WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed, on a bipartisan 86-11 vote, legislation that includes Virginia priorities championed by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA). Specifically, the 2018 Senate Farm Bill includes a Warner-Kaine sponsored measure to legalize industrial hemp production, a crop which is already cultivated for research purposes in Virginia but which the agriculture industry cannot currently grow for commercial use.

“This bipartisan bill would finally end an outdated ban that has held farmers back from participating in the industrial hemp market, allow states to decide the best way to regulate this emerging industry, and give farmers access to critical federal support to protect their investment. Legalizing industrial hemp production will bring new businesses to Virginia and create jobs,” said the Senators. “In addition, this legislation includes measures to continue successful Chesapeake Bay clean-up efforts, expand farm conservation, and preserve some of our most cherished public lands.”

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized industrial hemp to be made available for agricultural research purposes. Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the University of Virginia, and James Madison University have been active in hemp research in recent years. However, Congress must act in order to legalize hemp production for commercial purposes. Hemp is distinct from marijuana in that it has a miniscule concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and thus no narcotic capability. The plant is estimated to be used in more than 25,000 products spanning agriculture, textiles, recycling, automotive, furniture, food, nutrition, beverages, paper, construction materials, and personal care.

Warner and Kaine’s priorities for Virginia in the 2018 Farm Bill include:

·         Hemp Farming Act: a bill that would remove hemp from the federal list of controlled substances, allowing Virginia farmers to grow and sell the plant as an agricultural commodity. States would be given authority to regulate hemp, and hemp researchers will be able to apply for USDA grants. Hemp farmers would also be eligible to collect crop insurance under this provision.

·         Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act: a bill which makes technical changes to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) intended to bring more federal funding into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Farm Bill doubles funding for RCPP from $100 million to $200 million providing farmers with the tools they need to implement effective conservation practices within the Bay watershed. These changes will improve sustainability across the region and result in a cleaner, healthier Chesapeake Bay.

·         Virginia Wilderness Additions Act: a bill that designates specified lands in George Washington National Forest in Bath County, Virginia as part of the Rough Mountain Wilderness area and the Rich Hole Wilderness area, adding those lands to the National Wilderness Preservation System. This provision adds a total of 5,600 acres of wilderness area within the George Washington National Forest in Bath County.

·        Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI): includes a technical change to the HFFI program that would allow both retailers and enterprises to be eligible for loans and grants under HFFI. Currently, only brick-and-mortar operations are able to receive funding through the HFFI program. This technical change could allow more non-traditional food access projects – such as mobile markets, farmers markets, and food banks to access HFFI funds. These changes closely follow Sen. Warner’s efforts in the Senate to eradicate food deserts.  

In the wake of President Trump’s ongoing trade war, the Farm Bill also includes a measure that will revamp existing trade promotion programs and authorize $6 million in new funding for trade promotion activities. Trade Promotion is a technique used by the United States to pursue trade agreements that support and create U.S. jobs while helping American manufacturers, service providers, farmers and ranchers increase U.S. exports and compete in a highly competitive, globalized economy.

In addition, the bill includes measures to protect the U.S. dairy and cotton industry. It streamlines a program that allows dairy producers to insure margins—the difference between the prices of milk and feed—and increases its funding. The bill also makes cotton once again eligible to participate in federal crop insurance programs, which are used by farmers to protect themselves against either the loss of their crops due to natural disasters, or the loss of revenue due to declines in the prices of agricultural commodities. Livestock producers also receive assistance through a new program authorized by this bill that will give USDA the authority tooperate a disease and disaster prevention program and a vaccine bank, including for foot and mouth disease. And the bill reauthorizes full funding to help vulnerable Virginia families put food on the table through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The bill now moves to the House for consideration. For more information on the 2018 Farm Bill, click here.

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Washington, DC — Late yesterday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray expressing deep concern that the Department of Justice and the FBI are bowing to pressure from President Trump’s congressional allies to disclose sensitive information and material that is not usually shared with Congress and that relate directly to the Special Counsel’s ongoing investigation into President Trump, his own campaign, and his associates. 

