Tim Kaine

Electoral integrity

Criminal justice

Fiscal policy

Healthcare

Education

Economy and labor

Environment and energy

Immigration

National security and foreign policy

Civil rights and liberties

Social policy

Technology and data

Civil liberties and government power

Government accountability and transparency

Infrastructure and public investment

Kaine rose to recognize May 11 to May 17, 2026, as National Salvation Army Week and commended the organization's 150 years of service to vulnerable populations across the United States.

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Resolution 721 to honor the life and legacy of Robert S. Mueller, III.

Kaine moved to discharge the Committee on Foreign Relations from further consideration of S.J. Res. 124, a joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Republic of Cuba that have not been authorized by Congress, and argued that the United States use of force to block energy from going to Cuba constitutes hostilities under the War Powers Resolution.

Kaine filed a War Powers Resolution together with Senators Gallego and Schiff challenging the President's authority to engage in hostilities with Cuba without a congressional vote.

Kaine co-sponsored an amendment to S. Con. Res. 33 relating to establishing a deficit-neutral reserve fund for preventing attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons.

Kaine was listed as a co-sponsor of Senate Amendment 4323, which proposed the Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2026 to increase homeownership opportunities for first-generation and minority homebuyers.

Kaine moved to discharge the Committee on Foreign Relations from further consideration of S.J. Res. 104, a joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Resolution 624 expressing support for the designation of the week of March 2 through March 6, 2026, as "National Social and Emotional Learning Week."

Kaine co-sponsored S. Res. 624, a resolution expressing support for the designation of the week of March 2 through March 6, 2026, as "National Social and Emotional Learning Week."

Kaine rose to discuss his bipartisan War Powers Resolution, which proposes that the United States should not be at war against Iran without a vote of Congress, and provided historical context about U.S.-Iran relations from the early 1900s through 1979.

Kaine read Washington's Farewell Address on the Senate floor, noting it was the seventh Virginia Senator to do so in a 130-year tradition and that the reading occurred hours before President Trump's State of the Union Address.

Kaine requested that the names of the Senator from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) and the Senator from Nevada (Ms. Cortez Masto) be added as cosponsors of S. 266, a bill to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.

Kaine spoke on the Senate floor to discuss Department of Homeland Security reforms and stated that immigrants are a strength to the country, citing President Trump's statements about Mexican and Mexican-American immigrants from his 2016 campaign announcement as examples of bigotry.

Paul Amdt. No. 4272

Motion to Table Lee Amdt. No. 4236

Motion to Table Lee Amdt. No. 4234

Motion to Table Lee Amdt. No. 4286

Sanders Amdt. No. 4290

Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Merkley Amdt. No. 4287

H.R. 7148, as Amended

Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 7148

Kaine co-submitted an amendment to H.R. 7148 that would prohibit the use of appropriated funds for United States military or private security personnel to seize, control access to, operate, or provide security at facilities in Venezuela involved in oil or petroleum product extraction, processing, or transportation.

Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 3627

Motion to Invoke Cloture: H.R. 6938

H.R. 6938

Is the Point of Order Well Taken Re: To the Privilege Status of S.J. Res. 98

Kaine moved to proceed to Calendar No. 298, S.J. Res. 98, a joint resolution directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.

Motion to Proceed to S.J. Res. 84

Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 6938

Motion to Discharge S.J.Res. 98

Confirmation: Alexander C. Van Hook, of Louisiana, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Resolution 579, which affirms the importance of the Social Security program and expresses the Senate's sense that Social Security must be preserved, protected, and strengthened for current and future generations.

Kaine called up a War Powers Resolution for a vote on the Senate floor regarding U.S. military operations in Venezuela, stating that while he does not challenge the execution of a valid arrest warrant against Nicolas Maduro, the broader military operations including naval strikes, airstrikes, troop deployment, and seizure of oil require Congressional authorization under the Constitution.

Kaine moved to discharge the Committee on Foreign Relations from further consideration of S.J. Res. 98, a joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.

Motion to Proceed to S.J.Res. 86

Confirmation: Joshua Simmons, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency

Confirmation: Sara Bailey, of Texas, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy

Kaine announced he would ask his colleagues to vote on Thursday morning on a War Powers Resolution specifying that the U.S. should not wage military action within or against Venezuela unless Congress votes to authorize it.

Confirmation: Keith Bass, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense

Kaine rose to speak about a Senate vote on extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, describing the impact on Virginians and providing specific examples of constituents whose insurance premiums would increase significantly without the extension.

Kaine co-sponsored S. 3344, a bill to prohibit the unauthorized use of United States Armed Forces in hostilities with respect to Venezuela.

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Resolution 530 condemning the pardon of ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Kaine co-sponsored S. Res. 530, a resolution condemning the pardon of ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, and co-sponsored S. Res. 531, a resolution celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Kaine recognized the 100th anniversary of Hebrew University of Jerusalem and acknowledged the American Friends of Hebrew University and its benefactors, including Bill and Bobbie Kilberg.

Kaine moved to discharge the Committee on Foreign Relations from further consideration of S.J. Res. 90, a joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.

Kaine filed S.J. Res. 71 with Senator Heinrich to terminate President Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency issued on his first day in office.

Kaine requested unanimous consent to grant floor privileges to Shane Reader, a legislative fellow in his office, for the duration of the fellowship.

Kaine spoke about the reality of the government shutdown, stating it was the third shutdown he had experienced during his nearly 13 years in the Senate, and discussed its consequences for Federal workers and citizens in Virginia, which has the second-most Federal employees of any state in the country.

