Press Releases
WASHINGTON – Today, as companies gather at the White House committing to educate, train and reskill American workers, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Banking and Finance committees, pressed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to use its rulemaking authority to require companies to tell shareholders whether and how they are investing in their workforces through human capital management disclosures.
Human capital management disclosures provide a snapshot of how U.S. companies compensate, train, retain, and incentivize their employees. Several studies have found that human capital management disclosures are an important predictor of a company’s long-term success in a changing economy. For example, a 2015 McKinsey study found that firms that prioritize learning programs for their employees perform better overall than those that do not, and a recent Harvard report found a positive correlation between human capital management and investment outcomes. Requiring companies to disclose these indicators would provide investors with a better understanding of a firm’s performance and potential for long-term growth.
The SEC’s current human capital disclosure requirements are extremely limited, requiring disclosures only of the number of employees, their median compensation, and CEO compensation. Sen. Warner’s letter notes that because human capital investment is currently categorized by accounting rules under “administrative expenses,” it’s plausible that capital markets punish companies that invest in training and upskilling their workforce by treating long-term investments in people as an expense akin to high energy bills or spending too much on office supplies.
“Workers are the greatest assets we have in our economy,” said Sen. Warner. “Company disclosures should reflect the importance of human capital in the 21st-century economy, so that investors can evaluate whether a company is making the appropriate investments in its workforce to compete.”
In his letter, Sen. Warner urged the SEC to utilize its rulemaking authority to require companies across the board to provide further details relating to human capital management. Specifically, Sen. Warner encouraged the SEC to revise and modernize Regulation S-K to require public reporting companies to disclose more qualitative and quantitative information regarding human capital. While the SEC would be responsible for developing and finalizing the requirements, human capital disclosures could potentially require firms to make public information about workforce demographics; employee turnover; employee compensation; workforce compensation and incentives; and employee education and training programs.
A copy of the letter to the SEC can be found here.
Shareholders are increasingly demanding more information on non-financial indicators covering a company’s ethical and social practices – what’s known as environmental, social, and government (ESG) reporting. ESG reporting provides transparency on a company’s governance practices, political spending, investment in workforce development and the effect of climate change on financial performance, along with other factors that allow investors to better evaluate potential risk in a tech-driven economy. The SEC has not issued comprehensive standards in this area, leaving it up to businesses to decide how much – if any – information to provide investors on ESG matters. In a companion letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Sen. Warner today asked for a study on the subject analyzing the extent to which firms currently report on ESG issues, and whether Congress and the SEC should act to require such disclosures. A copy of the letter to the GAO can be found here.
“As the United States continues to lead the world to a 21st century globalized economy, shareholders are increasingly expecting public companies to disclose material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues affecting the businesses’ financial performance and communities,” Sen. Warner told the GAO. “Twentieth-century disclosure and accounting requirements be reformed to reflect a dynamic, innovative and sustainable economy.”
Advocates, workers and investors today praised the Senator’s requests to the SEC and the GAO:
“As investors increasingly call for companies to disclose more information on ESG issues, Senator Warner’s letters arrive at a crucial time to keep the conversation headed in the right direction. The Council of Institutional Investors is supportive of efforts by the SEC to consider enhancements to disclosures that include ESG issues and human capital management. We look forward to the results of the GAO study and to continuing to work with the SEC to consider these and other disclosure issues that have been identified by many long-term investors,” said Jeff Mahoney, General Counsel, Council of Institutional Investors.
“Aligning the interests of workers, shareholders, and managers is one of the essential elements of corporate long-termism. Senator Warner is right to make this a priority, and it’s past time the SEC act on the investor petition on human capital disclosures and more,”said Andy Green, Managing Director of Economic Policy, Center for American Progress.
“Investors and the public are increasingly focused on how companies manage human capital to improve business performance and contribute to the broader economy. Sen. Warner’s letters to the SEC and GAO raise important and timely issues. We look forward to the results of the GAO study and urge the SEC to move quickly to improve corporate disclosure of human capital issues,” said Damon Silvers, Director of Policy, Special Counsel, AFL-CIO.
“Public Citizen applauds Sen Warner's effort to promote corporate disclosures on human capital, environment, political spending and other critical issues. Investors understand that these factors figure at the center of value and have demanded enhanced disclosure, but thus far the SEC has done little to keep pace with this demand,” said Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Public Citizen.
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WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined their Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution that would authorize Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in the Texas vs. United States lawsuit, on behalf of the U.S. Senate, to defend protections for people with pre-existing conditions, including 1.3 million Virginians.
After Congressional Republicans zeroed out the health insurance coverage requirement in their partisan tax legislation, the State of Texas and a coalition of 19 other states legally challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, including the consumer protections for people with pre-existing conditions in a new suit: Texas vs. United States. Instead of defending the law and these vital health care protections, the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice announced in June that, in keeping with their continued, politically-motivated efforts to sabotage the American health care system to the detriment of middle-class families across the country, they are abandoning their responsibility to defend the laws of our country, siding with the 20 states challenging our health care law.
“The Trump Administration continues to do everything it can to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and jack up healthcare prices. And now, in blatant disregard for the rule of law, the Trump Administration has decided it is going to pick and choose which of this country’s laws it feels like defending – a list that apparently doesn’t include protections against health care discrimination,” said Sen. Warner. “The Administration’s decision not to defend pre-existing conditions means we could soon return to the days when insurance companies could deny coverage or charge people more just for living with diabetes or being a cancer survivor. It’s now up to Congress to step in to protect the 1.3 million Virginians with a pre-existing condition.”
“By supporting this lawsuit, the Trump Administration is threatening health care for 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Today, we’re joining our Democratic colleagues to demand a vote that would authorize the Senate to weigh in and defend the protections for people with pre-existing conditions, women, and older Americans that Republicans are trying to take away,” said Sen. Kaine.
Sens. Warner and Kaine—along with their Senate Democratic colleagues—urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans to sign on to the resolution to show that they truly support vital protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The resolution highlights the Trump Administration’s systematic dismantling of the American health care system, which has created a cloud of uncertainty for insurers all across the country, thereby increasing costs on hard-working American families. Given the urgent need to offset these actions, ensure pre-existing condition protections are here to stay, and lower health care costs for American families, the Democrats also urged Senate Majority Leader McConnell to immediately schedule a vote on the new resolution.
The text of the resolution can be found here.
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WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) announced new cosponsors of bipartisan Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act: Senators Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).
The legislation sends a powerful message to Russia and any other foreign actor seeking to disrupt our elections: if you attack American candidates, campaigns, or voting infrastructure, you will face severe consequences. The DETER Act uses the threat of powerful sanctions to dissuade hostile foreign powers from meddling in our elections by ensuring that they know well in advance that the costs will outweigh the benefits.