The letter underscores that the recent provision of certain documents to a wider group in Congress violates assurances made to them that particular information would remain, properly, confined to the “Gang of 8.” It also cautions that DOJ and FBI’s departure in this matter from longstanding policy and precedent governing the agencies’ relationship with Congress risks a repeat of similar mistakes that the DOJ Office of the Inspector General recently identified in his review of the Clinton “Midyear” investigation.  

In the letter, the Members write: “With every disclosure, DOJ and FBI are reinforcing a precedent it will have to uphold, whether the Congress is in Republican or Democratic hands, of providing materials in pending or closed cases to the legislative branch upon request. As the attacks on the Special Counsel intensify, it is imperative that you withstand pressure on DOJ and FBI to violate established procedures and norms. Your role in preserving the integrity of the Special Counsel’s investigation and, most importantly, our justice system has become even more vital.”

* * *

The full letter is below:

June 27, 2018

The Honorable Rod J. Rosenstein

Deputy Attorney General of the United States

United States Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20530

The Honorable Christopher Wray

Director

Federal Bureau of Investigation

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20535

Dear Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and Director Wray:

Earlier this month, you provided important verbal assurances in response to our June 5, 2018 letter to you. In that letter, we expressed deep and ongoing concern about President Donald Trump and his legal team’s persistent efforts to interfere with the Special Counsel’s ongoing investigation and undermine your agencies’ lawful and appropriate activities. In particular, we underscored that, if fulfilled, demands by the President’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, that the White House and the President’s lawyers be given access to classified information and investigatory material of the utmost sensitivity – including information related to the Special Counsel’s ongoing investigation that implicates the President’s own campaign and his associates – would grossly violate our system of checks and balances, long-standing, well-founded, and established procedure, and fundamental norms.

You confirmed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will not provide the White House or any of the President’s attorneys with access to such sensitive information. You also assured that briefings and materials related to this matter would not be shared with others in Congress beyond the “Gang of 8.”

Unfortunately, it appears that part of this assurance has already been breached. As of June 20, 2018, the Department has made available to a wider group of Members and staff materials directly related, and similar in kind, to the information that was supposed to be restricted to the “Gang of 8.” This followed recent pressure from House and Senate Republicans on DOJ and FBI not to adhere to “Gang of 8” restrictions on access to and dissemination of information that can implicate sources and methods and/or ongoing investigations.

The Department and Bureau’s departure in this matter from longstanding policy and precedent governing your agencies’ relationship with Congress risks a repeat of similar mistakes that the DOJ Office of the Inspector General recently identified in his review of the Clinton “Midyear” investigation.

In 2016, DOJ broke with past practice by making investigative files in the Clinton investigation available to Congress, while the Bureau, in the name of “maximal transparency,” publicly disclosed information related to the investigation at key junctures. In his June 2018 report, the DOJ Inspector General correctly criticized this sharp deviation from DOJ and FBI guidelines:  

“The Department and the FBI do not practice “maximal transparency” in criminal investigations. It is not a value reflected in the regulations, policies, or customs guiding FBI actions in pending criminal investigations. To the contrary, the guidance to agents and prosecutors is precisely the opposite—no transparency except in rare and exceptional circumstances due to the potential harm to both the investigation and to the reputation of anyone under investigation.” 

This harmful cycle is now repeating itself with respect to the criminal and counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference and any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Trump. The President’s congressional allies are applying growing pressure on your agencies, in line with the President’s improper demand for “total transparency,”  to disclose sensitive information and material that is not usually shared with Congress and that relate directly to the ongoing investigation into President Trump, his own campaign, and his associates.

Unfortunately, DOJ and FBI are increasingly bowing to this pressure, despite the corrosive implications. Unlike the Clinton investigation, your agencies are disclosing sensitive material to Congress even though the Russia investigation is ongoing under the leadership of the Special Counsel and your oversight. And given the pending nature of the Special Counsel’s investigation, these persistent and unrelenting document requests are not for legitimate oversight purposes. Rather, time and again, sensitive information shared with Congress has been selectively and misleadingly seeded into the public domain to advance the President and his legal team’s strategy of undermining public trust in DOJ and the FBI and attacking the legitimacy of the Special Counsel and his ongoing investigation. Every such disclosure to Congress, moreover, has and will continue to result in demands for more information about the ongoing investigation, which the Department and the Bureau will be unable to satisfy without further contravening its own policies and norms.

