WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in calling for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to protect U.S. military personnel and their families from predatory lenders. In a letter addressed to CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger, the Senators urged CFPB not to cease checking for compliance with the Military Lending Act (MLA) in the Bureau’s routine lender examinations.

“When the CFPB was making every effort to protect servicemembers and their families, its own routine examination of one payday lender uncovered a violation of the MLA, where loans at rates higher than 36% were being extended to more than 300 active-duty servicemembers or their dependents,” the Senators wrote. “We urge you to continue these examinations in order to pursue the clear bipartisan goals of supporting military readiness, saving taxpayer money, and protecting our servicemembers and their families from predatory lenders.”

They concluded, “The CFPB should not have to be persuaded to stand up for consumers, especially military consumers and their families who simply do what’s right when asked to protect and defend our nation.  We urge you to do your duty and carry out the CFPB’s mission by standing with servicemembers and their families and ensuring that they receive all of the MLA protections they have earned.”

The MLA was passed in 2006 with bipartisan support to help safeguard active-duty military members and their families from financial fraud, predatory loans, and credit gouging. The law caps at 36% the annual interest rate for an extension of consumer credit to a servicemember or their dependents. It also strengthens military readiness by helping to preventing unnecessary servicemember separations caused by predatory lending. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), losing a servicemember due to personal issues, such as financial instability, costs taxpayers and DOD more than $58,000 per separated servicemember. In their letter, the Senators also requested that the bureau provide a full justification of its decision put servicemembers at risk. 

Sens. Warner and Kaine have previously pressed the administration on this issue, and have been outspoken advocates for Virginia’s active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. In February, they wrote to the Secretaries of the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Force, requesting information about military housing contracts with private companies after allegations surfaced of health hazards for military families. They also called on the VA in November to resolve payment issues that threatened to displace veterans from their homes.

Full text of the letter is below and a copy can be found here.

Hon. Kathleen Kraninger

Director

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

1700 G St. N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20552

Dear Director Kraninger:

We write to request that you fulfill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) mission by including compliance with the Military Lending Act (MLA) in the Bureau’s routine lender examinations, as was its practice prior to November 2018.  In short, we urge you to stand up to predatory lenders and stand with servicemembers and their families.

In 2006, Republicans and Democrats set aside partisanship and worked across the aisle to enact the MLA, which not only caps at 36% the annual interest rate for an extension of consumer credit to a servicemember or his or her dependents, but also strengthens military readiness by preventing unnecessary servicemember separations caused by predatory lending.  According to DOD, losing a servicemember due to personal issues, such as financial instability, costs taxpayers and DOD more than $58,000 for each separated servicemember.

Indeed, when the CFPB was making every effort to protect servicemembers and their families, its own routine examination of one payday lender uncovered a violation of the MLA, where loans at rates higher than 36% were being extended to more than 300 active-duty servicemembers or their dependents.  We urge you to continue these examinations in order to pursue the clear bipartisan goals of supporting military readiness, saving taxpayer money, and protecting our servicemembers and their families from predatory lenders.

The CFPB’s existing statutory authorities are more than sufficient to justify including MLA compliance in routine examinations, and to our knowledge, the CFPB’s authority in this regard has never been challenged.

As explained by the Consumer Federation of America in its November 1, 2018 legal analysis - Missing in Action? Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Supervision and the Military Lending Act - the relevant statutory provisions give the CFPB more than one basis for including the MLA in CFPB examinations.

For instance, one such provision, Section 1024(b)(1)(C) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, explicitly states that the CFPB “shall require reports and conduct examinations on a periodic basis…for purposes of…detecting and assessing risks to consumers and to markets for consumer financial products and services.”  Charging servicemembers and their families more than 36% interest for loans is clearly a risk to consumers and indeed, DOD has stated that “high-cost debt can detract from mission focus, reduce productivity, and require the attention of supervisors and commanders.”  Therefore, the CFPB is authorized under Section 1024(b)(1)(C) to conduct examinations for this purpose. 

When Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney removed MLA compliance from CFPB examinations, he argued that “such a broad statutory reading offers little to restrain the Bureau from supervising for compliance with a wide variety of other laws.”  To be clear, based on the plain text of Section 1024(b)(1)(C), Congress specifically intended this broad statutory reading.  In the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in decades where safety and soundness regulators failed to keep a watchful eye over Wall Street and predatory lenders, Congress provided the CFPB with broad powers to protect consumers – with an explicit focus on servicemembers and their families – so that risks could be spotted before they caused irreparable harm.  In short, the CFPB continues to have all the authority it needs to include the MLA as part of its routine lender examinations.  There is no law that prevents you from doing so.  

The CFPB should not have to be persuaded to stand up for consumers, especially military consumers and their families who simply do what’s right when asked to protect and defend our nation.  We urge you to do your duty and carry out the CFPB’s mission by standing with servicemembers and their families and ensuring that they receive all of the MLA protections they have earned.  Please provide a full justification of the current CFPB leadership’s decision to put servicemembers at risk by failing to do its duty no later than Friday, March 8, 2019.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) as original co-sponsors of Senate legislation to make Washington, D.C. the 51^st state. The Washington, D.C. Admission Act would establish congressional boundaries for the 51^st state and grant D.C. residents Congressional representation.  