“In the face of unequivocal evidence that Russia worked to undermine our elections in 2016 and continued aggression from the Kremlin just four months until our next federal elections, we must take action,” said Senator Van Hollen. “The DETER Act would send a clear signal that attacks on our democracy will not be tolerated. We’re proud to announce this new support from our colleagues, and we hope the Senate will take up this bipartisan legislation without delay.”
“The most meaningful measure that we can take right now to protect our democracy is to pass the bipartisan DETER Act, which imposes specific and serious sanctions against foreign countries that meddle in our future elections. We must make sure Putin understands that we will not overlook his hostilities, and he will face punishing consequences if he tries to interfere in our elections again,” said Senator Rubio.
“We have to do everything we can to protect our elections from foreign interference. The 2018 midterm elections are just around the corner, and Director National Intelligence Dan Coats just recently cautioned that the ‘warning lights are blinking red again.’ On the heels of the President’s weak performance in Helsinki, it’s critical that we make clear to Putin that interference in our democratic process will not be tolerated. I thank Senator Van Hollen and Senator Rubio for their leadership on this issue,” said Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Warner.
“As the U.S. intelligence services have reported, it is an incontrovertible fact that Russia sought to influence the 2016 elections in the United States – a fact that President Putin openly confirmed during the recent U.S.-Russia summit in Helsinki,” Senator Gardner said. “We know Russia will try again, so we must also be forward thinking to prevent this assault on our democracy from ever happening again. As we get closer to our next elections, we should be making it clear to the KGB thug Vladimir Putin, and anyone else who dares meddle in our elections, that this type of behavior will never be tolerated and will be met with severe and immediate consequences.”
“Russia’s interference in our elections cannot be dismissed or ignored. Congress has a responsibility to take action and impose costs on those who would attack American democracy,” said Senator Baldwin. “This bipartisan effort puts country over party, stands up for our democracy and will send a powerful message to bad actors like Putin’s Russia and other adversarial nations that future attacks on our elections will be met with severe consequences.”
“Our Intelligence Community has made it clear that Russia interfered in our 2016 elections and will do so again - unless we take actions to prevent it,” said Senator Coons. “The DETER Act will impose penalties on Russia – or any other adversary – that seeks to undermine our democratic processes and traditions. I commend Senator Rubio and Senator Van Hollen for introducing this bill and I look forward to working with them to pass it into law.”
“Vladimir Putin wants to make the Soviet Union great again and he hates the very stuff that makes America great – our First Amendment freedoms and our free and fair elections,” said Senator Sasse. “Russia is coming back in 2018, 2020, and 2022 to sow chaos and distrust. We cannot fall asleep on the watch. These attacks deserve consequences -- and sanctions send a strong message.
“The conclusion of American intelligence agencies is crystal clear: Russian interference in our elections is a fact. We must take immediate action to protect and secure our elections from future meddling by Russia or anyone else. Deterring foreign enemies from attacking our election systems and other critical infrastructure is just the first step we must take to protect our national security and democratic institutions,” said Senator Cantwell.
Senator Grassley said, “While no vote tallies were changed in the 2016 presidential election, Russian cyberattacks and propaganda efforts undermined confidence in our democratic process. Vladimir Putin would like nothing more than to continue sowing discord and meddling in Western democracies without consequence. Passing this legislation would help improve Americans’ faith in their system of government and send an unmistakable signal to the Kremlin that it’s not worth trying it again.”
BACKGROUND
Reporting Requirements
· The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) must issue to Congress a determination on whether any foreign government has interfered in that election within one month after every federal election.
Actions That Will Elicit Retaliation
· A foreign government, or an agent acting on its behalf, cannot purchase advertisements to influence an election, including online ads.
· A foreign government, or an agent acting on its behalf, cannot use social and traditional media to spread significant amounts of false information to Americans.
· A foreign government, or an agent acting on its behalf, cannot hack and release or modify election and campaign infrastructure, including voter registration databases and campaign emails
· A foreign government, or an agent acting on its behalf, cannot block or otherwise hinder access to elections infrastructure, such as websites providing information on polling locations.
Russia-Specific Sanctions
· If the DNI determines that the Kremlin has once again interfered in an American federal election, the bill mandates a set of severe sanctions that must be implement within ten days of the DNI's determination.
· This includes sanctions on major sectors of the Russian economy, including finance, energy, defense, and metals and mining.
· Every senior Russian political figure or oligarch, identified in the report required by the Countering America's Adversaries Act of 2017, will be blacklisted from entering the United States and will have their assets blocked.
· The Administration is also required to work with the European Union to enlist their support in adopting a sanctions regime to broaden the impact.
Preparing for Other Potential Attacks
· The DNI has identified China, Iran, and North Korea as our other major foreign government cyber threats, and they may also seek to exploit American vulnerabilities in the next election cycle.
· The Administration should present Congress with a plan for preventing interference in our elections for each of these countries, and any other foreign state of significant concern.
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) met with the Directors of the Hampton Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, the Salem VA Medical Center, and other VA officials to discuss a recent news report regarding the quality of care at VA-run nursing homes that serve Virginia’s veterans.
“Veterans who selflessly served our country deserve world-class care,” said Sen. Warner. “It was important to hear directly from Virginia’s VA medical centers on steps they will take to improve the quality of care for veterans and increase transparency. What I heard from these Directors is that they are working hard to improve outcomes, recognizing that veterans in their care often have unique medical challenges. I will be closely monitoring their progress.”
On June 25, an investigation by USA Today and the Boston Globe found that a majority of the VA’s 133 nursing homes – known as community living centers – have a higher percentage of residents suffering from pain and preventable complications than at private care facilities. In response, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in Hampton, Va., Richmond, Va., Salem, Va., and Washington, D.C. on the steps they are taking to address deficiencies in care at their nursing home facilities.
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Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Financial Relief to Civilian Federal Employees
Jul 18 2018
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced bipartisan legislation to provide financial relief to certain civilian federal employees who move for work. TheRelocation Expense Parity Act would close a loophole that prevents certain federal workers from having additional taxes on their moving expenses fully reimbursed.
The tax bill passed last year eliminated the deduction for job-related moving costs, as well as the exclusion for reimbursements or in-kind contributions made by employers to defray the cost of moving. As a result, employer reimbursements for moving costs – which were previously excluded – are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income. This situation is causing a particular burden for civilian federal employees who, after being assigned to a new duty station, have discovered that hundreds or even thousands of dollars have been withheld from their paychecks, often with little advance notice, in order to cover the cost of taxes associated with moving reimbursements from the federal government. While the law excluded active-duty service members, the approximately 25,000 civilian federal workers — from military civilian employees to law enforcement and teachers — who move each year would have extra money withheld to cover the taxes on this “income” following the changes in the law.