With every disclosure, DOJ and FBI are reinforcing a precedent it will have to uphold, whether the Congress is in Republican or Democratic hands, of providing materials in pending or closed cases to the legislative branch upon request.

As the attacks on the Special Counsel intensify, it is imperative that you withstand pressure on DOJ and FBI to violate established procedures and norms. Your role in preserving the integrity of the Special Counsel’s investigation and, most importantly, our justice system has become even more vital.

We would appreciate your written reply and your confirmation of this understanding.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy:

“I am grateful to Justice Kennedy for his many decades of service to our country, and wish him all the best in his retirement.

“In just four months, the American people will determine the makeup of the United States Senate. Given the precedent set by Leader McConnell in 2016, it is only appropriate that the Senate wait until the new Congress is seated to consider any nomination to the Supreme Court.”

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(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)announced it would conduct a comprehensive review of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program after Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), and 39 other Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Office of Inspector General requesting they look into the issue. The request for an investigation follows weeks of uncertainty about the Health Department’s ability to appropriately care for children placed in its custody as a result of President Trump’s family separation policy, as well as the Department’s lack of clarity around plans to reunite children and parents.   

“We write to request a comprehensive review of the operations of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program, particularly focused on how the Office has approached and responded to President Trump’s family separation policy. We are alarmed by the uncertainty and pain inflicted on thousands of families arriving at the U.S. border, particularly the mental and physical harm inflicted on immigrant children and their parents by this policy, and we are deeply troubled by recent reports of maltreatment of children while under ORR custody. While we are encouraged by the announcement of recent efforts to prioritize family reunification, we also have significant questions about how the Department is working to accomplish this goal. It is equally important that we understand what measures, if any, HHS undertook to prioritize the health, safety, and wellbeing of children in its custody as it implemented the family separation policy, both before and after President Trump’s June 20 Executive Order to reverse the policy,” wrote Senator Murray.

The letter was signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tom Udall (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bob Casey (D-PA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Tom Carper (D-DE).

The full text of the letter is below and the PDF can be found HERE.

June 27, 2018

The Honorable Daniel R. Levinson

Office of Inspector General

Department of Health and Human Services

330 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20201

Dear Inspector General Levinson:

            We write to request a comprehensive review of the operations of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program, particularly focused on how the Office has approached and responded to President Trump’s family separation policy. We are alarmed by the uncertainty and pain inflicted on thousands of families arriving at the U.S. border, particularly the mental and physical harm inflicted on immigrant children and their parents by this policy, and we are deeply troubled by recent reports of maltreatment of children while under ORR custody. While we are encouraged by the announcement of recent efforts to prioritize family reunification, we also have significant questions about how the Department is working to accomplish this goal. It is equally important that we understand what measures, if any, HHS undertook to prioritize the health, safety, and wellbeing of children in its custody as it implemented the family separation policy, both before and after President Trump’s June 20 Executive Order to reverse the policy.

            Under President Trump’s family separation policy, thousands of children who arrived in this country with their parents were placed in ORR custody while their parents were detained separately awaiting immigration proceedings.  On June 20, 2018, President Trump signed an Executive Order purportedly to reverse the policy, but the path forward to execute the Order remains unclear.  The Executive Order instructs the Secretary of Defense to provide “facilities available for the housing and care of alien families.”  Later on June 20, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a memo announcing that HHS had asked whether DoD has the ability to house up to 20,000 children at military installations between July and December 2018, in order to accommodate  HHS’s need to rapidly increase its capacity.[1]  As HHS addresses an increased number of children in its custody at HHS-contracted UAC program facilities, it is unclear what steps are being taken to ensure that HHS contractors and facilities are meeting established standards for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in their care—including meeting requirements related to background checks, inspections, qualifications, training, and licensure.