“It’s time to end taxation without representation,” said Sen. Warner. “It’s time for Virginia’s neighbors – who pay their fair share in taxes – to be treated like any other American.”

“Virginia’s neighbors in D.C. deserve representation just like every other American,” said Sen. Kaine. “It’s far past time to recognize D.C. as our nation’s 51st state and grant hundreds of thousands of taxpaying Americans this fundamental right.”

In November 2016, D.C. residents voted overwhelmingly to petition the federal government to become a state. The referendum also approved a name, constitution, and boundaries for what would become the new state called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth (D.C.). 

Also joining Sens. Warner, Kaine and Carper on the legislation are Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Patty Murray (D-WA).

This week, Sen. Warner met with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to discuss several issues affecting Virginians and D.C. residents, including his decision to support the city’s renewed push for D.C. statehood in the 116^th Congress. 

Del. Eleanor Norton Holmes (D-DC) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The legislation is part of the For the People Act of 2019, a landmark voting rights and election reform package.

The full text of the legislation can be found here. A summary of the bill is available here. 

WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to better protect customers, increase transparency for investors, and ensure public companies are prioritizing cybersecurity and data privacy, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Doug Jones (D-AL) are introducing S. 592, the Cybersecurity Disclosure Act of 2019.  Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT), who serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will be introducing the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.  

The Reed-Collins-Warner-Kennedy-Jones legislation would require publicly traded companies to include in its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosures to investors information on whether any member of the company’s Board of Directors is a cybersecurity expert, and if not, why having this expertise on the Board of Directors is not necessary because of other cybersecurity steps taken by the company.  The legislation does not require companies to take any actions other than to provide this disclosure.

Cyberattacks on companies and business continue to increase in their sophistication, exposing customers and data to risk.  Indeed, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of records, containing personally identifiable information, exposed by data breaches in the business industry grew from 181,630,520 in 2017 to 415,233,143 in 2018, and in the medical and health care industry from 5,302,846 in 2017 to 9,927,798 last year.  Across all industries, the number of records containing personally identifiable information exposed by data breaches rose 126%, from 197,612,748 in 2017 to 446,515,334 in 2018. 

Deloitte’s 11th Global risk management survey of financial institutions found that “sixty-seven percent of respondents named cybersecurity as one of the three risks that would increase the most in importance for their business over the next two years, far more than for any other risk. Yet, only about one-half of the respondents felt their institutions were extremely or very effective in managing this risk.” And according to the 2018-2019 National Association of Corporate Directors Public Company Governance Survey, only 52 percent of directors “are confident that they sufficiently understand cyber risks to provide effective cyber-risk oversight,” and 58 percent “believe their boards collectively know enough about cyber risk to provide effective oversight.”

“Cybersecurity is one of the most significant and enduring challenges that all businesses, across industries, face and should be accounted for as part of the corporate risk management process.  With growing cyber threats, we must be proactive in bolstering our nation’s cybersecurity.   This legislation advances that goal by encouraging publicly traded companies to be more transparent about whether and how their Boards of Directors and senior management are prioritizing cybersecurity,” said Senator Reed, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee.  “As our economy becomes ever more dependent on technology and the Internet, our economic security is indeed a matter of national security.  Through the simple disclosure called for by this bipartisan legislation, we can strengthen cybersecurity oversight.”

“As cyberattacks become increasingly common, Congress must take action to better protect Americans from hackers attempting to steal sensitive data and personal information,” said Senator Collins, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.  “This bipartisan bill strengthens our nation’s cybersecurity by requiring companies to disclose to the public the basic steps they are taking to prevent cyberattacks.”

“Every day, determined cyberattackers target publicly traded companies in attempts to steal data. When successful, these attacks can be extremely damaging, which is why consumers and shareholders deserve to know whether companies’ boards have cyber expertise,” said Senator Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance. “This legislation will help inform consumers and shareholders by increasing transparency, and will serve as a tool to urge more reliable strategies to counter cyberattacks.”

“As our society increasingly relies on technology, businesses across all sectors of the economy must prioritize cybersecurity. A single cyberattack can cripple even the most sophisticated firms, and the public has a right to know whether companies are focused on preventing cybersecurity threats.  This bipartisan legislation will greatly increase transparency and accountability, and will ultimately help cybersecurity resilience across our economy,” said Senator Jones. 

The bipartisan Cybersecurity Disclosure Act of 2019 is supported by consumer advocates, investors, and securities law experts, including the North American Securities Administrators Association; the Council of Institutional Investors; the National Association of State Treasurers; the California Public Employees’ Retirement System; the Bipartisan Policy Center; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Simon Johnson; Harvard Law Professor John Coates; Columbia Law Professor Jack Coffee; K&L Gates LLP; and the Consumer Federation of America.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) and Tim Kaine and Mark Warner (both D-Va.) sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell Vought to request a timeline for the implementation of the 1.9 percent pay increase for federal employees that the Senators worked to pass into law earlier this year. While the pay increase was signed into law on February 15, the President has yet to sign an Executive Order to implement the increase. 