After receiving a letter from Sens. Warner and Kaine on this issue, the U.S. General Service Administration (GAO) clarified their rulesso that agencies can now reimburse roughly 95 percent of the affected federal workers for this additional cost. However, a small slice of workers who receive moving reimbursements, generally new and retiring employees, are still not eligible. These federal workers owe taxes on their moving costs, and the government cannot cover the costs. The Relocation Expense Parity Act closes this gap by making any federal employee eligible for having moving costs paid also eligible for reimbursement for the additional taxes.
“Civilian federal workers uproot their entire lives and move to distant locations in service to their country. They shouldn’t have to pay a price for their commitment to public service,” said Sen. Warner. “This bipartisan legislation closes a remaining gap that prevents all federal employees from being fairly compensated for their willingness to serve our country.”
“Some hardworking families from Virginia are being stuck with a surprise tax bill when they begin or end their public service,” Sen. Kaine said. “We need to do something to fix this mistake. Additionally, this burden has made it harder for federal agencies to recruit and retain a talented workforce. Families shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for these moves, and I’m proud we have a bipartisan effort to fix it.”
“When federal employees are required to relocate to continue their public service in a different part of the country or the world, they should not have to pay additional federal taxes due to reimbursement for moving costs,” said Sen. Collins. “Although the vast majority of federal workers are fully reimbursed for this additional cost, our bipartisan bill would ensure that the remaining five percent of affected workers are fairly compensated for their moving expenses.”
“Federal workers are tasked with the fundamental responsibility of serving to protect, promote, and preserve the rights and interests of the people of the United States. Employees ranging from FBI agents to teachers on our military bases can face a significant cost burden when moving to their duty stations or returning home,” said Sen. Van Hollen. “This legislation makes an important fix to ensure our federal employees are not doubly burdened through the new tax law. I was proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation, and I will continue working to support our federal workforce with the resources they need to best serve the American people.”
“Hawaii’s civilian federal workforce plays a critical role in serving our veterans, protecting our environment, and keeping our country safe,” Sen. Hirono said. “Moving to Hawaii to assume a new role is often expensive, but our country is better off when our Federal workers are able to relocate for public service. At a time when Hawaii faces an overall provider shortage in our veterans’ health care system, this legislation helps to ensure that the cost of moving does not impede the important work federal employees do across the country every day.”
“The FBIAA supports the Relocations Expense Parity Act because it protects FBI Special Agents from new financial penalties resulting from mandatory relocation and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As part of our work to protect the Nation, Special Agents sign mobility agreements that subject them to transfer to meet the needs of the FBI. These moves are often expensive for Special Agents and their families. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminates the moving expense deduction, which historically offset this financial burden. Now, Special Agents who relocate to serve the FBI will face thousands of dollars unnecessarily withheld from their pay because moving reimbursement is considered ordinary income. Special Agents make sacrifices for the nation every day and should not confront financial penalties as result of being willing to serve anywhere they are needed,” said Thomas O’Connor, President of the FBI Agents Association.
“Taxing moving allowances and benefits for new hires into the Department of Defense Education Activity will create a huge financial burden for these individuals and make the task of recruiting and hiring qualified employees for overseas locations much harder. Why would anyone agree to uproot themselves – and, in many cases, their families – in order to move halfway around the world if doing so will cause them to incur thousands of dollars in tax liability? And that’s on top of the enormous expenses and stresses anyone agreeing to relocate overseas for government work already faces. The fact is, DoDEA will find it increasingly difficult to find top-tier educators to come work in its schools and the military dependents who have come to rely on such excellent educators staffing DoDEA schools will the ones who suffer as a result,” said H.T. Nguyen, Executive Director of the Federal Education Association.
“I worked for DoDEA schools for decades, ensuring military dependents received a great education, and it was always with the understanding that the government would pay to move my family and our possessions back home when my DoDEA career ended. Suddenly, just months before I was set to retire, I learned the new tax law would make such moving assistance taxable, causing my tax liability for this year to increase by thousands of dollars. Being saddled with this tax debt is a huge unforeseen cost to retirees like myself. It deals a severe blow to my financial situation for retirement and I believe it will cause other current employees to delay their retirements because they cannot afford the tax bill they would incur by moving back home. We’ve been told throughout our careers that the government would pay to ship our stuff home when we left DoDEA. To suddenly make those moving services taxable to us is unfair and hurtful!” said Alex Veto, recently retired teacher from Vilseck High School in Germany, a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school.
“NTEU appreciates Senators Warner, Kaine, Collins, Van Hollen, and Hirono’s bipartisan recognition that the recent tax code changes penalize federal employees who are required to move for work purposes risking their ability to continue to afford to perform their duties on behalf of the US government,” said Tony Reardon, President of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
“NARFE appreciates the hard work of Sen. Warner and his colleagues to correct an unintended consequence of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The legislation inadvertently eliminated the tax deduction for work-related relocation expenses for federal employees. This saddled civil servants with heavy expenses as they were called upon to relocate in order to fulfill the American public’s needs. Although most of the burden has been alleviated, some public servants were not afforded relief by an administrative change and require a legislative fix. To that end, NARFE supports the Relocation Expense Parity Act, sponsored by Sens. Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Susan Collins, Mazie Hirono and Chris Van Hollen, to provide relief to federal employees who are still not made whole from the increased tax expenses resulting from their work-related relocations. Federal employees should not have to foot the bill when they relocate in service to our nation,” said Richard Thissen, President of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE).
More information about this bill can be found here. For the text of the bill, click here.
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WASHINGTON— Following President Trump’s meeting and press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, where he accepted Putin’s election meddling denial, top Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Trump listing a series of questions to clarify what commitments he may have made to Putin during their secretive and lengthy meeting.
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), and Senate Banking Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH) signed the letter to President Trump.
“American citizens and the whole world watched the leader of the free world align with an authoritarian leader who orchestrated an attack on our own democracy. President Putin and his government are wasting no time capitalizing on yesterday’s meeting and using it to advance their national interests. We cannot afford to be blindsided or outmaneuvered,” wrote the Senators before listing 13 questions to be answered by the President. “Your cursory description of what was discussed at a two-and-a-half-hour meeting does little to assuage these concerns. To adequately protect America’s interests, we need to know what commitments you may have made to President Putin.”
The Senators also called on the Trump Administration to allow the U.S. Ambassador to Russia and the Secretary of Defense to testify before Congress about the repercussions of the Helsinki summit. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is already scheduled to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday July 25th.
The text of the letter can be found here and below:
Mr. President:
Yesterday was a stunning day for American democracy. American citizens and the whole world watched the leader of the free world align with an authoritarian leader who orchestrated an attack on our own democracy. In doing so, you turned your back on our own intelligence community, which unanimously agrees that the Russian government carried out attacks intended to disrupt and interfere with our elections and influence public opinion.