Recent press reports have also detailed concerning allegations of abuse of children in HHS-contracted UAC program facilities, raising concerns about the Department’s oversight of the UAC program, especially as it seeks to ramp up capacity.[2]  One report from a Virginia facility described aggressive and routine use of physical force to restrain children.[3]  Another story from a Texas site recounted coerced use of numerous psychotropic drugs on children, including through forced injections and medications disguised as vitamins.[4]  These allegations are deeply worrisome and merit intense scrutiny of the quality of care in HHS-contracted UAC program facilities, particularly as the Administration is separating and detaining more and more children. 

The forced separation of immigrant children from their parents is a serious, traumatizing event that should never have occurred. Forced separation can over-activate the body’s stress-response system, creating a constant “fight-or-flight” mode that can disrupt a child’s brain chemistry and create potentially long-term or lifelong health consequences as documented in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study.[5]^,[6]  As the Department responsible for children’s health and wellbeing, HHS should be dedicating resources to ensuring children are receiving the medical and mental health care they need.  HHS has the tools to measure capacity in its facilities and to assess the potential needs of children in their custody.  Yet, we remain concerned about whether the Department is ensuring children receive the care they need and whether the services and treatments they receive are trauma-informed and evidence-based. 

To better understand HHS’s efforts to implement the family separation policy and the June 20 Executive Order, we ask that you conduct an investigation of the UAC Program and address the following questions:

1.     What processes does HHS employ to assess the needs of children in the UAC program, including the capacity needed at HHS-contracted UAC program facilities and their ability to provide needed services for children of all ages and medical needs?

a.      Did those processes change when President Trump’s family separation policy was implemented?

b.     Did those processes change after President Trump signed his June 20 Executive Order?

c.      What steps did the Department take to prepare for the arrival of children separated from their parents at the U.S. border?  Was notice provided to HHS ORR in advance of President Trump’s family separation policy to allow the agency to plan for the increase in UACs in its custody?

d.     Was notice provided to HHS ORR in advance of President Trump’s June 20 Executive Order to allow for HHS ORR to establish policies, train employees and contractors, and plan for family reunification consistent with federal law and court orders? 

e.      Were additional program or contracting staff tasked to ORR in response to the expected increase in UACs?

2.     What steps did the Department take to prepare for reunification of the separated children with their parents consistent with federal law and court orders? 

a.      What specific steps has the Department taken to coordinate, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the reunification of children in its custody with parents in DHS’ custody? Please provide a list of procedures detailing inter-agency coordination between the Department and DHS to reunify separated families.

3.     Was the Department adequately prepared to care for separated children, including by providing the range of necessary, age appropriate, medical and mental health services needed in a traumatized population of children, and to reunify families consistent with federal law and court orders?

a.      Were additional medical or mental health staff tasked to ORR in response to the expected increase in UACs?

b.     Does ORR have adequate staff to oversee and support the medical and mental health needs of traumatized children in the UAC program?

c.      What steps did the Department take to ensure evidence-based trauma-informed services were provided to separated children?  Did HHS ORR consult with any other units or programs within HHS that have expertise in the medical and mental health needs of traumatized children?

d.     Did HHS ORR consult with any non-governmental entities with expertise in the medical and mental health needs of traumatized children?

e.      Did HHS ORR medical staff provide guidance to HHS-contracted UAC program facilities regarding the use of psychotropic medications? Was any such guidance sufficient?

4.     How did the Department ensure UACs had adequate access to qualified mental health professionals? 

5.     How does the Department assess the qualifications of contracted providers to deliver adequate medical and mental health care to children in their custody?  Did the Department take additional steps to ensure proper oversight of the quality of care that is provided to separated children, particularly in light of the trauma experienced when separated from their parent(s)?

6.     Prior to awarding new contracts to operate facilities under the UAC program, what steps does HHS ORR take to determine if the operator or facility has past allegations of abuse or neglect, including under any program under state law?

7.     Press reports indicate that HHS is currently in the process of exploring opportunities to expand capacity of the UAC program. 

a.      What was the timeline of actions taken by HHS to assess capacity of the UAC program? 

b.     What information was HHS relying on to make expansion decisions? 

c.      Who was making decisions about when and how such expansions would occur? 