The Senators write, “As you know, Congress passed a 1.9% pay raise for federal workers, retroactive to January 1, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that President Trump signed into law on February 15. However, federal worker paychecks still reflect the pay freeze that President Trump instituted for 2019 prior to passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.”

They continue, “More than 800,000 dedicated federal workers went without pay during the recent government shutdown. We ask that you provide a timeframe for when these civil servants will see this modest cost-of-living adjustment in their paycheck.”

Earlier this year, the Senators fought for the inclusion of this modest cost of living adjustment in the budget funding agreement. The full text of the letter is available here and below. 

Dear Mr. Vought:

We are writing to inquire about the status and timeline for implementing the 1.9% pay raise for federal workers that Congress enacted in legislation to fund the government for fiscal year 2019. 

As you know, Congress passed a 1.9% pay raise for federal workers, retroactive to January 1, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that President Trump signed into law on February 15. However, federal worker paychecks still reflect the pay freeze that President Trump instituted for 2019 prior to passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

More than 800,000 dedicated federal workers went without pay during the recent government shutdown. We ask that you provide a timeframe for when these civil servants will see this modest cost-of-living adjustment in their paycheck.

Thank you for your time and attention on this important matter.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence again favorably reported out the nomination of William R. Evanina to continue serving as Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC). The nomination was first passed by the Committee last May.

“Director Evanina’s ability to effectively lead the NCSC is not in doubt,” Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) said. “Over the years, he has proven time and again he has the real-world experience and professionalism our country needs to navigate increasingly complex threats to both the public and private sectors. Congress called attention to the importance of counterintelligence matters by making the director a Senate-confirmed position. It should confirm a full-time director without any further delay.” 

“Absolutely no one questions Bill Evanina's qualifications for a job he has been doing for years already in an acting capacity, which is why the Senate Intelligence Committee has once again unanimously approved his nomination to be Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center,” Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) said. “From brazen Russian espionage, to Chinese IP theft, to insider threats, our country is facing an enormous number of thorny and complex counterintelligence challenges. We need a Senate-confirmed leader to head our nation's counterintelligence strategy. Bill Evanina should be confirmed without further delay.” 

“I’m pleased to once again support Bill Evanina’s nomination as Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.  Counterintelligence is vital to our national security and his confirmation for this position is long-overdue,” said Senator James Risch (R-ID).

“Today’s unanimous vote by the Intelligence Committee in favor of Bill Evanina’s nomination to be Director of the National Counterintelligence Security Center is a strong signal of support for Bill’s leadership of this crucial institution,” Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) said. “At a time when the counterintelligence threats our nation faces have never been higher, I urge the full Senate to act on this nomination in short order.” 

“Director Evanina has a demonstrated track record of leadership, professionalism, and expertise in the counterintelligence field,” said Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). “I’m proud to support his nomination to continue leading the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. I hope to see the Senate quickly move forward on confirming Director Evanina, and all of the senior intelligence community nominees we need in place to keep our country safe.”

“The United States is under constant threat from spies who seek to compromise our critical infrastructure and steal our most closely guarded secrets,” Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) said. “Rival countries like China are engaged in sophisticated campaigns to penetrate the government agencies, industries, and research laboratories that power and protect our nation. Technology theft alone costs our nation tens of billions each year. The cost to our security is far higher. Counterintelligence professionals like William Evanina fight every day to protect our nation from foreign spies. Mr. Evanina is a former law-enforcement officer with years of experience in counterintelligence. I’m proud to support his re-nomination to lead the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.”

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) were joined by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and six other Senators in introducing legislation that would allow states that expanded Medicaid after 2014 or expand in the years ahead to receive the same full federal matching funds as states that expanded earlier under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. The States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act of 2019 is also co-sponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Angus King (I-ME), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). 

“It’s crazy that for so many years, Virginia taxpayers were footing the bill for states that had already expanded Medicaid. Today, Medicaid expansion is bringing billions of tax dollars back home to Virginia, and more than 400,000 Virginians have gained access to quality, low-cost or no-cost Medicaid coverage,” said Sen. Warner, a former Governor of Virginia. “This bill will bring even more federal dollars back to Virginia by making sure that we get the same deal from the federal government as states that expanded back in 2014. It also encourages the states that have yet to take the same step to expand Medicaid as Congress intended.” 

The bill would ensure that the twelve states that chose to expand Medicaid after January 1, 2014 are eligible for the same level of federal matching funds as those that expanded earlier under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. These states are Alaska, Idaho,Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah and Virginia, where Medicaid expansion went into effect on January 1, 2019, finally allowing more than 400,000 Virginians to access low-cost or no-cost healthcare coverage under Medicaid. The bill would also provide a financial incentive to the 14 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid to do so. 

The Affordable Care Act provides financial support to states that have expanded their existing Medicaid programs to provide healthcare coverage to all individuals up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The federal government covers the full cost of expansion for three years, phasing down to a 90 percent match rate for the sixth year of the expansion and in subsequent years. Currently, states choosing to expand coverage after 2014 do not receive the same federal matching rates as those that expanded immediately. This is due to the Supreme Court’s holding in National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. Sebelius, which made expansion optional for states, despite intentions to make Medicaid expansion national in 2014.

