions.

We were pleased to see the changes you have made in response to our letter, such as the new refinement tool that allows users to only see facilities verified to offer abortion services, while still preserving the option to see a broader range of search results.  The steps you have taken will help prevent users from mistakenly being sent to organizations that attempt to deceive individuals into thinking they provide comprehensive health services and instead, regularly provide users with disinformation regarding the risks of abortion.  As many states are increasingly narrowing the window between getting a positive pregnancy test and when you can terminate a pregnancy, every day counts.

But we find ourselves again asking that Google live up to its promises with regards to preventing misleading ads on its platform. According to an investigation by Bloomberg News and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), depending on the search term used, Google does not consistently apply disclaimer labels to ads by anti-abortion clinics.  CCDH recently conducted searches that returned 132 misleading ads for such clinics that lacked disclaimers. Specifically, researchers found that queries for terms such as “Plan C pills,” “pregnancy help,” and “Planned Parenthood” often returned results with ads that are not labeled accurately.  We believe Google’s failure to apply disclaimer labels to these common searches appears to be a violation of your June 2019 policy that requires “advertisers who want to run ads using keywords related to getting an abortion” to go through a verification process and be labeled as a provider that “Provides abortions” or “Does not provide abortions.”

Furthermore, the Tech Transparency Project found that some ads from “crisis pregnancy centers,” even when they were properly labeled, the ads themselves included deliberately deceptive verbiage aimed at tricking users into believing that they offer abortion services.  For example, ads for “crisis pregnancy centers” were found to contain language such as “Free Abortion Pill” and “First Trimester Abortion.” Such deceptive advertising likely reduces the effectiveness of labels and may lead to detrimental health outcomes for users who receive delayed treatment. These ads appear to violate Google’s policy on misrepresentation, which prohibits ads that “deceive users.”  Your responsiveness to our first letter gives us hope that you are willing to see this issue through. We, therefore, would appreciate answers to the following questions:

1. What specific search terms does Google consider related to “getting an abortion”?
2. What criteria does Google use to determine whether specific queries are related to “getting an abortion”?
3. What additional steps will Google take to identify and remove ads with misleading verbiage that violates Google’s policies against misrepresentation?

We urge you to take proactive action to rectify these and any additional issues surrounding misleading ads, and help ensure users receive search results that accurately address their queries and are relevant to their intentions.

Thanks for your consideration, and we look forward to your timely response. 

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $4,999,975.50 in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding for planning broadband expansion projects in the Commonwealth. Awarded to Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, this first phase of funding will allow Virginia to develop their plans for deploying funding made available under the bipartisan infrastructure law to expand access to high-speed internet.

“Last year, we passed  once-in-a-generation funding for infrastructure projects across the country, and we’ve heard from communities across the Commonwealth about the difference these resources will make, from fixing unsafe bridges to modernizing our local airports,” the Senators said. “But in the twenty-first century, infrastructure doesn’t stop at roads and bridges—it must include access to broadband. That’s why we fought to make sure the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would also help close the digital divide in Virginia and provide access to affordable, reliable broadband to every corner of the Commonwealth.”

The BEAD program, created and funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law which Sen. Warner negotiated and Sen. Kaine supported, will support Virginia’s development of a Five-Year Action Plan to deploy universal broadband. Specifically, the grant will support planning and pre-deployment activities in the Commonwealth including providing technical assistance to sub grantees and further developing plans to build broadband capacity In rural and underserved areas.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long fought to expand access to broadband in Virginia. During negotiations for the bipartisan infrastructure law, Sen. Warner secured $65 billion in funding to help deploy broadband, increase access, and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet. The BEAD Program was created and funded through this landmark legislation and provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all states and territories.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement after voting in favor of a resolution terminating the COVID-19 national emergency under the National Emergencies Act originally declared by President Trump in March of 2020:

“When COVID-19 hit, Congress acted with urgency under a number of emergency declarations to provide the flexibilities and funding needed to save lives, roll out a vaccine, and keep our economy afloat. We’ve come a long way since then, and while it might be easier to kick the can down the road, I think it’s time to have a bipartisan conversation about how we unwind from these emergency actions and move forward with the valuable lessons we’ve learned. Today’s resolution won’t affect critical flexibilities, such as the ones facilitating access to telehealth. Rather, this vote should serve as the beginning of a productive and bipartisan effort to examine which mitigation efforts and flexibilities are worth embedding permanently into our lives, and which are no longer relevant or necessary.”

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