8.     There continues to be significant confusion across the federal government regarding implementation of President Trump’s family separation policy and of the June 20 Executive Order.  

a.      How have HHS staff and HHS-contracted UAC program facilities received direction about implementation of Administration policies? 

b.     Is that direction coming from within HHS?  If not, is it coming from other federal departments or from the White House?

c.      What information has HHS staff provided to HHS-contracted facilities about implementation of Administration policies?

d.     What was the timeline for communication to HHS-contracted UAC program facilities on family reunification procedures that are consistent with federal law and court orders?

9.     How is HHS ensuring that its contractors and facilities meet established standards for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in their care and after placement with a sponsor, including background checks, inspections, qualifications, training, and licensure?

10.  How does HHS investigate and address allegations of mistreatment, abuse, or neglect of children at HHS-contracted facilities in the UAC program? 

a.      Are these measures adequate to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of children in the Department’s custody?

b.     Were there any instances of leaving children in the physical care of a HHS-contracted UAC program facility that had an allegation of mistreatment, abuse or neglect of children? If so, for how long? 

c.      Under what conditions would HHS end a contract with a facility with substantiated allegations of abuse? Has HHS followed such protocols?

Thank you for your attention to this important matter, and we look forward to reviewing the findings from your investigation. 

Sincerely,

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WASHINTON- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, and Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, urged the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to implement the strongest possible transparency and accountability requirements for online advertisements in response to the proposed rulemaking. The letter comes as the FEC begins public hearings today on online advertisements. 

“During the 2016 election cycle, Russians took advantage of weak online disclaimer and disclosure rules to purchase online political advertisements. As we rapidly approach the 2018 election, intelligence officials have warned that Russia is currently working to disrupt our elections again,” the senators wrote.

“People have a right to know who is behind the information they receive, and in particular who is trying to influence their vote. This necessitates new disclaimer and disclosure requirements for all online advertisements. Primary elections are already upon us and the general election is only 131 days away. Therefore, we encourage you to quickly adopt the strongest possible rule to increase transparency and accountability for online advertisements.” 

Klobuchar, Warner and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) are the authors of the bipartisan Honest Ads Act, legislation to help prevent foreign interference in future elections and improve the transparency of online political advertisements. The Honest Ads Act would prevent foreign actors from influencing our elections by ensuring that political ads sold online are covered by the same rules as ads sold on TV, radio, and satellite.

The full text of the letter can be found below:

Dear Commissioners:

As you conduct hearings this week on “Internet Disclaimers and Definition of Public Communication”, we encourage you to issue the strongest possible rule that will increase transparency and accountability for online advertisements.

During the 2016 election cycle, Russians took advantage of weak online disclaimer and disclosure rules to purchase online political advertisements. As part of a wide social media exploitation effort, Russia spent at least $100,000 dollars—in rubles—on Facebook ads to influence the 2016 election. According to Facebook responses to investigations by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Senate Judiciary Committee, Russian disinformation reached more than 126 million Americans online.

As we rapidly approach the 2018 election, intelligence officials have warned that Russia is currently working to disrupt our elections again. As Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats stated earlier this year, “[t]he 2018 U.S. midterm elections are a potential target for Russian influence operations” and Russia will conduct “bolder and more disruptive cyber operations.”   Senate Intelligence Committee members determined that foreign actors illegally influenced the 2016 presidential election and that something has to be done to stop this from occurring in the future.

Online platforms dwarf broadcast, satellite, and cable providers. The largest internet platform has over 210 million American users. The largest cable provider only has 22 million subscribers – nearly an order of magnitude greater. That is why we introduced the Honest Ads Act earlier this year. Our legislation would apply the same rules to online political advertisements that already exist for traditional media and require digital advertisers to maintain a public record of political ads purchased. By requiring the same rules across all advertising platforms, we can limit foreign attempts to influence our elections, increase transparency in political advertising, and promote greater accountability.