The SAME Act would ensure that any states that expand Medicaid receive an equal level of federal funding for the expansion, regardless of when they chose to expand. Under the bill, a state would receive three years of full federal funding, phasing down to a 95 percent Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) in Year 4; a 94 percent federal contribution in Year 5; 93 percent in Year 6; and, 90 percent for each year thereafter.  

The SAME Act would save Virginia’s hospitals an estimated $300 million per year in the first three years of implementation, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. That increased federal funding under the SAME Act will be especially meaningful in medically underserved areas, where patients are more likely to be uninsured and hospitals have struggled to stay afloat financially and keep their doors open. In Virginia, two rural hospitals – in Patrick County and Lee County – have closed since 2013. 

“Virginia hospitals support Medicaid expansion as a means to improve access to care for thousands of uninsured Virginians. To achieve that, the Commonwealth’s hospitals voluntarily committed the financial resources necessary to cover Virginia’s 10 percent share of program costs not funded by the federal government,” said Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. “Senator Warner’s legislation to ensure that states which expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act receive equivalent funding, regardless of their expansion date, is a welcome proposal that promotes funding equity among the states.” 

“This legislation will finally return money that Virginia taxpayers have been sending to the federal government for health coverage since 2010. It will also provide the financial wherewithal for the 14 states that have an expanded Medicaid eligibility to do so,” said Deborah Oswalt, Executive Director of the Virginia Health Care Foundation.

Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have already expanded eligibility for Medicaid, and three more states – Idaho, Utah and Nebraska – have passed ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid soon. Fourteen states have not yet expanded their programs. In states that have failed to expand Medicaid as envisioned under the health care law, more than 2 million low-income adults fall into a “coverage gap,” due to incomes that are too high to be eligible for Medicaid, but are too low to meet the limit that would allow them to receive tax credits to purchase affordable coverage in the health care marketplace. Without Medicaid expansion, most of these individuals are likely to remain uninsured, as they have limited access to employer coverage and frequently find the cost of unsubsidized marketplace coverage to be prohibitively expensive.

Numerous studies have shown that expanding Medicaid benefits states directly and indirectly, in the form of jobs and earnings growth, generating additional federal revenue, increasing Gross State Product, increasing state and local revenues and reducing uncompensated care and hospital costs. 

“Many thanks to Senator Warner for reintroducing the SAME Act!  By ‘leveling the playing field’ for all states adopting Medicaid expansion, the legislation would provide a huge financial benefit to many states, including Virginia as the Commonwealth continues to implement new health coverage for up to 400,000 low income adults. It also provides a compelling incentive for the remaining states to adopt expansion without further delay.  It’s time to fully close the Medicaid Gap nationwide, which still leaves millions of Americans  uninsured and without any coverage options,” said the Virginia Poverty Law Center in a statement.

The SAME Act has endorsements from the Alliance for Retired Americans, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Association of Medical Colleges, Center for Medicare Advocacy Inc., Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Children's Defense Fund, Justice in Aging, Mental Health America, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), National Association of Community Health Centers, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, National Health Law Program, Protect Our Care, and Young Invincibles. A copy of the bill text is available here. 

“By refusing to expand Medicaid, Alabama has turned away $14 billion of our own taxpayer dollars. For years, those dollars could have been helping to keep our hospitals open, supporting good jobs in our communities, and providing health coverage for hundreds of thousands of Alabamians. This isn’t a partisan issue – expanding Medicaid is the right thing to do. Alabama can no longer afford not to expand, and our SAME Act legislation would ensure that states will get a fair deal when they do. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and on both sides of Capitol Hill, to support this common sense bill,” said Sen. Jones. 

“I served as Governor of Delaware for eight years, and I know a good deal when I see one,” said Sen. Carper. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion ensured that over 11 million Americans – including 25,000 Delawareans – gained access to health care, many for the first time in their lives. The expansion of this vital program also helped to ensure that higher health care costs and expensive emergency room visits are not shouldered by American taxpayers. This is an obvious win-win, and tens of thousands of Delawareans have seen the clear benefits of Medicaid expansion in the First State. This bill will help to ensure more states – and more low-income Americans living in those states – can similarly benefit from Medicaid expansion while also keeping costs down for taxpayers. We must uphold our moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities, while also avoiding placing increased financial burdens on state budgets.”

“Last year, Medicaid expansion in Virginia made 400,000 more people eligible for coverage,” Sen. Kaine said. “By guaranteeing states the same federal Medicaid funding incentives regardless of when they expand, this bill will help Virginia with its expansion program and encourage states that have not yet expanded Medicaid to make the same smart move.”

“Medicaid expansion has been a proven success in Michigan. It has helped provide access to quality, affordable health care for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders – including many for the first time in their lives,” Sen. Peters said. “This legislation is important because it will allow families in Michigan and across the country to access affordable health care, strengthening our communities as well as our economy.”

“Because of Healthy Michigan, more than 690,000 people in our state have access to quality health care, including cancer screenings, mental health services, and maternity care,” said Sen. Stabenow. “Our bill ensures that Michigan can receive additional federal resources to help families.”

