Press Releases
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) today introduced the Yes in God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) Act, new legislation designed to help faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education unlock the promise of their existing land holdings by transforming underused property into much-needed affordable housing. The bill would provide resources and incentives to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing on property these institutions already own. The YIGBY Act is part of a comprehensive effort by Sen. Warner to tackle one of the most pressing economic challenges facing Virginians and families across the country: the rising cost of housing.
“Too many families are getting priced out of their communities because of the skyrocketing cost of housing,” said Sen. Warner. “If we want to make housing more affordable, we need to get creative and take advantage of opportunities that already exist. The YIGBY Act is about breaking down barriers and giving faith communities and colleges the support they need to put their land to work creating safe, affordable homes.”
The YIGBY Act would:
- Provide technical assistance to faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education seeking to use their land for affordable rental housing;
- Provide technical assistance to local governments on best practices to streamline permitting and reduce barriers; and
- Create $50 million per year in grants for communities that adopt policies removing barriers to affordable housing on property owned by faith-based organizations or colleges.
The legislation has endorsements from the United Church of Christ, Lutheran Services in America, LeadingAge, True Ground Housing Partners, Virginia Housing Alliance, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Text of the bill is available here.
The YIGBY Act builds on a series of Warner-led proposals aimed at addressing the housing affordability crisis. Today, Sen. Warner is also re-introducing two pivotal bills to further his affordability agenda:
- The LIFT Homebuyers Act (LIFT Act) creates a program offering 20-year fixed-rate mortgages tailored for low- and moderate-income, first-generation homebuyers in order to cut monthly housing payments and boost homeownership accessibility.
- The Scaling Community Lenders Act would increase lending capacity for community financial institutions, expanding access to affordable housing finance in underserved communities.
Sen. Warner has made housing affordability a top priority, advancing proposals to increase supply, expand financing options, and reduce costs for working families. In recent months, he has introduced and supported a range of bipartisan bills to spur new housing construction and redevelopment, including the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, Preserving Rural Housing Investments Act, Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act, the Rural Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act, and the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act. Additionally, Sen. Warner is a cosponsor of the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, which would provide federal grants to help first-generation homebuyers cover down payments, closing costs, and other upfront expenses.
In July, the Senate Banking Committee advanced a package of bipartisan housing proposals to the Senate floor which included several measures championed and supported by Warner, including the RESIDE Act, legislation drafted by Sen. Warner and Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) to create a new pilot program to help communities convert vacant buildings – such as abandoned hotels, warehouses, and strip malls – into affordable homes. That package now awaits consideration by the full Senate.
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Warner & Don Scott Sit Down with Virginians Who Rely on Rural Hospital Targeted by Republican Budget Law
Sep 04 2025
FRANKLIN, Va. – In case you missed it, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott on Tuesday traveled to Franklin’s Hayden Village Center to sit down with Franklin community members and leaders who rely on Southampton Medical Center – one of the six rural hospitals in Virginia and more than 300 rural hospitals across the nation that are now at disproportionate risk of closure, conversion, or dramatic service reductions following passage of the “Big Beautiful” Republican budget law.
Key Quotes from Sen. Warner: View Clip HERE
- “I’ve been governor and senator for a long time. I think this may be the worst piece of legislation I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s saying something.”
- “At the end of the day, this bill was about providing a giant tax cut disproportionately for the most successful Americans. And I’m all for success. I’m a businessman. I’m a capitalist. But the cost of paying for that extraordinary tax cut, we are taking in many ways the heart out of health care for Americans who are the most vulnerable.”
- “This was not a bipartisan bill. This was one team driving through a piece of legislation that will have huge, huge ramifications. The Big Ugly Bill will cut a trillion dollars out of Medicaid.”
- “300,000 Virginians will lose their health insurance. Those people are not going to disappear. They’re going to simply show up at the emergency room. And if the hospital closes here, they’re going to have to spend a lot of time checking the traffic to see how to get to Portsmouth or Petersburg to get basic access to health care.”
- “The mayor was talking a little bit about some of the challenges Franklin’s got now. If we’re going to recruit additional businesses here, keep our businesses that we’ve got, we’ve got to have local health care. That is the starting point.”
Key Quotes from Speaker Don Scott: View Clip HERE
- “Take the politics out of it and just deal with the math. You can’t deliver the same amount of services for substantially less resources. It’s impossible. This is math. You can’t argue with math. You can argue with a whole lot of stuff, but math is math. You can’t do the same thing that you used to do for one more dollar when you only have a dime.”
- “What the Senator was talking about when he talked about the [enhanced Premium Tax Credit] subsidy, these are people who are working every day. These are people who are working hard, playing by the rules, families with children and they need the subsidy to be able to make up for the difference, that delta that happens between what they can afford and what they need. And that subsidy is paid for by people who have benefited from America in a real way, very wealthy people who have been able to benefit from our system. Why shouldn’t they give a little bit more back? As the Senator said, I’m a capitalist, too. I’m a trial lawyer. I love to get paid, love to make money, don’t get it twisted. But I’m also very grateful to be in a country where we have a system where somebody like me who should never be where I’m supposed to be … Only in America am I even possible. So I’m grateful to pay my fair share back. We have people who are billionaires who don’t want to pay their fair share back.”
Key Quotes from Mona Murphy, lifelong resident of Franklin, Va.: View Clip HERE
- “The potential closure of Franklin’s hospital … would have devastating consequences for our community. The closure of our hospital would leave [families] without accessible health care, forcing them to travel 20 miles to Suffolk, Virginia for medical services. For many, this distance is overwhelming due to financial constraints or lack of transportation options.”
- “Franklin is striving to rebuild itself through educational advancements, attempts at attracting new businesses and encouraging young families to settle here. However, the loss of the hospital would severely hinder these efforts … As someone who works closely with families and children in our schools, I see the dire need for accessible health care in our city every day. Emergencies are unpredictable and the absence of a nearby hospital could have life-threatening consequences for our students and residents. I can’t even imagine a scenario where a child’s life hangs in the balance because we lack immediate access to medical care.”
Event Coverage
- 13NewsNow: Southampton Medical Center at risk of closure after Medicaid cuts hit rural hospitals
- Cville Right Now: Sen. Warner meets with people who receive care at a rural hospital that could face closure
- Virginia Mercury: Federal, state lawmakers call on Va. hospitals to ‘be transparent’ about federal funding changes
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BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO IS AVAILABLE HERE
WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) pressed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his failure to acknowledge basic facts about the COVID-19 pandemic and raised urgent concerns about the future of community health centers and rural hospitals following the massive Medicaid cuts in President Trump’s Big Ugly Bill.
Warner expressed disbelief that Kennedy, after eight months in office, could not answer how many Americans died from COVID or whether vaccines saved lives.
“Mr. Chairman, the Secretary of Health and Human Services doesn’t know how many Americans died from COVID. He doesn’t know if the vaccine helped prevent any deaths. And you are sitting as Secretary of Health and Human Services? How can you be that ignorant?” Warner said.
Warner pressed Kennedy to support solutions to improve rural health care, including his legislation to raise the Medicare area wage index to better reimburse rural hospitals, and a bill with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) to require safeguards before hospitals can eliminate obstetric services. Kennedy ultimately pledged to work with Warner on both proposals.
“Americans want to get healthier, but they also don’t want their basic health care removed,” Warner concluded, inviting Kennedy to join him at a Virginia community health center to hear directly from patients and providers.
A transcript of their exchange follows.
WARNER: Mr. Secretary, I agree with a lot of my colleagues' statements. I actually had hoped, even though I didn't support you – I thought taking on chronic illnesses was going to be important.
I've got two kids, as we discussed when you met, that have chronic illnesses. I'm not sure that the focus on red dye and seed oils are going to fully solve that problem.
KENNEDY: Of course they won't.
WARNER: I would say this: that seems where your emphasis is.
I want to go back to just, again, some basic facts. Do you accept the fact that a million Americans died from COVID?
KENNEDY: I don't know how many died.
WARNER: You're the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You don't have any idea how many Americans died from COVID?
KENNEDY: I don't think anybody knows that because the… there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC and there were so many –
WARNER: You don't know the answer of how many Americans died from COVID?
This is the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Do you think the vaccine did anything to prevent additional deaths?
KENNEDY: Again, I would like to see the data and talk about the data. I’m not fully –
WARNER: You've had this job for eight months and you don't know the data about whether the vaccine saved lives?
KENNEDY: And that's the problem is that they didn't have the data. The data by the Biden administration is absolutely dismal. It was chaos.
WARNER: Who is politicizing? You're saying the Biden administration politicized all the data? Go back to what Senator Cantwell just said, go to the Trump Surgeon General –
KENNEDY: They fired Dr. Grubb, they fired all the people who questioned the orthodoxy. They fired Dr. Gruber, Dr. Krause.
WARNER: Mr. Chairman, the Secretary of Health and Human Services doesn't know how many Americans died from COVID. He doesn't know if the vaccine helped prevent any deaths.
And you are sitting as Secretary of Health and Human Services? How can you be that ignorant?
Like, you know, I remember when we went to the hearing with you, I asked you about community health centers. You didn't know what role they play.
I've been visiting community health – I'm glad you've got to one, I think in April.
I tell you what. What I hear from community health centers, they are terrified, with all due respect to my good friend the chairman, of the Big Awful Bill, because they are going to lose health care across the board. They already live in food deserts. They can't get to a nutritionist because Medicaid doesn't do enough reimbursement.
If you're going to want Americans to get healthier, shouldn't they have access to nutritionists? Should they have access to good science about healthy food?
KENNEDY: Absolutely.
WARNER: Well, then how is that going to happen with the Medicaid cuts that are taking place?
KENNEDY: There are no cuts to Medicaid.
WARNER: Sir, that is an absurd – there is not a single – to my Republican colleagues, there's not a single study that does not – and I can tell you, I was in Franklin, Virginia a couple of days ago. The rural hospital is going to close. The hospital system was so afraid they wouldn't even let me have the meeting there, but that rural hospital is going to close.
And they are looking for where those folks are going to go. I mean, you're supposed to be doing health care policy, not being the doctor in residence for all of America. I hope – I can only say, I'm still going to trust my doctor rather than your health advice. And, obviously, Tom Cotton's going to – who knows who he's going to trust?
But let me – let me go back to policy for a couple – so maybe we can lower the temperature a little bit. I had a bipartisan bill that would be a systemic fix, not a vote-buying mechanism, when Medicaid's getting cut, than what was put in on the rural hospitals. One of the things we could do, Mr. Secretary, is make sure that the folks who work in rural hospitals get an 80 percent reimbursement of what folks get in more urban centers. Would you support that legislation?
KENNEDY: The – are you talking about the area wage index?
WARNER: I'm talking about the area wage index and moving that up to 80 percent so there is, actually, the ability to get rural providers...
KENNEDY: Yeah. President Trump supports that, and we support that.
WARNER: Do you support – do you support – good. So you will work with us to get that passed?
KENNEDY: Yes, Senator. I – I (inaudible)...
WARNER: That will increase costs for both Medicaid and Medicare. So you are committed to that? I appreciate that.
What about, Senator Wyden and I have got a bill – because across America...
KENNEDY: What about what?
WARNER: ... hospitals are shutting down on their ob/gyn services. Try to have a baby – I don't know about all of my other friends' states, but in Southside Virginia, you can't find a hospital. Will you work with us to make sure that before ob/gyn services are taken out of a rural hospital, there has to be a process and procedure?
KENNEDY: I'm happy to work with you on that, Senator, meet with you and – and see if we can work with you on it. I don't know exactly what the issue is.
WARNER: Well, hold it, again. A secretary of health and human services who has said he doesn't know how many people died from COVID, doesn't know if the vaccine saved lives, doesn't understand the issue of ob/gyn...
KENNEDY: I – I didn't know if it saved a mil – (inaudible) if it saved a million lives.
WARNER: Ob/gyn doctors are fleeing rural America because they can't afford it. And with the cuts that are coming up, it's going to be exponentially worse. I would invite you, sir, to come with me to a community health center in Virginia and hear what is on people's minds.
They want to get healthier? Absolutely. Count me in. But they also don't want their basic healthcare removed.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement:
“Weeks ago, I arranged an on-site meeting this coming Friday at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Springfield, Va., to connect with the nonpartisan career intelligence professionals who serve our country every day. These are Virginians – my constituents – and I have held more than a dozen similar private listening sessions with NGA and other intelligence agencies in Virginia under both Democratic and Republican presidents, including during President Trump’s first term. Engagements such as these are a core part of my responsibility to provide oversight and support to our intelligence community and hear from Americans who live in Virginia, and they have never been questioned or politicized, until now.
“Over the weekend, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer discovered the unpublicized, classified visit and launched a campaign of baseless attacks against both me and NGA Director Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth for hosting what has always been considered a routine oversight meeting. In response to Loomer’s criticism, political appointees canceled the visit, just the latest example of an administration seemingly desperate to please Loomer, a figure with a long history of extreme and outlandish fringe views, including 9/11 denialism, anti-Muslim harassment campaigns, and associations with white supremacists.
“This nakedly political decision undermines the dedicated, nonpartisan staff at NGA and threatens the principle of civilian oversight that protects our national security. Members of Congress routinely conduct meetings and on-site engagements with federal employees in their states and districts; blocking and setting arbitrary conditions on these sessions sets a dangerous precedent, calling into question whether oversight is now allowed only when it pleases the far-right fringe. This should concern Republicans as well as Democrats: if routine oversight can be obstructed for political reasons, no member of Congress is immune.
“Let me be clear: I will never be deterred from carrying out my constitutional responsibilities. The business of government and the security of our nation will not be dictated by extremist attention-seekers. I will continue to hold the government accountable and meet with the career intelligence professionals who keep our country safe.”
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) slammed the Trump Administration’s withdrawal of $39,265,000 in federal funding they secured for the Fairwinds Landing maritime operations and logistics facility in Norfolk:
“The withdrawal of federal funding for the Fairwinds Landing facility is further evidence of this Administration’s across-the-board, reckless approach to governing. If the Administration took the time to learn about the project, it would realize that it is about investing in maritime supply chains and port infrastructure to support not only clean energy but also shipbuilding and ship repair. Stopping this project makes no sense, hurts our economy, and is completely counterproductive to the Administration’s so-called efforts to ‘restore America’s maritime dominance.’ We will be working with our colleagues in Congress, state officials, and partners in the region to urge the Trump Administration to reverse its decision.”
The Fairwinds Landing facility will support offshore wind, shipbuilding and repair, and transportation and logistics. In March, Kaine and Scott toured Fairwinds Landing.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance and Banking committees, released the following statement on President Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook:
“The Fed was designed to operate insulated from political pressure so that it can make tough decisions based on data and the long-term health of the economy, not the whims of any one president. This outrageous and unprecedented attempt to fire a member of the independent Federal Reserve on the flimsiest of unproven pretexts is clearly the latest scheme from a president determined to subvert the institutions that have kept our democracy strong and our economy the envy of the world.
“Under President Trump, Americans are already paying more for groceries and other essentials. President Trump’s attempt to fire a member of the Federal Reserve is just the latest example of his chaos-driven approach to the economy. From impulsive trade wars and erratic tariffs to deficit-exploding tax cuts and now this attack on Fed independence, Donald Trump has shown time and again that he’s more interested in political theater and absolving himself of blame than in helping the American people. The result is higher costs for families, uncertainty for businesses, and diminished confidence in our economic leadership around the world.”
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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on the firing of General Jeffrey Kruse as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA):
“The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration’s dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country. General Kruse is a career military officer with decades of distinguished, non-partisan service to our nation, making this ouster all the more troubling.
“It is perhaps unsurprising that General Kruse’s removal as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency comes on the heels of a DIA assessment that directly contradicted the president’s claim to have ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program. That kind of honest, fact-based analysis is exactly what we should want from our intelligence agencies, regardless of whether it flatters the White House narrative. When expertise is cast aside and intelligence is distorted or silenced, our adversaries gain the upper hand and America is left less safe.”
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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a co-author of the CHIPS and Science Act, released a statement after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. government would take an equity stake in Intel in exchange for billions in federal funding from the CHIPS law:
“Semiconductors are a cornerstone of global competitiveness, and U.S. leadership is critical for both our economy and national security. Taking an equity stake in Intel may or may not be the right approach, but one thing is clear: allowing cutting-edge chips to flow to China without restraint will erode the value of any investment we make here at home. We need a strategy that protects American innovation, strengthens our workforce, and keeps the technologies of the future firmly in American hands.
“Additionally, given the administration’s recent approach to other high-profile technology transactions, Congress must apply thorough scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest or undue interference in private-sector decisions unrelated to national security.”
Warner has previously warned that the Trump administration’s decision to allow the sale of advanced AI chips to China could strengthen its military systems, including hypersonics, communications, surveillance, and battlefield decision-making, posing significant national security risks.
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $48,329,251 in federal funding to support infrastructure improvements at 18 airports across Virginia. This funding, allocated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration under the Airport Infrastructure Grants and the Airport Improvement Program, is made possible in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — historic legislation the senators helped pass.
“We’re proud to announce over $48 million in federal funding is coming to Virginia for construction projects at 18 airports,” said the senators. “These investments will help ensure that our airports are a safe, reliable engine of connectivity and economic growth for travelers and communities around the Commonwealth. We’re going to keep doing all that we can to bring additional infrastructure investments to Virginia, and to reauthorize the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that makes many of them possible.”
The funding is distributed as follows:
- $7,237,709 to install new lighting and shift the taxiway in accordance with current standards at Winchester Regional Airport;
- $6,802,743 to reconstruct taxiways at Washington Dulles International Airport;
- $5,225,950 to rehabilitate the runway at Virginia Highlands Airport;
- $4,930,500 to rehabilitate the runway at Leesburg Executive Airport;
- $4,706,743 to rehabilitate the General Aviation Apron pavement at Newport News-Williamsburg Airport;
- $4,335,800 to shift the taxiway in accordance with current standards at Blue Ridge Airport;
- $3,789,800 to construct a new hangar for aircraft storage, extend the runways, and update the taxiways at Twin County Airport;
- $3,100,001 to extend the runway at Richmond Executive/Chesterfield County Airport;
- $1,604,509 to reconstruct a terminal entrance access road at Norfolk International Airport;
- $1,461,000 to construct a new taxiway and install new lighting at Accomack County Airport;
- $1,281,865 to develop a hangar for aircraft storage and replace and rehabilitate runway and taxiway lighting at Mountain Empire Airport;
- $1,080,200 to expand an existing fuel farm at Hampton Roads Executive Airport;
- $821,331 to construct a new hangar for aircraft storage at Danville Regional Airport;
- $500,000 to improve the aircraft apron at Richmond International Airport;
- $444,000 to construct a new hangar for aircraft storage at Emporia-Greensville Regional Airport;
- $380,100 to construct a new hangar for aircraft storage at Tazewell County Airport;
- $361,000 to update the layout plan at Suffolk Executive Airport; and
- $266,000 to rehabilitate taxiways at Front Royal-Warren County Airport.
Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to improve Virginia’s airports and have secured millions in federal funding for airports across the Commonwealth through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Last month, the senators announced over $21 million in federal funding for improvements at ten airports across Virginia. Earlier this year, the senators announced over $17 million in combined funding for additional improvements to Virginia’s airports. In October, they announced nearly $57 million in federal funding for revitalization efforts, and in September, they announced more than $46 million in federal funding for improvements to Virginia airports through the Airport Improvement Program.
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) highlighted a new report from the Joint Economic Committee warning that the Trump Administration’s sweeping tariff regime—which has included almost 100 different policies since April—has directly harmed the American manufacturing sector and could cost the U.S. more than $490 billion in manufacturing investments by 2029.
“If President Trump were actually focused on lowering costs, he would never have never implemented his idiotic, unpopular sales taxes in the form of tariffs,” said the senators. “This report clearly shows the short and long-term damage Trump’s tariffs will have on American manufacturing businesses and consumers. We’re going to keep doing all that we can to pressure Trump to listen to these critical warning signs, reverse course, and put our economy first.”
The Joint Economic Committee, using both U.S. business investment growth projections and economic analyses of uncertainty for United Kingdom businesses in the years following the U.K. Brexit vote to leave the European Union, found that:
- A prolonged period of economic uncertainty in the U.S.—as the U.K. faced—could result in more than a 13 percent decrease in manufacturing investment per year, totaling more than $490 billion by 2029.
- Since April, when Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, the U.S. has lost 37,000 manufacturing jobs and hiring in the manufacturing sector has dropped to the lowest level in nearly a decade. After a surge during the previous administration, manufacturing construction spending has been in decline since Trump took office, as businesses refrain from making major investments amidst the economic uncertainty.
- Even if the uncertainty about the U.S. economy were to end tomorrow, the uncertainty that businesses have already experienced because of tariffs will have long term effects on U.S. manufacturing. Committee calculations find that the economic uncertainty experienced in April alone could result in a one percent reduction in manufacturing investment per year, a loss of more than $42 billion by 2029.
Read the full report here.
Warner and Kaine have been leaders in the fight against Trump’s dangerous tariff policies. In July, Kaine, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, announced his intent to file legislation to challenge Trump’s tariffs on goods from Brazil. The legislation is privileged, which means the Senate will be forced to vote on the legislation soon. In April, the senators successfully secured Senate passage of a bill to undo Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods. Kaine has since sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson demanding that he schedule a vote in the House of Representatives on his Senate-passed legislation. Kaine also forced a vote on his bipartisan legislation to repeal President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs that the White House announced on April 2.
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Statement of Senate Intel Vice Chair on Director Gabbard’s Plan to Slash Intelligence Staff
Aug 20 2025
WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released plans to cut the office’s workforce:
“Twenty years after it was established, there is broad, bipartisan agreement that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is in need of thoughtful reform. The Intelligence Authorization Act directs Director Gabbard to submit a plan to Congress outlining her proposed changes, and we will carefully review her proposals and conduct rigorous oversight to ensure any reforms strengthen, not weaken, our national security. But given Director Gabbard’s track record of politicizing intelligence – including her decision just yesterday to revoke security clearances from career national security officials – I have no confidence that she is the right person to carry out this weighty responsibility.”