People have a right to know who is behind the information they receive, and in particular who is trying to influence their vote. This necessitates new disclaimer and disclosure requirements for all online advertisements. Primary elections are already upon us and the general election is only 131 days away. Therefore, we encourage you to quickly adopt the strongest possible rule to increase transparency and accountability for online advertisements.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence unanimously approved the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, which includes measures introduced by the Committee’s Vice Chairman, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), to modernize our antiquated security clearance process, reduce the background investigation inventory of more than 700,000 cases, and bring greater accountability to the system. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)announced earlier this year that it added the government-wide Personnel Security Clearance Process to their High-Risk List of federal areas in need of either broad-based transformation or specific reform to prevent waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. 

“It has long been clear that the 70-year-old process that grants security clearances to government personnel and contractors is in desperate need of reform,” said Sen. Warner.  “I am pleased this bill provides a fix for this broken process and begins to ease the growing security clearance backlog that undermines the government’s ability to deploy the right people to address some of our greatest national security challenges.” 

Every year, Congress authorizes intelligence funding through the Intelligence Authorization Act to counter terrorist threats, prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, enhance counterintelligence, conduct covert actions and collect and analyze intelligence around the world. The bill reflects the intelligence committee’s oversight over the past year and its consideration of the president’s budgetary and legislative requests.

The legislation includes several provisions from Senator Warner to revamp the security clearance system, including:

• Holding the Executive Branch accountable for making progress on much-needed reform;
• Promoting information sharing between and among government agencies and industry to prevent personnel with security risks from being inadvertently passed around;
• Requiring swift reciprocity for recognizing clearances among agencies;
• Switching to a responsive Continuous Evaluation model instead of standard periodic re-investigations for 90 percent of clearance holders;
• Requiring consistent treatment of government and contract personnel in the clearance system and setting a government-wide policy for interim clearances;
• Expediting background investigations by taking advantage of innovative techniques and technologies for verifying information.

In addition, the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) included a provision supported by Vice Chairman Warner to require the Director of National Intelligence to report on the Intelligence Community’s outreach to U.S. businesses and other non-government entities on efforts by adversaries such as China to acquire technology, intellectual property, and R&D.

The bill also continues initiatives the Senate Intelligence Committee has undertaken on a bipartisan basis to push the Intelligence Community to foster innovation in its approach to overhead satellite systems. And as we approach the 2018 elections, the bill includes important measures to protect U.S. federal and state election systems – including from Russian threats – and to improve information sharing with states to ensure the integrity of the election process.

Sen. Warner has been a strong voice on security clearance reform, urging the White House to prioritize reforms to the clearance process. 

For the full list of the security clearance measures included in the IAA, click here.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today responded to a letter from members of the House of Delegates that asked Virginia’s congressional delegation to oppose the Trump Administration’s policy of separating immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

On June 20, 47 members of the Virginia House of Delegates wrote to all 13 members of Virginia’s bipartisan congressional delegation to express outrage at the cruel and systematic separation of immigrant children and their families at the U.S. border with Mexico, saying, “As Virginians and Americans, we are appalled at the suffering that has been caused. President Trump initiated this shameful Administration policy. It is within his power to stop it. Once again, if you have not already done so, we ask you to act swiftly and call upon the President to end this brutal policy and reunite these children with their families without delay.”

The Senators’ response to that letter is here and below:

Dear Delegate:

Thank you for your letter urging the Virginia congressional delegation to support the end of the Trump Administration’s family separation policy at the U.S. border with Mexico.  We appreciate your leadership on this issue and share your outrage over this policy.

Migrants who arrive at the southern border have the right to claim asylum and refuge from persecution in their home countries as specified under U.S. and international law.  However, in April 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration would implement a so-called “zero-tolerance” policy that subjects migrants who enter the country unlawfully to criminal prosecution.  This policy separates families by sending parents to federal detention and their children to facilities run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, effectively leading to large increases in the number of unaccompanied children detained at the border.               

We believe this heartless treatment of migrants and asylum seekers does not reflect the values of this nation.  Immigrants bring a diversity of experience, culture and backgrounds but also a common vision of living the American Dream and creating a better life in the United States.  We are a nation of immigrants, and they are part of what makes this country great.  That’s why we are grateful that so many Virginians have joined us and people all across the country in speaking out against the cruel and pointless policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border.  

