Sens. Mark Warner, Tim Kaine applaud confirmation of Marilyn Tavenner

Chris Graham

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded the confirmation of Marilyn Tavenner of Virginia as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) by a vote of 91 to 7. Tavenner is the first Senate-confirmed CMS Administrator since 2006. CMS oversees Medicare and Medicaid and is charged with health care services for millions of Americans.

Tim Kaine calls for end to GOP obstruction on budget

AFP

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the Senate floor again today to call for an end to Republican obstruction on the budget. In his remarks, Kaine noted the proposed budget would replace the sequester cuts in the next fiscal year which have caused 800,000 furloughs of Department of Defense civilian employees this year, including 90,000 in Virginia.

tim kaine

Tim Kaine: Stakes are ‘enormously high’ for Air Force to address sexual assault

AFP

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, pressed top United States Air Force officials in a hearing today on the issue of sexual assault in the military including the arrest of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, chief of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response branch, on charges of sexual battery in Arlington, Virginia. In his questioning, Kaine expressed his concern over the signal these news accounts send to current and future servicemembers, noting his recent visit with female cadets at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton.

tim kaine

Sen. Tim Kaine begins Shenandoah Valley swing

AFP

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine joined Roanoke Mayor Dave Bowers and members of the local business community today to tour the city’s downtown and discuss economic development in the region. During the discussion, Kaine expressed his support for the Marketplace Fairness Act that will level the playing field for small businesses in Roanoke and across Virginia that are a major source of job creation.

Mark Warner, Tim Kaine join letter urging president to move on VA claims backlog

Chris Graham

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to take action to reduce the current backlog of veterans’ disability claims. Currently, the average claim takes over 300 days to be resolved. In the letter, Sens. Warner and Kaine, who were joined by 65 other members of the Senate, cited long delays in cities across the country in making the case for swift action to reduce the backlog.

Farm Bureau supports immigration reform bill’s guestworker program

AFP

It has a long way to go before becoming law, but the introduction of a bipartisan immigration reform bill is significant for U.S. agriculture. A group of senators has unveiled a comprehensive immigration reform bill that includes provisions for a new agricultural guestworker program. American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman said that’s extremely important for the future of agriculture.

Mark Warner helps introduce bipartisan Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013

Chris Graham

Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) announced the introduction of the Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013. The bipartisan legislation works to improve customer service delivery across federal agencies, and a companion bill was introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas).