WASHINGTON –  Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after voting to pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown and extend government funding at Fiscal Year 2024 levels until March 14. The legislation also includes $110 billion in disaster relief to support communities recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which the senators advocated for:

“We are relieved Congress passed legislation to avert a government shutdown, which would have had disastrous consequences for federal employees, government contractors, and millions of Americans who rely on government services. We are also glad that it included federal funding we pushed for to help communities in Southwest Virginia recover from Hurricane Helene and additional support for the Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine programs. However, we are disappointed that Republicans turned their backs on an original bipartisan proposal that would have included provisions to lower prescription drug costs. We are also frustrated that the majority of our Republican colleagues did not want to fully fund the government for Fiscal Year 2025 and instead kicked the deadline into the new year. Short-term continuing resolutions create unnecessary harm for federal departments and agencies—particularly those in the national security space—because they don’t allow them to meet today’s challenges and plan for the future. In the coming months, we will continue working to pass Fiscal Year 2025 government funding legislation that supports Virginians and includes funding for community projects across the Commonwealth.”

This is the second time that Congress has failed to pass a full-year government funding bill for Fiscal Year 2025. On September 25, the senators voted to pass legislation to temporarily fund the government through December 20. Warner and Kaine have previously introduced legislation to prevent government shutdowns.

The continuing resolution (CR) includes $110 billion in funding for disaster relief to support communities recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including Southwest Virginia. Warner and Kaine have been vocal about the need for significant federal resources to support Virginia’s recovery from Hurricane Helene and have repeatedly urged Congress to pass a supplemental funding package. The disaster supplemental provides full federal funding to rebuild the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is currently estimated to cost approximately $660 million. The bill also includes full funding of $125 million to conduct necessary repairs at Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Additionally, the bill includes $2.2 billion to allow the U.S. Small Business Administration to continue paying out disaster assistance loans to small businesses, a priority that Warner long advocated for. 

In October, they successfully urged the Biden Administration to submit a supplemental funding request to cover the costs associated with Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The senators also successfully pushed for the disaster supplemental to include robust funding for public lands to address damage to the Creeper Trail and other federal lands in Southwest Virginia. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, they also successfully advocated for an Emergency Declaration and an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Virginia. Warner and Kaine met with Virginians impacted by Hurricane Helene in Southwest Virginia. 

It also includes $5.69 billion in funding for the Virginia-class submarine program and provides the necessary incremental funding for the Columbia-class submarine program. While Congress has already invested significant federal funding in the submarine industrial base in recent years, the Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine programs face significant delays brought on by residual workforce challenges and supply chain disruptions. The on-time completion of Virginia-class submarines, which are built in Virginia and Connecticut, is critical to the fulfillment of the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) partnership, through which the U.S. will sell at least two Virginia-class submarines to Australia to boost security in the Indo-Pacific. Kaine, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, has led efforts in Congress to address submarine production and other shipbuilding delays.

Finally, it includes an extension of COVID-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities through March 2025, ensuring that many seniors can continue receiving telehealth services. Warner and Kaine advocated for this extension.

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