We as a nation must now wonder exactly what you discussed and may have promised to President Putin. Congress and the American public have a right to know. President Putin and his government are wasting no time capitalizing on yesterday’s meeting and using it to advance their national interests. We cannot afford to be blindsided or outmaneuvered. Just today the Russian Ministry of Defense publicly stated that it is prepared to start implementing an agreement you apparently struck in Helsinki with President Putin, an agreement that neither Congress nor the American people have been informed about.
Your cursory description of what was discussed at a two-and-a-half-hour meeting does little to assuage these concerns. To adequately protect America’s interests, we need to know what commitments you may have made to President Putin. Specifically:
1. What is the full list of topics you discussed?
2. What were the “suggestions” President Putin made to you?
3. Did you discuss any changes to international security agreements?
4. Did you advocate for the removal to the U.S. of the 12 Russian intelligence officers indicted last Friday?
5. Did you make any commitments regarding the future of the U.S. military presence in Syria?
6. Did you call upon President Putin to uphold Russia’s commitments, agreed to at the Presidential level last year in Da Nang, Vietnam, with respect to the de-escalation zone in southwest Syria, especially the presence of Iran and Iranian-aligned forces?
7. Did you press Russia to return to compliance with the INF treaty and halt its nuclear threats against Europe?
8. Did you discuss relaxing U.S. sanctions on Russia, including CAATSA sanctions? If so, what was said, and what concessions, if any, were made by you and/or President Putin?
9. Did you call upon President Putin to withdraw from Crimea and eastern Ukraine so that both areas are returned to Ukrainian Government control?
10. Did you discuss NATO military exercises scheduled for this fall? Did you agree to roll back or change the nature of those exercises?
11. Did you discuss U.S. security assistance to Ukraine or make any concessions regarding its continuation?
12. Did you raise the issue of political prisoners with President Putin, including that of Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian filmmaker who has been detained for 4 years and is on hunger strike?
13. What, if anything, did you commit to?
Mr. President, the answers to these questions are of critical importance to U.S. national security. Answering them in full, without hesitation, will demonstrate that you do still hold America’s interests first. Some of us will press Secretary Pompeo on these issues next week. In addition, we urge you to immediately send the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, an appropriately high-ranking Intelligence Community official, and the Secretary of Defense to testify before Congress and explain how they will continue to advance America’s interests in light of yesterday’s summit.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
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Warner, McEachin, Six VA Delegation Members Write to ITC Chairman with Serious Concerns on Newsprint Tariffs
Jul 17 2018
WASHINGTON – Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) led a letter signed by seven members of the Virginia Delegation to United States International Trade Commission Chairman Johanson expressing serious concerns about tariffs that are impacting Virginia newspapers. This letter was signed by Senators Kaine and Warner as well as Representatives Beyer, Comstock, Connolly, Goodlatte, and Scott:
“We support efforts to fight illegal trade practices and guarantee a level playing field for American companies. However, we are concerned the tariffs on uncoated groundwood paper from Canada will cause long-term harm to domestic newsprint manufacturers and consumers. There are nearly 200 daily and weekly newspapers in Virginia. An increase of up to 35 percent in costs due to these tariffs cannot be absorbed by newspapers and printers; current tariffs are already reducing the frequency and size of publication for many newspapers. This leads to higher prices for readers, businesses and advertisers and is already causing a loss of jobs in the printing and publishing industry at the local level. If these tariffs become permanent, these harmful trends will become ever more pronounced,” wrote the Members of Congress. “Local newsgathering is also jeopardized by these tariffs, which is where so many small Virginia communities will be affected: they rely heavily on their local papers for coverage, and those papers are already struggling to operate on razor-thin margins. Our democracy cannot function unless citizens are informed and engaged; without strong community newspapers, that kind of engagement would be vastly more difficult.”
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Warner, Collins Introduce Legislation to Boost Retirement Saving Plans for Small Businesses
Jul 16 2018
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the SIMPLE Plan Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill to provide small business employers and employees greater flexibility and access to the popular SIMPLE plans as an option for retirement savings. The legislation has the backing of the AARP.
Congress established SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) retirement plans in the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 to encourage small businesses to provide their employees with retirement plans. However, retirement plans among small employers continue to be less commonly offered than those provided by medium and large employers. While these smaller businesses had access to tax-favored retirement savings plans, including traditional 401(k)s, those plans are more expensive to administer.
“The changing nature of work has redefined the employee-employer dynamic, making it harder for small businesses to offer traditional safety net protections for workers,” said Sen. Warner. “We should make it easier for small business owners and their employees to begin saving for their retirement. This legislation is one step towards helping the American workforce prepare for the future.”
“In my home state of Maine, the vast majority of businesses are eligible to sign their employees up for SIMPLE Plans. Financial advisors from Presque Isle to Portland have shared their concerns that neither employees nor their employers are in a good position to save for retirement,” said Sen. Collins. “We must give small businesses and employees a better opportunity to save for retirement, and this legislation will provide such an opportunity.”
Businesses with 100 or fewer employees may currently create SIMPLE retirement savings accounts for their employees, so long as the employers do not have another employer-sponsored retirement plan.
The proposed legislation would increase the contribution limit for SIMPLE plans. Increasing the limit would achieve two basic goals: 1) Motivate more small business employers to offer a retirement savings benefit to their employees and 2) Allow small business employees to save even more each year on a tax-deferred basis.
The SIMPLE Plan Modernization Act would:
- Raise the contribution limit for SIMPLE plans from $12,500 to $15,500 (halfway between current SIMPLE plans and traditional 401(k)s) for the smallest businesses (1 to 25 employees), with a corresponding increase in the catch-up limit from $3,000 to $4,500.
- Give businesses with 26 to 100 employees the option of the higher contribution limits, and, in order to continue to encourage them to transition to 401(k)s when they can do so, increase their SIMPLE plan mandatory employer contribution requirements by one percentage point if they elect the higher limits.
- Allow for a reasonable transition period for employers who hire additional employees above 25.
- Make the limit increases unavailable if the employer has had another defined contribution plan within the past three years (to encourage businesses that already have qualified plans to retain them).
- Modernize SIMPLE plan form filing requirements and modify the transition rules from SIMPLE plans to traditional plans to facilitate and encourage such transitions.
- Direct Treasury to study the use of SIMPLE plans and report to Congress on such use, along with any recommendations.
Sen. Warner has been a leader in finding solutions to the 21st century generational and technological changes that have led to perhaps the most dramatic transformation in the American economy in decades. He has introduced legislation that encourages employers to invest more in quality skills training for their workers. In addition, he has proposed a bill that would test-drive programs that provide contingent workers with “portable benefits” that have many of the social insurance protections typically offered to workers through traditional full-time employment.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement today following President Trump’s comments during a joint press conference at the Trump-Putin summit:
“For the President of the United States to stand next to Vladimir Putin — who personally ordered one of the largest state-sponsored cyber-attacks in our history — and side with Putin over America’s military and intelligence leaders is a breach of his duty to defend our country against its adversaries.
“If the President cannot defend the United States and its interests in public, how can we trust him to stand up for our country in private?”
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Top Senators Tell Trump: Do Not Meet Putin Alone
Jul 14 2018
WASHINGTON – Today, a group of top Senate Democrats wrote to President Trump, urging him in the strongest possible terms to avoid meeting alone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a letter to the White House, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH) all encouraged the President to cancel the summit if he is not prepared to press Putin on Russia’s attack on the 2016 election and demand that Russian intelligence officials indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice be handed over to stand trial.
“If you insist on meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday, we write to urge that you include senior members of your team and not meet one-on-one with Mr. Putin, as reportedly planned. Mr. Putin is a trained KGB intelligence veteran who will come to this meeting well-prepared. As the Kremlin said last week, a one-on-one meeting with you ‘absolutely suits’ him. There must be other Americans in the room,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators also urged Trump to make Russia’s attack on the U.S. elections the top issue of the meeting, and pressed him to follow up on yesterday’s indictment of 12 Russians for hacking Democratic campaign officials and state elections boards.
“If you are not prepared to make Russia’s attack on our election the top issue you will discuss, then you should cancel the Helsinki summit. Mr. Putin is not a friend of the United States. The unanimous judgment of the professional men and women of the United States intelligence community is that Russia, at Mr. Putin’s direction, undertook a sophisticated campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election – a judgment that was just last week upheld in a bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee,” said the Senators. “Just yesterday, the Justice Department indicted 12 Russian military intelligence agents with hacking the computer networks of U.S. political organizations. These follow previous indictments of 13 Russians associated with the St. Petersburg ‘troll factory.’ These individuals must be brought to the United States so that they can stand trial, and you should demand that Mr. Putin hand them over.”
Added the Senators, “We hope that you will use the opportunity of a meeting with Mr. Putin to advance a well-coordinated U.S. message, supported by senior leaders in your own administration, to hold Russia accountable for its unacceptable behavior. To do so, you must rely on the expertise and the experts of the State Department, Defense Department, CIA and other U.S. government agencies – not wing it on your own.”
The summit is part of a foreign trip planned by the White House which included visits to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels and London. During this trip, President Trump threatened to pull out of the military alliance. Undermining the U.S.- NATO relationship has been a longtime goal of Putin.
“Our intelligence leaders unanimously assess that Mr. Putin will continue to try to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections. Russia continues its aggressive policy to undermine NATO, European solidarity, and Western institutions and norms. It continues to support a murderous regime in Syria, and to destabilize and occupy parts of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin wants to see the West divided and weakened. You must not play into his aims,” the Senators counseled.
The letter was sent a day after the U.S. Justice Department announced new charges against 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Clinton campaign. The indictments are part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
July 14, 2018
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Trump:
If you insist on meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday, we write to urge that you include senior members of your team and not meet one-on-one with Mr. Putin, as reportedly planned. Mr. Putin is a trained KGB intelligence veteran who will come to this meeting well-prepared. As the Kremlin said last week, a one-on-one meeting with you “absolutely suits” him. There must be other Americans in the room.
If you are not prepared to make Russia’s attack on our election the top issue you will discuss, then you should cancel the Helsinki summit. Mr. Putin is not a friend of the United States. The unanimous judgment of the professional men and women of the United States intelligence community is that Russia, at Mr. Putin’s direction, undertook a sophisticated campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election – a judgment that was just last week upheld in a bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Just yesterday, the Justice Department indicted 12 Russian military intelligence agents with hacking the computer networks of U.S. political organizations. These follow previous indictments of 13 Russians associated with the St. Petersburg “troll factory.” These individuals must be brought to the United States so that they can stand trial, and you should demand that Mr. Putin hand them over.
Our intelligence leaders unanimously assess that Mr. Putin will continue to try to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections. Russia continues its aggressive policy to undermine NATO, European solidarity, and Western institutions and norms. It continues to support a murderous regime in Syria, and to destabilize and occupy parts of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin wants to see the West divided and weakened. You must not play into his aims.
We hope that you will use the opportunity of a meeting with Mr. Putin to advance a well-coordinated U.S. message, supported by senior leaders in your own administration, to hold Russia accountable for its unacceptable behavior. To do so, you must rely on the expertise and the experts of the State Department, Defense Department, CIA and other U.S. government agencies – not wing it on your own.
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Washington, D.C. — Late yesterday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats expressing deep concern that classified and highly sensitive documents have been made broadly accessible to all members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, rather than a select group of designated Members. As the Democratic Leaders write, Director Coats’s decision to widely release these classified documents could put sources and methods at risk.
In the letter, the Members write: “While we understand the need for congressional oversight, this action - which we understand was taken at your direction - contravenes your representation to us and our colleagues that this information would not be shared outside that group. … All of the meeting's attendees agreed that the information discussed was among the most sensitive type of information and should be protected accordingly. We believe your decision could put sources and methods at risk.”
* * *
The full letter is below:
July 12, 2018
Honorable Daniel Coats
Director
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Washington, DC 20511
Dear Director Coats:
In recent days, we learned that certain classified documents that were originally made available to a small group of designated members have been made more broadly available to all members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. While we understand the need for congressional oversight, this action - which we understand was taken at your direction - contravenes your representation to us and our colleagues that this information would not be shared outside that group.
As you know, during our meetings on this sensitive matter we discussed at great length the importance of protecting sources and methods and ongoing investigations. All of the meeting's attendees agreed that the information discussed was among the most sensitive type of information and should be protected accordingly. We believe your decision could put sources and methods at risk.
Further, we are concerned that your action was in direct contravention of our verbal and written requests (letters on June 5, 2018 and June 27, 2018) to Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Wray.
This is a matter of serious importance and we believe a follow-on meeting of the Gang of Eight is needed as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
|
NANCY PELOSI House Democratic Leader |
CHUCK SCHUMER Senate Democratic Leader |
|
ADAM SCHIFF Ranking Member, House Intelligence Committee |
MARK WARNER Vice Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee |
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner hosted a roundtable with representatives of Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Virginia Latina Advocacy Network, and other women’s healthcare advocates to discuss President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
“What I heard from physicians, community health organizations, and advocates is that communities across the Commonwealth fear for the future of safe access to women’s reproductive healthcare,” said Sen. Warner. “As the Senate considers Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, it’s important for me to hear from Virginians about issues that could affect their freedoms and well-being.”
President Trump has repeatedly stated that he will nominate candidates to serve on the Supreme Court who will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. On Monday, July 9, President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Sen. Warner plans to closely examine Judge Kavanaugh’s judicial record thoroughly during the nomination process. Sen. Warner has warned that he cannot support a Supreme Court nominee who would undermine healthcare protections, women’s rights, workers’ rights, voting rights, or LGBT rights.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for criminally interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election:
“Today’s indictment by the Department of Justice of 12 Russian spies for hacking our election is another testament to the quality and professionalism of the investigation being run by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The President and his allies must cease and desist their baseless, inflammatory attacks on an investigation that, even before today, had already produced multiple indictments and secured guilty pleas from two Trump campaign aides as well as the President’s former national security adviser.
“Just this morning in the United Kingdom, President Trump blamed the poor state of U.S.-Russia relations on ‘the rigged witch hunt,’ claiming that it ‘really hurts our country and it really hurts our relationship with Russia.’ The President is wrong. As today’s indictment makes crystal clear, tensions between our two nations exist because Russia attacked our democracy.
“That’s all the more reason why he must not meet one-on-one with Vladimir Putin, who, in the absence of U.S. experts or advisers, will undoubtedly take full advantage of an ill-prepared President. And if the Administration is unwilling to make the facts laid out in today’s indictment a top priority for that discussion, then that meeting shouldn’t happen.”
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Senate Banking and Finance Committees, joined Senate colleagues in urging the Chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to include a Senate-passed amendment cosponsored by Sen. Warner that would reinstate penalties against ZTE in their upcoming NDAA FY2019 Conference Report. Earlier this year, intelligence leaders testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee warning that ZTE, Huawei, and other Chinese state-directed telecommunications companies have the capacity for espionage and intellectual property theft, posing clear threats to the national security, people, and economy of the United States. This week, President Trump’s Commerce Department announced an agreement to lift the ban preventing Chinese telecom giant ZTE from doing business with American suppliers.
Additionally, Senators urged the conferees to include the reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which were a part of the recently passed Senate NDAA bill. These reforms, also known as the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), would ensure that foreign investments in the U.S. do not pose a national security risk.
Sen. Warner, a former technology executive, has long expressed concern that ZTE poses a significant threat to our national security. He recently wrote to the administration urging President Trump to re-consider a deal with the China-based company.
The text of the letter to NDAA conferees can be found here and below:
Dear Chairmen McCain and Thornberry, and Ranking Members Reed and Smith:
We write to express our strong support for measures in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2019 NDAA) that would reinstate U.S. government penalties against ZTE, a Chinese state-directed telecommunications company, and modernize the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). As you begin deliberations over the final version of the FY 2019 NDAA, we request that you include these two measures.
Section 6702: Prohibition on Modification of Civil Penalties under Export Control and Sanctions Laws and Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications Equipment.
We strongly oppose the June 2018 deal with ZTE negotiated by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to lift the seven-year ban against the export of U.S. parts and components to ZTE. BIS imposed this seven-year ban and other penalties against ZTE in April 2018 in response to its numerous violations of U.S. export controls and sanctions laws.
We also note that our nation’s six top intelligence leaders testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in February 2018 about their concern that ZTE, Huawei, and other Chinese state-directed telecommunications companies are beholden to the Chinese government and Communist Party, which provides the capacity for espionage and intellectual property theft, and therefore poses clear threats to the national security, people, and economy of the United States.
As you prepare the Conference Report, we therefore urge you to retain—and further strengthen—Section 6702 of the Senate-passed FY 2019 NDAA, which would not only reinstate the April 2018 penalties against ZTE and prohibit the modification of any penalties against a Chinese telecommunications firm unless certain conditions are met, but also prohibit the U.S. government from using or procuring equipment from, or entering into a contract with ZTE or Huawei.
Title XVII: Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018
We also thank you for your work protecting our national security and intellectual property by ensuring that foreign countries are not engaged in illicit behavior when investing in the United States.
As you are aware, the Senate version of the FY 2019 NDAA includes important reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that were part of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA). Those reforms are vital to protecting our national security and preventing intellectual property theft by foreign countries—including the People’s Republic of China.
As you negotiate a conference report for the 2019 NDAA, we urge you to include the Senate-passed CFIUS reforms and ensure that the final language fully addresses our national security and competitiveness concerns. We believe that efforts to weaken the robust protections in the FIRRMA will embolden our adversaries and present threats to our national security.
We thank you for your leadership, and we appreciate your consideration.
Sincerely,
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WASHINGTON – In response to President Trump’s abuse of Section 232 to unilaterally impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from our closest allies, the Senate today voted 88-11 to re-assert Congress’ constitutional role in U.S. trade policy. U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), who is a leading sponsor of bipartisan legislation requiring the White House to seek Congressional approval before issuing tariffs designated in the interest of national security, applauded today’s move.
“President Trump’s ill-considered steel and aluminum tariffs will make it more expensive for Virginians to buy something as big as a new car or as small as a can of beer. They’re also causing unnecessary pain and uncertainty for Virginia’s ag producers as our allies impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports of soybeans, pork, and more,” said Sen. Warner. “I believe that we should hold China accountable for unfair trade practices, and I support strong trade enforcement rules that protect American workers. But the President should not be relying on a law intended to uphold national security in order to impose tariffs on our strongest allies.”
Added Senator Warner, “A majority of Senators from both parties have sent a message to President Trump that using ‘national security’ as a pretext to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from our closest allies is unacceptable. While today’s vote was non-binding, it’s a good first step in re-asserting Congress’ constitutional responsibility on trade policy. We must act in order to make sure that Americans can keep buying affordable products and selling our goods abroad.”
Today’s vote was a procedural motion on what’s known as a “motion to instruct,” directing Senators working to reconcile differences between separate funding packages passed by the House and the Senate to push for the inclusion of language that would give Congress a say in the White House’s national security tariffs. One way lawmakers could comply with the motion to instruct would be to adopt language closely mirroring legislation introduced by Sen. Warner along with Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) that would require the president to submit to Congress any proposal to adjust imports in the interest of national security under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. President Trump has used this provision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs that target imports from some of the United States’ closest allies like Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. As a result, businesses that make products containing these materials, such as Virginia craft beer producers, expect to see increased production costs that will likely mean higher prices for Virginia consumers.
In addition, several countries have announced they plan to impose retaliatory tariffs on key Virginia agricultural exports in response to the Administration’s trade policy. Just last week, as retaliation for the President’s trade moves, Beijing slapped a 25 percent tariff increase on imports of several U.S. products, including soybeans and pork. Given that the Chinese are the world’s leading consumers of pork, and the country purchases nearly one-third of all U.S. soybean production, the maneuver is expected to further hurt pork producers and soybean growers in Virginia who were already reeling as a result of President Trump’s trade policies.