“The people of Maine have made their wishes perfectly clear: they want Medicaid expansion,” said Sen. King. “Our state’s legislators voted six times to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and each of these proposals was vetoed – so the voters of Maine took the issue into their own hands and decisively passed a referendum to expand Medicaid access to tens of thousands of Maine people. Our state government is in the process of fulfilling this responsibility, but due to delayed implementation, Maine stands to lose a significant portion of the federal funds that should go towards our most vulnerable citizens. The people of Maine don’t deserve to be punished for this delay – so while this expansion proceeds at the state level, I will continue fighting at the federal level to make sure our state receives the same benefits as those who expanded Medicaid earlier.”

###

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Marco Rubio (R-FL),  Tom Cotton (R-AR), Angus King (I-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Mitt Romney (R-UT), today sent a letter to the Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, urging them to protect our electrical systems and critical infrastructure from potential cyberattacks by banning the use of inverters made by the Chinese-owned company, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 

“Huawei has recently become the world’s largest maker of inverters - the sophisticated control systems that have allowed the rapid expansion of residential and utility scale energy production.  Both large-scale photovoltaic systems and those used by homeowners, school districts, and businesses are equally vulnerable to cyberattacks.  Our federal government should consider a ban on the use of Huawei inverters in the United States and work with state and local regulators to raise awareness and mitigate potential threats,” the Senators wrote.

“We urge you to work with all federal, state and local regulators, as well as the hundreds of independent power producers and electricity distributors nation-wide to ensure our systems are protected.  We stand ready and willing to provide any assistance you need to secure our critical electricity infrastructure.”

The signed letter is here, and full text is below.

February 25, 2019

The Honorable Rick Perry

Secretary

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, DC 20585

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen

Secretary

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

800 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20528

Dear Secretaries Perry and Nielsen:

We write to express our concern over the national security threat products manufactured by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) pose to our nation’s critical energy infrastructure.  We understand that Huawei, the world’s largest manufacturer of solar inverters, is attempting to access our domestic residential and commercial markets.  Congress recently acted to block Huawei from our telecommunications equipment market due to concerns with the company’s links to China’s intelligence services.  We urge similar action to protect critical U.S. electrical systems and infrastructure.

Huawei has recently become the world’s largest maker of inverters - the sophisticated control systems that have allowed the rapid expansion of residential and utility scale energy production.  Both large-scale photovoltaic systems and those used by homeowners, school districts, and businesses are equally vulnerable to cyberattacks.  Our federal government should consider a ban on the use of Huawei inverters in the United States and work with state and local regulators to raise awareness and mitigate potential threats.

We urge you to work with all federal, state and local regulators, as well as the hundreds of independent power producers and electricity distributors nation-wide to ensure our systems are protected.  We stand ready and willing to provide any assistance you need to secure our critical electricity infrastructure. 

Thank you for your attention to this important matter of national security.

Sincerely,

/s/

###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The Democratic National Security leadership in the U.S. Senate today wrote a letter to President Donald Trump expressing their views about his upcoming summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.  Reiterating their support for “a path forward for tough and principled diplomacy to secure, monitor, and verify the denuclearization of North Korea,” the group of Senators added that President Trump’s meeting with Chairman Kim must not merely serve as a photo-opportunity benefiting North Korea and also requested regular, classified briefings on the ongoing diplomatic process to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons and key missile programs.  

Today’s letter was signed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Assistant Senate Democratic Leader and Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Ranking Member Dick Durbin, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chair Mark Warner, Senate National Security Working Group Co-Chair Dianne Feinstein, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Ranking Member Sherrod Brown, and Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed. 

“We hope you will execute a serious diplomatic plan, which includes a sequenced process to verifiably freeze and roll back North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs in conjunction with continued appropriate sanctions and other pressure; a robust deterrence posture; strengthened alliances; intensified diplomatic and economic engagement; and a deepening of North-South dialogue that over time can provide the pathway to full denuclearization and a durable peace agreement,” wrote the Senators, noting that, according to the U.S. Intelligence Community, Pyongyang had made little progress towards the goal of full denuclearization. “We believe your next meeting with Kim thus must demonstrate tangible, verifiable progress on denuclearization and reducing tensions with the North.”

Today’s letter follows a similar request sent before President Trump’s first Summit with Kim Jong Un last year which outlined the necessary conditions for Congress to lift sanctions as part of any deal with North Korea.

“The Singapore meeting gave Kim -- the leader of perhaps the world’s most repressive regime -- legitimacy and acceptance on the global stage while effectively undermining our policy of maximum pressure and sanctions, which now appear to be in the process of showing strain, and putting at risk vital alliance relationships,” concluded the Senators, urging the President to provide Congress with regular briefings on any diplomatic engagement with North Korea.

The text of the letter can be found here and below:

February 24, 2019

The Honorable Donald J. Trump

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you prepare for your second meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, we write to express our shared desire for a diplomatic solution which will ensure the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. A successful diplomatic agreement with North Korea that advances the goals described in the Singapore Statement of “a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula” and “complete denuclearization of the peninsula” would represent a historic accomplishment.  