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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard arbitrarily and unilaterally revoked security clearances of 37 current and former national security and intelligence officials:
“Gabbard’s move to yank clearances from a seemingly random list of national security officials is a reckless abuse of the security clearance process and nothing more than another sad attempt to distract from the administration’s failure to release the Epstein files. National security should never be weaponized for political revenge. That’s why I have introduced bipartisan legislation that would explicitly prohibit exactly this kind of political abuse and ensure clearance decisions are based only on established criteria.”
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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement:
“Today, President Trump will once again sit down with Vladimir Putin. While we should all hope this meeting produces a genuine step toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, given his track record of cozying up to the Kremlin, refusing to confront Russian election interference, and even taking Putin’s word over the assessments of our own intelligence agencies, I fear this meeting could once again end with America ceding ground to an autocrat who has spent his career undermining democratic values.
“Ukraine’s sovereignty is not a bargaining chip and the right of a democratic nation to determine its own future is not something to be bartered away in a closed-door meeting. For generations, the United States has carried the global mantle for freedom, self-determination, and rule of law, even when the cost was high and the outcome uncertain. Today, the world will be watching to see whether America will continue to lead with principle or shrink in the face of aggression.
“According to the U.S. intelligence community, Putin’s long-term objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged: the complete military and political capitulation of Ukraine. These objectives include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region and other territories, the removal of the democratically elected Ukrainian government, and the establishment of a pro-Russian regime. These are not peace terms; they are ultimatums that would erase Ukraine’s sovereignty, threaten freedom worldwide, and make Americans less safe.
“There can be no concessions without full Ukrainian participation, verified Russian withdrawal from occupied territory, and enforceable guarantees for Ukraine’s security. Anything less would be an invitation for further aggression from Moscow and every autocrat watching to see if the United States still has the backbone to defend the principles that have kept Americans safe since the Second World War.”
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Top Senate Democrats Warn Trump AI Chip Deal with China Raises Legal and National Security Risks
Aug 15 2025
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reverse his recent decision to allow AMD and Nvidia to sell advanced AI semiconductor chips to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in exchange for a fee.
The senators emphasized that such sales “run counter to U.S. national security interests” and highlighted concerns that the collection of fees may violate U.S. statutes and possibly the Constitution.
The letter cites the president’s August 11, 2025, statement regarding a “negotiated deal” in which a 15 percent fee would be charged to enable these sales. The senators noted that U.S. export laws explicitly prohibit fees “in connection with the submission, processing, or consideration of any application for a license or other authorization or other request.”
The senators wrote that U.S. national security relies on protecting America’s advantage in AI computing capability and access to leading-edge hardware. They warned that advanced AI chips sold to China could be used to strengthen its military systems, including hypersonics, communications, surveillance, and battlefield decision-making.
“Our national security and military readiness relies upon American innovators inventing and producing the best technology in the world, and in maintaining that qualitative advantage in sensitive domains. The United States has historically been successful in maintaining and building that advantage because of, in part, our ability to deny adversaries access to those technologies,” wrote the senators. “The willingness displayed in this arrangement to ‘negotiate’ away America’s competitive edge that is key to our national security in exchange for what is, in effect, a commission on a sale of AI-enabling technology to our main global competitor, is cause for serious alarm.”
The letter also requests detailed information from the administration by August 22 regarding the negotiation, legality, collection, and intended use of the proposed 15 percent fee, as well as whether similar arrangements are being considered for other companies.
The senators concluded, “We again urge your administration to quickly reverse course and abandon this reckless plan to trade away U.S. technology leadership.”
The letter follows an earlier missive to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on July 28, urging the against the sales.
The full text of today’s letter is available here.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded Senate passage of legislation to fund a number of major priorities, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Fiscal Year 2026.
“Especially after Congress failed to pass a full-year FY25 funding bill last year, I am encouraged to see the Senate move to pass legislation to fund key parts of the government for Fiscal Year 2026 and deliver federal dollars for important community projects across Virginia,” said Sen. Warner. “As the president continues to try to encroach on Congress’ power of the purse, I will continue working with my colleagues to fund our nation’s most critical priorities as the Constitution intended.”
“I’m glad to have helped pass three funding bills to deliver for our veterans, bring over $900 million in federal funding to Virginia for military construction projects like on-base child care centers, expand broadband access, support rural businesses, and more,” said Sen. Kaine. “These bills were crafted through a strong bipartisan process – just like federal budgets should be. As we continue to consider additional government funding bills, I’m going to keep doing all that I can to ensure that Congress’ constitutional duty to allocate funding is not trampled upon by the Trump administration.”
As part of the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process, members of Congress are able to work with the communities they represent to request funding for local community projects, otherwise known as congressionally directed spending, in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability. This process allows Congress to dedicate federal funding for specific projects in Virginia. This package contains $24.95 million for 11 specific projects in Virginia.
Through strong advocacy, the senators secured funding in the relevant spending bills for the following Virginia projects:
- For projects in Northern Virginia,?click here.
- For projects in Central Virginia, click here.
- For projects in Southwest and Southside Virginia,?click here.
- For projects in Hampton Roads,?click here.
In addition to community-specific projects, this $167.5 billion legislation includes funding for the following Warner and Kaine priorities:
Funding critical military construction projects: Includes more than $912 million in funding for 14 military construction projects across the Commonwealth, including:
- $12.36 million for the completion of a child development center at JEB Little Creek-Ft. Story
- $63.56 million for a water treatment plant at MCB Quantico
- $11.7 million for the completion of a child development center at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- $93.3 million for electrical distribution system upgrades at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- $20.43 million for MQ-25 aircraft laydown facilities at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- $380 million for a privatized unaccompanied housing investment at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- $188.57 million for dry dock modernization in Portsmouth, Va.
- $71.75 million for a weapons magazines facility in Yorktown, Va.
- $34 million for an operations facility at the Pentagon
- $15.5 million for the completion of an aircraft maintenance hangar for the Virginia National Guard in Sandston, Va.