On June 7, we joined 38 of our Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter strongly condemning the Administration’s family separation policy and urging President Trump to reverse it.  That same day, we joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and a number of our Senate colleagues in introducing the Keep Families Together Act of 2018 (S.3036). This legislation prohibits the separation of families at the border or at ports of entry except under extraordinary circumstances, increases child welfare training for Customs and Border Protection officers, establishes a policy preference for family unity, and develops procedures to allow families to relocate and reunite with their separated loved ones.  We also joined 46 other Senators in calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on the Trump Administration’s treatment of children along the southern border. 

Additionally, on June 19, we wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar requesting details about the policy’s rationale, the condition of facilities used by their agencies to house children, the availability and quality of resources for separated children, the conditions for girls and toddlers, and the process in place for family reunification. 

Seeking to address the crisis he created, President Trump signed an executive order on June 20, directing DHS to detain immigrant families together.  However, this executive order did not outline a process for reuniting previously separated children with their families, nor did the order change the Administration’s zero tolerance prosecution policy that will result in lengthy detention for families.  Furthermore, because a court order prohibits the detention of migrant children beyond 20 days, the legality of the executive order remains questionable.  These inadequacies make a response from Secretaries Nielsen and Azar to our letter all the more urgent.  The Trump Administration must provide full transparency about its plans to ensure the safety, well-being and reunification of every single child in custody.  Until the day that happens, we will continue to demand answers.

We hope there will be a swift resolution to this entirely preventable crisis that has caused pain to so many immigrant families.  But the truth is, until Congress enacts comprehensive, long-term immigration reform, immigrant families and young people will continue to suffer from the effects of a broken system that forces far too many of our friends and neighbors into the shadows.  Under our current President, the urgency of this problem has grown exponentially.  We are proud to have been a part of every bipartisan effort in the Senate to reform our immigration process, and we have not given up hope that someday soon, enough of our colleagues in the House and Senate will understand the importance of fixing our immigration system once and for all.  

Thank you again for contacting us.  We look forward to our continued collaboration in promoting the wellbeing of immigrant families entering our country.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Warner

United States Senator

Tim Kaine

United States Senator

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner joined Finance Committee Democrats today in demanding to know how the Trump Administration is ensuring the safety of children separated from their parents under Trump’s zero-tolerance policy and how the Administration plans to reunify children and families.

In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar, the senators noted that many of the children separated from their families under Trump’s zero-tolerance policy are being detained in facilities operated through HHS.

“While we are encouraged the President has signed the Executive Order: Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation to stop the unnecessary and cruel separation of children from their families, by no means is this crisis over,” the Senators wrote. “Given the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction over the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the U.S. foster care system, we demand answers on how ACF will ensure the safety, well-being, and reunification of the reportedly more than 2,300 children who have been separated from their families in recent weeks.”

The Senators asked for answers by June 27, 2018. In addition to Sen. Warner, the letter was signed by Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Tom Carper (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Read the letter here.  

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate India Caucus and Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, led a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis attended by U.S. Senators and Representatives to discuss the future of U.S.-India defense cooperation.

The event, co-hosted by India Caucus co-chair Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), was held in the U.S. Capitol to discuss the strategic importance of India in the Indo-Pacific region. The Senators stressed the need to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two nations given their shared national security interests, with the goal of increasing security and stability in Asia and globally. Secretary Mattis highlighted the growing nature of U.S.-India defense cooperation, specifically the Department of Defense (DoD) efforts to increase military-to-military cooperation, information-sharing, and defense trade with a major defense partner.

“A closer partnership with India, based on shared national interests and democratic values, should remain a strategic imperative for the United States. This is particularly important as we see the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world,” said Sen. Warner. “The United States should continue to pursue closer defense cooperation with India, increasing technology transfers, defense sales, joint military exercises and increased military cooperation on shared national security missions and priorities.” 

Sens. Warner and Cornyn included language in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that required DoD to codify the definition of Major Defense Partner and to develop a defense strategy with India. Most recently, both Senators introduced an amendment to the FY19 NDAA that failed which would have supported India’s membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC). 

The event preceded Secretary Mattis’ planned meeting in India with the Indian Ministers of Defense & Foreign Affairs on July 6^th.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today wrote to Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to press for more information about the Administration’s policy that separates asylum-seeking parents from their children at the U.S. border. Though the law does not require the U.S. government to separate immigrants from their children, a policy put in place by the Trump Administration in April has resulted in 2,000 children being separated from their parents by DHS officials at the border. These children “rendered unaccompanied” by forcible separation from their parents are remanded by DHS officials to HHS for care in temporary detention centers, placement with foster care, or return to their families or legal guardians. 

Today’s letter comes one day after Sec. Nielsen offered several falsehoods and incomplete answers to questions regarding the Administration’s family separation policy at a White House press briefing. Sens. Warner and Kaine today requested an immediate response to the following questions:

• Rationale for the Policy: Secretary Nielsen stated yesterday that the policy was not implemented in order to “send a message” and serve as a deterrent to future immigration. But later that evening, Attorney General Sessions was quoted as saying, “Hopefully people will get the message…and not break across the border unlawfully.” In addition, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly stated just last month that “the name of the game is deterrence.” Can you please clarify your understanding of the rationale behind the “Zero-Tolerance Policy” as it relates to the separation of young children from the parents at the border? Can you state unequivocally that the policy is not in place to serve as a deterrent to future immigration?
• Plan for Infrastructure: Since the announcement of the “Zero-Tolerance Policy,” how much money have DHS and HHS spent on construction of temporary facilities and associated infrastructure to house the children currently being held separate from their parents? Does a funding plan exist for the additional infrastructure necessary to house asylum seekers if the current policy continues? Are there plans to use facilities in Virginia? If so, what assurances can you provide that all facilities will be adequately equipped to provide a safe and healthy environment, including all resources necessary for the health and wellbeing (including mental and emotional) of separated children? 
• Resources for Separated Children: What specific resources are available to children to deal with psychological trauma of being separated from their parents? How, where and by whom are these services being provided? How much does the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) spend to contract for medical and mental health care for children in ORR shelters, and how much does ORR intend to spend to provide these services to separated children? Please describe the mental health services ORR is providing or contracting to provide to separated children. Can ORR share medical records or information about mental health needs of children with DHS? What training do CBP officers receive to prepare them for interacting with traumatized children because they have been separated from their parents? What training do ORR shelters receive or provide to their staff to prepare them for interacting with traumatized children because they have been separated from their parents?
• Conditions for Girls and Toddlers: Video footage shows the holding conditions for boys. However, there is no similar evidence showing the conditions in which girls and younger children are currently being held. Can you release additional information and video footage that provides background on the health and wellbeing of girls and toddlers who are in the care of either DHS or HHS, including the conditions of their facilities?
• Reunification: There appears to be some conflict in how families are being reunited. DOJ has mentioned that the government does not reunite families once HHS takes custody of a child. However, DHS has claimed that once parents have served their criminal sentences, they can be reunited while they pursue their asylum claim. Are families being reunited? If so, how and when? What is the specific process which parents follow to allow for reunification with their separated children? What data does DHS have to indicate the percentage of parents who are indeed reunified with their children in a timely manner?

As the Senators noted in today’s letter, “The President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, representing 66,000 primary care pediatricians, stated that the policy and resulting trauma can cause ‘irreparable harm’ and ‘carry lifelong consequences’ for children. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called the family separation policy ‘unconscionable’ and an ‘abuse.’ The General Secretary of the United Methodist Church has also stated that the policies are not consistent with Christian teaching and ‘a shocking violation of the spirit of the Gospel.’ Members of Congress from all sides of the political spectrum, former U.S. Attorneys, and countless others have all also condemned the Administration’s new policy.”

A copy of the Warner-Kaine letter is available here. 

Earlier this month, Sens. Warner and Kaine introduced legislation that promotes family unity by prohibiting DHS officials from separating children from their parents, except in extraordinary circumstances. In addition, the Senators have written to President Trump, urging an end to the policy of separating children from their families at the southern border.

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