While we acknowledge Kim Jong Un’s change in behavior since your first meeting, we remain concerned owing to testimony on January 29, 2019 before the Senate Intelligence Committee, when our community intelligence leaders reported that the U.S. Intelligence Community is observing North Korean “activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearization,” a statement that runs counter to the multiple assertions you have made about progress in the past year, including your claim after the Singapore meeting that North Korea no longer poses a nuclear threat. While you may disagree, we also note the assessment of ODNI Director Coats that “we currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD (weapons of mass destruction) capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival.”

The Singapore meeting gave Kim -- the leader of perhaps the world’s most repressive regime -- legitimacy and acceptance on the global stage while effectively undermining our policy of maximum pressure and sanctions, which now appear to be in the process of showing strain, and putting at risk vital alliance relationships. 

As strong advocates for a diplomatic pathway to resolve the North Korea threat, we still believe there is a path forward for tough and principled diplomacy to secure, monitor, and verify the denuclearization of North Korea.  

We are pleased to see seasoned professionals like Special Representative Steve Biegun working to achieve this goal.  We hope you will execute a serious diplomatic plan, which includes a sequenced process to verifiably freeze and roll back North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs in conjunction with continued appropriate sanctions and other pressure; a robust deterrence posture; strengthened alliances; intensified diplomatic and economic engagement; and a deepening of North-South dialogue that over time can provide the pathway to full denuclearization and a durable peace agreement. We believe your next meeting with Kim thus must demonstrate tangible, verifiable progress on denuclearization and reducing tensions with the North. 

As the U.S. pursues this goal, it is crucial that we maintain our alliances in Asia, and in particular with the Republic of Korea and Japan, at the center of our policy towards North Korea.  Resolving the North Korea nuclear threat is a national security imperative, and deepening our alliances, maintaining our military posture, and strengthening our partnerships are fundamental to building the architecture of a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Meeting the challenge of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, as well as addressing other issues such as North Korea’s systemic, gross violations of human rights, is of concern to all Americans and to our allies and partners. We believe that Congress therefore has an important role to play in working with the administration to shape U.S. policy toward North Korea.  To that end, we would like to establish a process for regular and substantive briefings, including classified briefings, on U.S. policy and strategy and diplomatic engagements.

We look forward to working with your administration to secure a meaningful agreement to address the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea in a manner that significantly enhances the security of the United States, our allies, and the world.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $524,670 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Centra Health, a regional nonprofit healthcare system based in Lynchburg. This funding will allow Centra Health to expand medication assisted treatment (MAT)  for patients struggling with addiction. 

“Substance abuse has had a devastating effect on our communities,” the Senators said.  “We hope this funding can help Centra Health offer life-saving treatment to patients struggling with addiction throughout central and southern Virginia.”

This funding was awarded through HHS’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). CSAT’s mission is to promote community-based substance abuse treatment and recovery services for individuals and families in every community. CSAT provides national leadership to improve access, reduce barriers, and promote high-quality, effective treatment and recovery services.

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Washington – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) to introduce the Protect Federal Workers’ Credit Act, legislation to protect the credit reports of federal workers and contractors who were hurt by the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. 

“The recent shutdown may be over, but federal employees and contractors are still feeling its effects,” said Sen. Warner. “They shouldn’t have their credit scores threatened because the President recklessly decided to shutter the government for 35 days.”

The bipartisan Protect Federal Workers’ Credit Act would require credit bureaus to remove negative information that was placed on the credit reports of federal workers and contractors who missed payments as a result of a government shutdown. The bill would apply to the recent shutdown and any future government shutdowns. 

Virginia is home to more than 170,000 federal employees and thousands of federal government contractors. During the 35-day shutdown, Sen. Warner met and heard from Virginia families who had to miss bills or draw down on their savings to afford basic necessities. These financial decisions can have a damaging effect on an individual’s credit score and make it harder to qualify for future bank loans.

Sen. Warner previously introduced the Stop STUPIDITY Act to end the threat of future shutdowns and protect federal government workers from being used as pawns in political negotiations. In addition, Sen. Warner introduced legislation that the President signed into law that secured back pay for federal workers. He continues to press the Administration and his colleagues to pass bipartisanlegislation that would provide back pay to low- and middle-wage federal contractor service employees affected by the government shutdown.

A copy of the legislation can be found here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement on the government funding bill becoming law, averting another shutdown. The legislation fully funds the government through September 30th and includes numerous provisions the Senators championed to benefit Virginia, including a salary boost for federal workers and more funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration.

“We’re relieved hundreds of thousands of federal employees won’t have to go without pay again because of President Trump’s determination to shut the government down, but these hardworking public servants are sick of us lurching from crisis-to-crisis every couple weeks,” said the Senators. “While we’re glad this bipartisan package includes many key Virginia priorities, it’s inexcusable that it does not include back pay for federal contractors, who are still hurting from the last shutdown. We hope Congress will finally pass legislation to address this issue.” 

On the President’s national emergency declaration for border wall funding, the Senators said, “We made significant investments in border security done the right way, and there’s no good reason President Trump should do a political power grab for more. When national security leaders brief us on the big security threats against our nation, they are not asking us for a wall. The President is just saying this is an emergency so he can get his vanity project, and it’s deeply concerning that he’s trying to build it by pulling from military construction funds, which is money that should be going toward projects like fixing military family housing and making security improvements to our bases.”

The following list includes many of the provisions Sens. Warner and Kaine supported on behalf of Virginia that were included in the appropriations bill:

• Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA): The bill includes a 1.9 percent salary increase for federal civilian employees. 
• Border Security: The bill includes $100 million in border security technology and $564 million for non-intrusive port-scanning technology. It also adds 600 customs officers.
• Opioid Crisis: The bill includes $468 million to help combat heroin, fentanyl, and illegal distribution and abuse of opioids.
• WMATA: The bill includes the full annual federal funding commitment of $150 million for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) capital improvements.
• Chesapeake Bay: The bill provides $73 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership that directs and conducts the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, of which $6 million is for nutrient and sediment removal grants and $6 million is for small watershed grants to control polluted runoff from urban, suburban, and agricultural lands.
• Grants to State and Local Law Enforcement: The bill includes more than $3 billion in grants to state and local law enforcement. This includes: $178 million to address sexual assault kit and other DNA evidence backlogs; $100 million for the STOP School Violence Act; and $75 million for grants to improve the NICS firearms background check system.
• NASA Langley: The agreement provides $21.5 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which is $764 million above last year’s funding level. The legislation provides full support for both the Space Launch System ($2.15B) and Orion ($1.35B), which will be responsible for future deep space travel and benefits NASA Langley. The NASA Aeronautics program will receive $725 million, $40 million above last year's level, which funds substantial work at NASA Langley, and additional funding will go towards launch infrastructure improvements at Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
• Unmanned Systems: The bill appropriates $6 million in matching funds for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research. Sen. Warner successfully amended the Senate bill to double funding to $6 million for research done through UAS test sites like the one at Virginia Tech, which are working towards integrating UAS into the national airspace.
• BUILD infrastructure grants: The bill provides $900 million for competitive transportation grants through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, formerly known as “TIGER” grants. Virginia has previously used these grants for projects, including improvements to Washington's Metro system, I-95 Express Lanes, I-564 connector from Norfolk International Terminals at the Port of Virginia, I-64 Delta Frames Bridges in Rockbridge County, the Pulse bus-rapid transit system in Richmond, and Northstar Boulevard in Loudoun County near Dulles.
• Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF): The bill provides $435 million for LWCF, which has helped preserve forests, trails, wildlife refuges, historic battlefields, and Chesapeake Bay lands and waters in Virginia. Just earlier this week, Congress passed legislation to permanently reauthorize this crucial program. In the span of four decades, Virginia has received more than $350 million in LWCF funding to protect dozens of national parks, wildlife refuges, forests, trails, and more.
• National Park Service: The bill provides more than $3.2 billion for operations of the National Park Service. In 2018, nearly 26 million individuals visited Virginias’s 22 National Parks and provided over $1 billion in economic benefits to the Commonwealth and gateway communities.
• Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): The bill includes $500 million for payments to counties through the PILT program in order to help local governments offset losses in property taxes due to non-taxable federal lands within their boundaries.
• Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI): The bill provides $1 million to help bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities across America. Recent changes to the program included in the Senate-passed version of the 2018 Farm Bill closely follow Sen. Warner’s efforts in the Senate to eradicate food deserts.  
• FBI Headquarters: The bill does not include funding for the Trump Administration’s plan to demolish the existing FBI headquarters in Washington and build a new facility in its place. Warner and Kaine have for years worked to secure funding for a FBI headquarters at a new site to replace the current, deteriorating building in Washington. They have raised concerns about the White House’s involvement in the abrupt decision to reverse course on a new FBI HQ location and have called on the Department of Justice to investigate that decision.    

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Angus King (I-ME) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to address the $12 billion National Parks Service (NPS) maintenance backlog, which has delayed the upkeep of visitor centers, rest stops, trails, campgrounds and transportation infrastructure operated by NPS in the Commonwealth and across the country. The Restore Our Parks Act, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources last year, would take existing government revenue and allocate it to the chronically underfunded National Park Service.

Virginia’s national parks, which host over 25 million visitors every year, are in critical need of this funding to continue preserving some of the nation’s most precious national treasures. Shenandoah National Park alone has outstanding maintenance needs totaling almost $80 million, while Colonial National Historical Park is more than $420 million behind schedule. To make matters worse, recent reports indicate that the 35-day government shutdown exacerbated the NPS maintenance backlog and delayed important work for readying park facilities, roads and trails for the busy summer season.

“The deferred maintenance backlog at national park sites in Virginia is currently over a billion dollars. The Commonwealth trails only California and the District of Columbia in total deferred maintenance needs. Colonial National Historical Park, which is home to Historic Jamestown and Yorktown Battlefield, has over $400 million in deferred maintenance needs alone,” said Sen. Warner. “We owe it to our Commonwealth and to our country to pass this bill and clear the $12 billion maintenance backlog that is holding back essential repairs and renovations at our cherished national parks. This problem will only worsen if we fail to act.” 