Building on protections for toxic-exposed veterans: Provides $52.7 billion in funding for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund to cover the costs of health care related to toxic exposures and expanded eligibility in the PACT Act, legislation that both senators supported to expand health care and benefits for toxic-exposed veterans.
Delivering for rural veterans: Provides $342 million to support improved access to care for veterans in rural communities, including through expanded access to transportation and telehealth.
Delivering for women veterans: Provides $1.4 billion for gender-specific health care services, programmatic initiatives, and improvements to health care facilities to support women veterans.
Delivering for homeless veterans: Provides $3.5 billion to support critical services and housing assistance for veterans – and veteran families – experiencing housing insecurity.
Delivering for struggling veterans: Provides $18.9 billion – including $698 million for suicide prevention outreach – to help connect veterans with mental health services.
Delivering for military families: Provides $21.7 million to expand the Child Care Pilot Program and eliminate barriers for veterans who need child care in order to attend medical appointments.
Delivering hard-earned benefits: Provides $4.1 billion to administer benefits – including disability compensation benefits – to nearly 7 million veterans and their survivors.
Honoring fallen veterans: Continues unwavering support for Arlington National Cemetery and its future as an active cemetery by providing $118.8 million for operational costs.
Supporting vulnerable women, children and infants: The bill rejects President Trump’s request to reduce funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and instead fully funds the program at $8.2 billion, an increase of over $600 million from fiscal year 2025. WIC serves 7 million women and kids nationwide and approximately 100,000 in Virginia.
Boosting agricultural research: Provides $3.6 billion for critical agricultural research programs, including $1.9 billion for the Agricultural Research Service and $1.7 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to ensure the U.S. maintains its competitive advantage in agricultural production and innovation.
Supporting access to nutritious foods: Provides $500,000 for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), a public-private partnership that provides technical assistance and financing to support existing grocery stores, food hubs, agriculture producers, farmers, mobile markets, and other food retailers. Also provides $80 million in funding to help administer the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the USDA purchases a variety of nutritious, high-quality USDA Foods, and makes those foods available to state distributing agencies.
Expanding broadband: Provides $96 million for rural broadband grants and loans.
Supporting small businesses in rural communities: Provides $1.8 billion in grants and loans for rural businesses and industry programs that promote small business growth in rural communities.
Strengthening rural infrastructure: Provides $1.3 billion for programs that support rural water and waste infrastructure improvements.
Improving rural housing access: Provides $3.7 billion to support rural development programs, including $1.7 billion for affordable housing rental assistance for low-income families and seniors.
Enforcing tobacco safety laws: Provides $2 million to support an interagency task force dedicated to preventing the sale of illegal tobacco products.
Keeping our government accountable: Provides $811.9 million for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to support the agency’s essential oversight and auditing responsibilities.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $8,235,920 in federal funding to reduce energy costs for Virginian households and expand access to reliable, affordable energy across the Commonwealth. Awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), this funding is allocated through the Weatherization Assistance Program, which aims to reduce energy costs for low-income households by increasing energy efficiency of homes, and through the State Energy Program, which assists in the designing, developing, and implementing of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.
“Expanding access to affordable energy sources and improving energy efficiency are important steps we can take to lower energy costs for Virginians,” said the senators. “We’re glad over $8 million of federal funding is coming to Virginia to help us do that. But this funding is a drop in the bucket compared to the $156 million in federal funding to support the deployment of affordable solar energy that the Trump Administration is illegally blocking from Virginia. We will keep doing all that we can to pressure the Administration to release that funding to lower costs for Virginians.”
The $8,235,920 in federal funding is awarded as follows:
- Under the Weatherization Assistance Program, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development will allocate $6,803,840 for home upgrades and repairs, including health and safety checks, the installation of upgraded energy efficient lighting, the replacement of heating and cooling systems, and more.
- Under the State Energy Program, the Virginia Department of Energy will allocate $1,432,080 for the designing, developing, and implementation of renewable energy, including programs to help reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector by 2050 and accelerate the use of alternative transportation fuels for, and the electrification of, vehicles.
Today’s announcement follows pressure from Warner and Kaine on the Trump Administration to release $156 million in federal funding for energy accessibility and efficiency programs in Virginia that the Administration is currently illegally withholding. The withheld funds were awarded to Virginia under the Inflation Reduction Act, which the senators helped pass, and was expected to provide access to more than 15,400 households in Virginia while creating nearly 2,000 solar-related jobs across the Commonwealth.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released a statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report finding that the VA’s health system is facing a severe staffing shortage of clinical and nonclinical workers:
“Under this administration, we’ve seen policy after policy that makes it harder for public servants to do their jobs and ultimately harder for veterans to get the care they’ve earned. Now the VA’s independent watchdog says that every single veterans health system nationwide is experiencing staffing shortages – and that severe shortages are up 50 percent from last year. We’re talking about nurses, medical officers, psychologists, and even police officers.
“We also know from recent jobs reports that applications to work at the VA are plummeting. How do skyrocketing staffing shortages and declining applicant pools make it more ‘efficient’ for veterans to access the care and services they deserve? The answer is: they don’t. If the administration is serious about honoring our veterans, it needs to stop undermining the VA workforce and start recruiting and retaining the skilled professionals who care for our heroes.”
The OIG’s survey – conducted between March 26 and mid-April – found that every veterans health system nationwide reported at least some degree of occupational staffing shortage. The most common shortage areas included medical officers, nurses, psychology roles, and police officers.
Sen. Warner has long championed legislation and oversight to improve care and services for veterans. He has been a leading voice in strengthening suicide prevention efforts, including expanding access to mental health care. Warner has also fought to secure long-delayed approvals for VA medical facility leases across the country – including in Virginia – so that the VA can modernize its infrastructure and bring services closer to the communities veterans call home.
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement after the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) reported that premiums for Affordable Care Act Marketplace coverage are projected to rise by an average of 20.5% next year – a spike driven largely by the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits that have helped make health care more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Virginians:
“The news that Virginians who rely on health care coverage from the marketplace could see their premiums jump by more than 20% next year is deeply troubling. This entirely-avoidable increase is being driven by the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits that have helped hundreds of thousands of Virginians afford quality health care. While President Trump and congressional Republicans bent over backward to extend tax cuts for the uber-wealthy as part of their tax and budget bill, they chose not to renew these critical health care credits that have saved the average Virginian nearly $90 a month. Alongside our Democratic colleagues, we even forced a vote on an amendment to the bill to extend the credits, and Republicans voted it down.
“We know what’s at stake when health care becomes unaffordable: families go without coverage, people skip doctor visits and prescriptions, and small health problems turn into costly emergencies. That’s not only bad for public health, it drives up costs for everyone. We remain committed to restoring these critical tax credits and bringing down health care costs, and we call on our colleagues in Congress to put politics aside and act now to prevent this needless premium spike from hurting Virginia families.”
The enhanced premium tax credits were first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to lower monthly Affordable Care Act marketplace premiums for American families. President Trump’s tax and budget bill, passed by the Republican majority in Congress over Warner and Kaine’s strong opposition, did not extend these credits. As a result, Virginians who purchase coverage on the Virginia marketplace will see the largest share of next year’s premium hikes directly tied to the loss of these credits. Without action, more than a third of the nearly 415,000 Virginians who currently rely on this coverage could be priced out of their health insurance, according to the SCC Bureau of Insurance.
Last month, Warner and Kaine introduced legislation to repeal the health care provisions in President Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Bill’ and permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits.
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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today released the following statement:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza is a dangerous and counterproductive move that will not secure the release of the remaining hostages or bring an end to the fighting that has already taken so many lives. This approach will without question worsen the already terrible humanitarian conditions in Gaza, and Israel’s own military leaders have expressed serious concerns about the feasibility and risks of this strategy. The priority must be to end this war immediately through diplomatic efforts and coordinated pressure to ensure the safe return of hostages and protect innocent lives. Pursuing this path will only guarantee prolonged conflict and greater suffering.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding reporting that the Trump Administration is planning to terminate $156 million in federal grant funding to Virginia, which was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that the senators helped pass, to help people cut their energy costs by installing solar panels on their roofs:
“We were proud to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which helped attract hundreds of millions of dollars in clean-energy investments to Virginia and put us on the path to create more than 20,000 new jobs in the Commonwealth alone. Donald Trump’s decision to rip up that legislation with his ‘Big, Ugly Bill,’ was a short-sighted mistake. Now he’s making it even worse by eliminating funding designed to help Virginians cut their energy costs by harnessing affordable energy sources. Between Trump’s tariffs on everyday goods, his efforts to kick 15 million people off of their health insurance, and this new decision to put lower energy prices further out of reach for American families, it’s clear that the President’s promises to lower costs are nothing but cheap talk.”
The $156 million in funding for solar projects in Virginia was distributed to the Virginia Department of Energy. The investment was aimed to deliver solar to 15,430 households and was expected to cut those households’ average utility bills by 20 percent. Total savings differ based on location and system size, but on average, U.S. homeowners are estimated to save $50,000 over 25 years after installing rooftop solar panels. This funding is part of $7 billion in funding from the IRA to support rooftop and community solar deployment nationwide that is reportedly at risk of being terminated.
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Sen. Warner Statement on President Trump’s Firing of the Head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Aug 01 2025
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance and Banking committees, issued the below statement after President Trump announced he fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, following today’s jobs report:
“Today’s deeply troubling jobs report makes one thing plain: the American economy is faltering, and it’s Donald Trump’s reckless policies that are to blame. Job growth has stalled, prices are rising, and uncertainty is paralyzing American businesses.
“Now the president is trying to cook the books by firing the nonpolitical career civil servant who oversees the data, because he wants to hide the truth of his failed policies from the American people.
“The jobs report confirmed what economists have been warning for months: President Trump’s chaotic trade war and erratic tariffs are slamming American businesses, stifling investment, and raising prices on families. And while working Americans are bearing the brunt, Trump’s partisan budget bill just handed massive tax cuts to the wealthiest while gutting Medicaid, raising health care premiums, and slashing food assistance for those who need it.
“With each passing day, President Trump shows he is willing to sacrifice American workers, families, and now even the integrity of our economic data in order to cover up the consequences of his failures.
“Firing the ump doesn’t change the score. Americans deserve to know the truth about the state of the Trump economy.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding this week’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing about the fatal January 29 crash near DCA. Yesterday, Potomac radar facility manager Bryan Lehman testified that he voiced concern that there were too many flights departing and arriving at the airport, but was then rebuffed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) managers who cited ongoing congressional work on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which ultimately—over the vocal and repeated objections of Warner and Kaine—added even more flight slots to the airport:
“We owe it to the loved ones of those we lost in the fatal mid-air collision near DCA on January 29 that we make sure another tragedy like this never happens again. In the hours, days, and months since the accident, we have engaged with the families that were directly impacted, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Army. We have been following the ongoing collision investigation closely, and were struck by testimony during yesterday’s NTSB hearing from an FAA official who voiced concerns over congestion at the airport years ago and proposed reducing traffic, but was rebuffed by his managers because of conversations in Congress at the time about adding even more flights into and out of DCA. While we recognize that various factors contributed to the crash and continue to work with our colleagues to address them, this testimony underscores a clear takeaway: Congress must act to reduce dangerous congestion by removing flights into and out of DCA.”