The bill, which has 16 bipartisan Senate co-sponsors, has been endorsed by more than 270 business and agricultural groups, including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. A longer list of organizations supporting the bill is available here.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement on the passing of former Mayor Bill Ward, the longest serving mayor of the City of Chesapeake:
“I am saddened to hear that my friend Bill Ward has passed away. Bill had the distinction of being the longest-serving mayor in Chesapeake history, helping it become the city that it is today. As the city’s first – and so far only – African-American mayor, his election also helped open the door to the promise of more diverse representation in the region.
“Bill remained deeply involved in his community after leaving elected office, teaching at Norfolk State University for 27 years and working with local organizations to help protect the history of this city and provide mentorship and support to local high school students. His service to our community was a clear testament to his commitment to Chesapeake and the region.
“My deepest sympathies go out to his wife of nearly 60 years, Rose, and the rest of his family, friends, and colleagues. His strong sense of duty and service will be dearly missed.”
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Senate Banking and Finance committees, issued the below statement regarding the U.S. Department of Commerce’s agreement to lift the ban on Chinese telecom giant ZTE doing business with American suppliers:
“I share the grave concerns of our military and the intelligence community, which are unanimous in their conclusion that ZTE — a state-controlled company with ties to Chinese intelligence — presents an ongoing threat to our national security. I also share many of the concerns the President has voiced in the past about China’s unfair trade practices, which have cheated American workers and permitted Chinese companies to steal the intellectual property of American firms with virtually no consequences.
“This sweetheart deal not only ignores these serious issues, it lets ZTE off the hook for evading sanctions against Iran and North Korea with a slap on the wrist.”
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Senate Intel Vice Chair Warner Questions Trump Administration on North Korea Denuclearization
Jul 11 2018
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats asking whether assessments by our nation’s Intelligence Community (IC) align with the Trump Administration’s public pronouncements regarding North Korean denuclearization.
On July 8, 2018, following talks with North Korean officials, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “We had detailed, substantive conversations about the next steps toward a fully verified and complete denuclearization… There will be verification connected to the complete denuclearization. That’s what President Trump and Chairman Kim both agreed to.”
A joint statement issued by the President and the North Korean leader on June 12, 2018, similarly stated that “Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Additionally, on June 13, 2018, the President declared via tweet that “everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat [sic] from North Korea.”
In light of those statements, Sen. Warner asked DNI Coats to produce and deliver to the congressional intelligence committees a definitive IC assessment regarding:
- The willingness of Kim Jong Un to take concrete measures that would significantly reduce North Korea’s nuclear weapons stockpile or nuclear production capability in a way that would match his supposed commitment to “complete denuclearization”;
- The willingness of Kim Jong Un to accept the kind of intrusive inspections that would verifiably demonstrate that North Korea has abandoned and dismantled its nuclear program;
- What a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization process would look like from the IC’s perspective; and
- A description of how North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program presents a persistent threat to the United States, U.S. territories, and our allies.
A copy of Sen. Warner’s letter to DNI Coats is available here.
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Warner & Kaine Announce Nearly $900,000 to Help Homeless Virginia Vets Re-Enter the Workforce
Jul 11 2018
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that three Virginia organizations will receive $891,303 in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Labor to help homeless veterans re-enter the workforce.
The funds – in the form of three competitive Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants – include $227,263 for Total Action Against Poverty in Roanoke Valley, Inc.; $355,050 for STOP Inc., in Hampton Roads; and $308,990 for River City Comprehensive Counseling Services in Glen Allen, Va.
“Virginia’s veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to fight for our nation. Now, we need to fight for them and help ensure that they have the resources they need to succeed and thrive after completing their service,” said the Senators. “These grants will provide homeless veterans with counseling and a variety of career services in order to help them re-integrate into the workforce.”
HVRP funds are awarded on a competitive basis to state and local workforce investment boards; local public agencies and nonprofit organizations; tribal governments; and faith-based and community organizations. Homeless veterans may receive occupational skills training, apprenticeship opportunities, and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance. Grantees under the HVRP program will coordinate their efforts with other federal programs, such as the Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families program and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care program.
Sens. Warner and Kaine both have long records of advocating for the nation’s veterans through the appropriations process and legislation they have championed to reduce veteran homelessness, improve job training opportunities for veterans, and expand access to veterans’ health care.
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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) met with Robert Wilkie, President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). During the meeting, Sen. Warner and Wilkie discussed the need to reform the VA without privatizing the system, improve care for veterans at VA facilities, and continue reducing wait times for veteran patients.
“The VA’s mission is one of the most important, and difficult jobs of all of our federal agencies,” said Sen. Warner. “As VA Secretary, Mr. Wilkie’s leadership will be essential in continuing to reform and strengthen the VA to ensure that it provides the very best care to our veterans.”
Virginia is home to three VA medical centers that serve the Commonwealth’s veteran population: McGuire VA Medical Center (Richmond), Hampton VA Medical Center, and Salem VA Medical Center.
In the Senate, Sen. Warner spearheaded a bipartisan effort to approve overdue VA medical leases, including two new outpatient clinics in Hampton Roads and Fredericksburg, a measure which Congress approved last year. He also led a legislative effort to restore tax payments to combat-injured veterans, which resulted in more than 133,000 notifications sent to veterans by the Department of Defense (DoD). Recently, he pressed the VA on critical failures that have endangered veterans at the D.C. Medical Center and the quality of care at nursing homes in Virginia and across the country.
Mr. Wilkie, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, currently serves as the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, a position he was nominated to by President Trump and approved unanimously by the Senate. Wilkie previously served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs under Defense Secretaries Robert Gates and Donald Rumsfeld. He also served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for National Security Affairs and as Senior Director of the National Security Council under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In the Senate, he served as an aide to Sens. Jesse Helms (R-NC), Trent Lott (R-MS), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
President Trump nominated Mr. Wilkie to serve as his next VA Secretary in May, a position that at the time he was filling temporarily following the firing of former VA Secretary David Shulkin. Last month, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing to consider Mr. Wilkie’s nomination and a vote by the full committee is expected later today. It is not clear when the full Senate will vote on his confirmation.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Congressman Bob Goodlatte announced $750,000 in federal funding to help the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission bring new non-stop service from Roanoke Regional Airport to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, Denver, Colorado, and/or Detroit, Michigan. The Commission can use the funds for a revenue guarantee, a marketing program, and fee waivers. This effort was a community collaboration where the Roanoke Regional Chamber and the Botetourt Chamber of Commerce worked with local businesses, who are frequent users of Roanoke Regional Airport, to secure pledges to match these funds. The Roanoke Regional Airport Commission led the process to secure the public sector funding. This funding will be formally announced at the Roanoke Regional Chamber today at 10:00 AM.
“Roanoke Regional Airport is vital to the economic health of the entire region and Virginia as a whole. We are proud to announce these grant dollars that will ensure the airport continues to offer flights that attract tourism and business and offer Virginians more travel options,” the Senators and Congressman said. “Congratulations to the Airport Commission and the local Chambers that worked so hard together to secure these funds.”
“The Roanoke Regional Airport Commission is thrilled to have been awarded a Small Community Air Service Development Grant. We sincerely appreciate the support from the community and our stakeholders, including Sens. Kaine and Warner and Rep. Goodlatte. We are hopeful that given two and a half’s years of passenger growth, these funds will help secure additional service to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver and/or Detroit. Air service is a critical component for economic development and we feel this is a significant step in the right direction,” Tim Bradshaw, Executive Director of the Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport, said.
“Better connectivity from ROA will open new markets throughout the country for existing businesses and help attract new investment in the Roanoke region. We are excited to see how this grant will improve service from ROA, and we appreciate the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission’s commitment to supporting our community’s needs and economic growth,” Joyce Waugh, Roanoke Regional Chamber President & CEO, said.
“Collaborative efforts such as this support existing business travel needs, ensure our region remains attractive to new business, and create new economic opportunities. We look forward to continuing to work with our regional partners and our elected representatives to bring more opportunity to rural areas in Virginia’s Blue Ridge,” Sheri Winesett, Botetourt Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, said.
The funding was awarded through the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) under the Department of Transportation. These funds help smaller communities address air service access and high fares.
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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) met with Jim Carroll, the Acting Director and President Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the office in charge of combating the national opioid epidemic. During the meeting, Sen. Warner and Acting Director Carroll discussed the importance of expanding substance abuse treatment programs for rural communities in Virginia that have been hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic.
“There are too many families in Virginia that have been devastated by the opioid epidemic. I appreciate the opportunity to hear how Acting Director Carroll plans to spearhead one of the Administration’s most critical offices to combat this national health crisis,” said Sen. Warner. “While I remain deeply concerned about the Trump Administration’s proposed steep cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, I will closely monitor Acting Director Carroll’s nomination process to ensure he is the right candidate to tackle the national crisis on our hands.”
More Virginians died of opioid overdoses in 2017 than in any year in at least the past decade. In just five years, Virginia went from 572 annual opioid-related overdose deaths to 1,227 deaths due to overdoses. The ONDCP plays a significant role in the Administration’s effort to combat the national opioid crisis. The office is tasked with leading and coordinating the development, implementation and assessment of U.S. drug policy. It administers the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas and Drug-Free Communities grants and oversees the drug control activities of 16 federal agencies.
In his FY19 budget, President Trump proposed cutting 95 percent of ONDCP’s funding, which will force the office to shift its two main grant programs to the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The shift could pose negative consequences on the overall effectiveness of the programs in tackling the opioid epidemic.
In February 2018, Trump nominated Carroll to serve as the Director of ONDCP. Prior to his nomination, Carroll was tapped as the Acting Director for ONDCP and served as the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to John Kelly. On Thursday, July 11, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Carroll’s nomination.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court:
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement on President Trump’s trade war, which has resulted in China imposing tariffs today on Virginia goods:
“China engages in unfair trade actions that must be addressed, but today, President Trump’s mishandling of the trade situation caused China to officially retaliate against the U.S. by placing tariffs on $34 billion worth of American goods. And who will be hit the hardest? Virginia farmers, manufacturers, and consumers. The trade war that President Trump created moves us further away from a solution, punishes American workers, and raises prices on the products families rely on. President Trump needs to resolve this irresponsible dispute quickly before he does irreparable damage to Virginia’s agricultural industry and economy.”
Despite clear warnings from China that they would retaliate with high tariffs on soybeans, Virginia’s number one agricultural export, President Trump placed tariffs on China at 12:01 am on Friday, July 6. China quickly responded today with tariffs on $34 billion of American goods, including soybeans, beef, cotton, and dairy. Soybean production in Virginia accounts for roughly $187 million in economic output, which helps supports thousands of jobs in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has confirmed that China is the Commonwealth’s biggest export market for agricultural goods and suggested President Trump’s tariffs could hurt Virginia businesses and employees. China is also imposing tariffs on more than 500 other American goods exported to the country. President Trump has tweeted that “trade wars are good.”
Warner and Kaine spoke out for months asking President Trump to avoid the tariffs that China imposed today.
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Warner & Kaine Announce More Than $2 Million to Protect Historic Battlefields in Virginia
Jul 05 2018
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced more than $2.05 million to preserve six historic battlefields in Virginia. These grants were awarded through the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is one of more than a dozen programs operated by NPS that provide states and local communities with technical assistance, recognition, and funding to help preserve their own history and create close-to-home recreation opportunities.
“Virginia is home to some of our nation’s most significant history,” said the Senators. “These funds will help local conservation groups and localities protect these important sites for future generations.”
Earlier this year, President Trump’s FY 2019 budget proposed to significantly cut funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), reducing the program by more than 95 percent from the $400 million level previously appropriated by Congress. The budget also proposed eliminating American Battlefield Protection Program acquisition grants, which are funded from LWCF—a cut of $10 million. The LWCF has long served as the primary tool for acquiring key sites or otherwise expanding historic and cultural parks managed by the NPS. In total, the proposed budget requested just $8.1 million for federal land acquisition programs across the Department of the Interior.
Sens. Warner and Kaine have worked to preserve and protect Virginia’s historic battlefield sites. They successfully passed legislation to add more than 7,000 acres to the Petersburg National Battlefield through the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. Last week, Sen. Warner worked with colleagues and the Trump Administration to introduce bipartisan, consensus legislation to address the $12 billion maintenance backlog at NPS operated sites, including more than a $1 billion in Virginia alone. When Kaine first joined the Senate, he introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) that was signed into law in 2014 to reauthorize and expand the American Battlefield Protection Program. As Governor, Kaine worked across the aisle to preserve more than 400,000 acres of open space in Virginia.
The following historic battlefields will receive funding from the Department of the Interior:
- Second Manassas Battlefield will receive $519,515 in federal funding.
- Opequon Battlefield will receive $910,500 in federal funding.
- New Market Battlefield will receive $143,248 in federal funding.
- New Market Heights Battlefield will receive $193,722 in federal funding.
- Rappahannock Station II will receive $240,306.25 in federal funding.
- Trevilian Station Battlefield will receive $47,751 in federal funding.
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