“For more than a century, the National Park Service has been inspiring Americans to explore the natural beauty of our country,” Sen. Portman said. “My visits to various national parks in Ohio last year made it clear that we must pass this legislation to ensure that they have sufficient resources to maintain our national parks. This bill will create the Legacy Restoration Fund to provide the National Park Service with funds for deferred maintenance projects. This legislation will also help tackle the more than $100 million in maintenance backlog at Ohio’s eight national parks and will ensure the National Park Service can continue preserving American treasures like Cuyahoga Valley National Park.” 

“Today, too many of our national parks are in bad shape. American families spending their vacations in our national parks are often shocked to find that so many of the roads, picnic areas, trails, campgrounds and visitor centers are run down or even closed,” Sen. Alexander said. “The Restore Our Parks Act would be the biggest help to the National Park Service in 50 years – it would cut in half the maintenance backlog at our national parks and help restore our 418 national parks so Americans can enjoy them. The legislation is supported by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, the Trump Administration and more than 100 conservation groups. When an idea this good – fixing our national parks for future generations – gets this much bipartisan support, it’s going to happen sooner or later. It is my hope we pass the legislation as soon as this year.” 

“From Acadia to Zion, the National Park System captures our country’s diverse natural beauty and is a proud reminder of America’s dedication to preserving public land for all its citizens,” Sen. King said. “As President Theodore Roosevelt once said, ‘There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm.’ We have a collective responsibility to maintain this spirit of the wilderness in our National Parks – and this starts with the $12 billion maintenance backlog. With strong bipartisan support, this bill will ensure our parks are well-maintained so generations of visitors can experience the wonders of our National Parks for years to come.” 

“The Restore Our Parks Act would provide billions of dollars to address the multibillion-dollar repair backlog at our national parks,”said Marcia Argust, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ project to restore America’s parks. “This investment would help preserve these treasured places and support sites that generate more than $18 billion in annual spending in nearby communities by park visitors.”

“For years, our national parks have been plagued with underfunding while also dealing with a mounting backlog of repair needs, totaling nearly $12 billion. Grand Canyon’s water and sewer systems, built during World War II, are failing. Roads in Yellowstone that were originally built in 1905 for carriages, not the millions of cars and RVs that use them today, are sinking. Thanks to the leadership of Senators Portman, Warner, Alexander and King, park staff could get the funding they need to fix our national parks. The bipartisan Restore Our Parks Act would make a much needed and significant investment to address these and so many more infrastructure needs in national parks across the country, ensuring they are ready to welcome the next generation of park visitors,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association. 

“In 2018, our National Parks contributed $35.8 billion in total economic output and supported 306,000 American jobs. National Parks are a huge attraction for visitors across the country and around the world, which makes investment in the maintenance of our national parks not just an environmental necessity but also an economic priority. U.S. Travel applauds Senators Portman, Warner, Alexander and King for reintroducing the Restore Our Parks Act, which will invest in national park infrastructure and facilities and shrink the nearly $12 billion in deferred maintenance facing our parks,” said Tori Barnes, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, U.S. Travel Association. 

“The nearly $12 billion National Park System deferred maintenance backlog jeopardizes some of our nation’s most iconic historic resources and cultural artifacts. By creating a reliable federal funding source to reduce the backlog, this legislation will enable the National Park Service and other federal agencies to save the historic structures, landscapes, and necessary infrastructure that enable the public to safely enjoy the places that reflect our nation’s history. We commend Reps. Bishop and Kilmer and Sens. Portman, Warner, Alexander and King for their leadership in creating a bipartisan path for Congress to secure the future of important historic and cultural resources now at risk,” said Thomas J. Cassidy, vice president for government relations and policy for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“The time is now for Congress to address this national crisis, particularly in the Nation’s Capital. The National Mall hosts more than 35 million visits each year and has the highest deferred maintenance bill of any National Park across the country. As the greatest symbol of American Democracy, we must improve and preserve this historic legacy for generations to come. We express our gratitude to Representatives Bishop and Kilmer in the House and Senators Portman, Warner, Alexander and King in the Senate for their steadfast leadership of this important legislation,” said Catherine Townsend, president and CEO, the Trust for the National Mall. 

The Restore Our Parks Act would establish the “National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund” to reduce the maintenance backlog by allocating existing revenues the government receives from on and offshore energy development. This funding would come from 50 percent of all revenues that are not otherwise allocated and deposited into the General Treasury not to exceed $1.3 billion each year for the next five years.

In addition to Sens. Warner, Portman, Alexander and King, other original cosponsors include Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kamala Harris (D-CA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Gary Peters (D-MI), John Boozman (R-AR), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Steve Daines (R-MT). 

A similar bill is being introduced in the House today by Reps. Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and has the backing of more than 90 cosponsors.

A list of additional organizations supportive of addressing the NPS backlog can be found here. 

VA National Park Deferred Maintenance as of 2017*

*Due to the continuously changing nature of facilities data, only final, year-end data is reported by the National Park Service. The last year for which data is available is FY 2017.