Warner and Kaine have been closely involved with the investigation of the January 29 collision, meeting with first responders and offering condolences to the families and loved ones of the 67 lives lost immediately following the tragedy. The senators also saw through passage of legislation to remember the victims of the crash. Warner and Kaine also requested answers from FAA on its plans to protect the flying public in the wake of the January 29 collision. In March of this year, the senators responded to the preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the crash. In June, the senators introduced the Safe Operation and Shared Airspace Act of 2025 to strengthen aviation safety. Last month, Kaine successfully secured a provision in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s draft National Defense Authorization Act that would require all aircraft of the Department of Defense that operate near commercial airports be equipped with broadcast positioning technology.
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Warner, Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Increase Transparency in Immigration Enforcement
Jul 31 2025
HIGH QUALITY AUDIO VIDEO AVAILABLE: SEN. WARNER ON THIS LEGISLATION
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) were joined by Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) in introducing today to increase transparency, accountability, and safety in immigration law enforcement. The Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act would prohibit law enforcement officers from obscuring their faces and require that they clearly display their agency, their name and a unique identifier while conducting immigration enforcement functions, with some commonsense exceptions for select tactical missions and officer health and safety. This legislation also provides federal law enforcement agencies with the authority to better protect law enforcement officers and their families from doxing.
This legislation comes as the Department of Homeland Security prepares to hire and deploy thousands of new immigration enforcement agents, thanks to a dramatic infusion of funding by congressional Republicans that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) better funded than all but 15 of the world’s militaries.
“Communities around the country have been clear: we should not have armed, masked, and unidentified individuals prowling around neighborhoods and snatching people off the street. This conduct poses a great risk for everyone involved, from the officers themselves to well-intentioned bystanders who may misunderstand the situation,” said Sen. Warner. “Despite the risks, our local police officers, state troopers, national guardsmen, and even members of the armed forces interact with communities every with full-faced transparency – the kind that creates trust and helps hold us all to higher standards. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to hold ICE to the same standards that the vast majority of American law enforcement are held to.”
“In recent months, we’ve seen how some ICE officers and agents – without clear indicia that they are law enforcement and often wearing masks – conducting immigration operations have caused fear and unnecessary danger on our streets and even in sensitive locations like county courthouses,” Sen. Kaine said. “This legislation would require ICE officers and agents to visibly identify themselves as law enforcement, helping to enhance safety and mitigate risk of violence if people misunderstand what’s happening. Our bill would also help to protect these officers and agents and their families from doxing and physical harm by giving them the tool to take their personal information such as their home addresses off the internet.”
“This legislation is simple: the bad guys wear masks, not law enforcement officers. Our police, first responders and public safety officials play an important role in keeping our communities safe and free from harm, but there also needs to be accountability and transparency in the line of duty,” said Sen. King. “The uptick in immigration agents not clearly identifying themselves while on the job has eroded an already diminishing trust with the communities they serve. The Immigration Enforcement Identification Act would set reasonable, commonsense standards for immigration officer identification, and provide law enforcement personnel and their families with the appropriate resources to prevent doxxing.”
“Masked immigration enforcement agents performing arrests without identification is deeply troubling,” said Sen. Bennet. “We must hold all law enforcement to the same standard of accountability. This legislation protects due process rights, prioritizes safe community encounters, and upholds proper immigration enforcement.”
“We are deeply concerned about reports of ICE agents taking families off the street without identification,” said Sen. Hickenlooper. “Our bill is about promoting trust and transparency in our communities, and enforcing basic due process rights.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE does not have a “face-covering” policy. In recent months, ICE and agencies supporting ICE have been widely observed conducting immigration enforcement in plain clothes, out of unmarked cars, and while wearing a variety of imprecise or inscrutable insignia that makes them impossible to identify.
The Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act would require that all federal law enforcement and state and local law enforcement partners be identifiable while conducting immigration enforcement functions. This includes federal law enforcement organizations such as ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Border Patrol (BP), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), U.S. Marshals, as well as state and local partners working with the federal government on immigration enforcement.
This bill also takes important steps to help protect members of law enforcement and their families by providing personal data privacy services for immigration enforcement officers whose official duties may put them at increased risk of being the target of threats, intimidation, harassment, stalking, or a similar action. These services can help an individual monitor their sensitive personal information – including their personal phone number, home address, or other information that could be used to commit crimes against members of law enforcement – and remove it from websites, platforms, and data brokers.
This legislation has the support of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), Immigration Hub, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“This legislation strikes the right balance between transparency and officer safety,” said Law Enforcement Action Partnership Executive Director Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.). “Operating with clear identification – name, agency, and badge number – is standard practice for accountability across policing and the military, and there is no reason federal immigration officers should be exempt. At the same time, providing officers with additional tools to protect against doxing ensures that this critical effort to maintain and rebuild public trust does not come at the cost of security.”
"The Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act of 2025 brings long-overdue transparency and accountability to immigration enforcement while giving law enforcement officers more tools to protect themselves. Just as we require our military and law enforcement to identify themselves during civil operations, it is both reasonable and essential to expect the same of immigration officers. Displaying names or unique identifiers and ensuring visible faces not only builds public trust but also protects the integrity of our institutions and the rights of the individuals they encounter. At the same time, this bill provides resources for agents to protect themselves,” said Immigration Hub Co-Executive Director Kerri Talbot.
"No one – White, Black, Brown, AAPI, or Immigrant – should live in fear of masked agents snatching people off of the streets without identifying themselves. Families often don't know where their loved ones are being held or who may be next. Our communities need safety and trust, not terror and chaos,” said SEIU Secretary Treasurer Rocio Saenz.
Text of this legislation is available here. A summary is available here.
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