Kaine spoke in the Senate to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Alexandria Archaeological Commission, established in 1975 as the first archaeological commission in the nation, and described its contributions to preserving Alexandria's history.

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Amendment 3651, which would add provisions to S. 2296 regarding identification and prohibitions on property nationalized or expropriated by certain foreign governments in the Western Hemisphere.

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Amendment 3360, which proposed modifications to arms export control requirements for defense articles transferred between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Kaine co-sponsored an amendment with Warner and Peters requiring NASA to commission an independent report on space vehicle transfers to museums before any such transfers occur.

Kaine co-sponsored amendment SA 3019 submitted by Mr. Merkley to H.R. 3944, which would limit rescissions and deferrals of appropriated funds to annual Congressional appropriations legislation.

Kaine co-sponsored an amendment with Merkley and others to limit rescissions and deferrals of appropriated funds for fiscal year 2026 to only those considered through annual Congressional appropriations legislation.

Kaine was listed as a co-sponsor of amendment SA 3019 submitted by Mr. Merkley to H.R. 3944.

Kaine announced his opposition to H.R. 4 and stated his intention to make three motions to recommit the bill to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions to eliminate rescissions of Migration and Refugee Assistance funds, International Disaster Assistance funds, Corporation for Public Broadcasting pre-K educational programming funds, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds for disaster and emergency broadcasts.

Kaine co-submitted an amendment to strike section 70608 and insert a new provision appropriating $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to the Department of the Treasury for the Direct File program.

Kaine co-submitted an amendment to amendment SA 2360 to H.R. 1 that would modify section 20306 of title 51, United States Code by striking certain text, redesignating subsections, and removing subparagraph (F) and subsection (b).

Kaine moved to discharge the Committee on Foreign Relations from further consideration of S.J. Res. 59, which would direct the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.

Kaine requested that Senator Merkley from Oregon be added as a cosponsor of S. 134, a bill to place limitations on excepting positions from the competitive service.

Kaine rose on the Senate floor to discuss the War Powers Resolution and expressed his belief that a U.S. war against Iran would be a catastrophic mistake, while emphasizing that any war should require a congressional vote and debate.

Kaine co-sponsored an amendment submitted by Mrs. Shaheen to S. 1582 that would exclude the authority to impose duties and tariff-rate quotas from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Kaine moved to discharge S. Res. 195 from the Committee on Foreign Relations, a resolution requesting information on El Salvador's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

Kaine rose to recognize May 12 to May 18, 2025, as National Salvation Army Week and commended the organization's 150 years of service to vulnerable populations across the United States.

Kaine introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act with Senator Collins as a cosponsor and Senator Risch as a third cosponsor, describing problems with R-1 and EB-4 visa processing for religious workers that he first observed in his parish, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary in Richmond, Virginia.

Kaine co-sponsored S. 1220, a bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for a Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment plan as an income contingent repayment plan.

Kaine discussed the House continuing resolution pending before the Senate and explained the difference between operating under a continuing resolution versus a forward-looking appropriations budget, using the analogy of driving by looking in the rearview mirror versus through the windshield.

Kaine co-sponsored S. 847, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to expand the employer-provided child care credit and the dependent care assistance exclusion.

Kaine cosponsored S. 846, a bill to implement or strengthen programs that increase the supply of quality child care services by enhancing the wages of child care workers.

Kaine filed S.J. Res. 10 with Senator Heinrich to challenge President Trump's declaration of a U.S. energy emergency, arguing that the declaration is a sham designed to bypass environmental laws to benefit oil, gas, and coal while disadvantaging wind and solar energy.

Kaine co-sponsored an amendment with Ms. Alsobrooks and Mr. Van Hollen to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to civil servants in the concurrent resolution S. Con. Res. 7 for fiscal years 2025-2034.

Kaine co-sponsored Senate Amendment 987, which proposed a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to improving relations between the United States and Canada.

Kaine introduced S. 603 with Senator Mark Warner to designate the General George C. Marshall House in Leesburg, Virginia as an affiliated area of the National Park System.

Kaine rose to discuss constituent concerns in Virginia resulting from Trump administration executive orders, including impacts on veterans' access to VA portals, federal hiring freezes affecting Head Start programs and university research funding, federal employee reclassifications, and refugee and immigrant families' fears about deportations.

Kaine spoke on the Senate floor to draw colleagues' attention to the contrast between President Trump's January 20 national emergency declaration citing drug deaths at the southern border and his January 21 pardon of drug kingpin Ross Ulbricht, questioning why the President would pardon someone convicted of running a drug trafficking enterprise that generated over $200 million in revenue.

Kaine spoke on the Senate floor about the effects of President Trump's executive order pausing Federal funding, describing impacts on Virginia including closed VA portals for veterans, hiring freezes at a new VA clinic in Fredericksburg, and disruptions to childcare centers.

Kaine stated that he voted for every Secretary of Defense nomination before the body, including General Mattis and Mark Esper during the Trump administrations, and explained his opposition to Pete Hegseth's nomination by focusing on Hegseth's characterization of allegations against him as "anonymous smears" rather than denying them as false.

Kaine was listed as a co-sponsor of Senate Resolution 33, which expresses support for the recognition of January as "Muslim-American Heritage Month" and celebrates the heritage and culture of Muslim Americans in the United States.

Kaine co-sponsored an amendment to S. 5 submitted by Mr. Murphy that would authorize federal courts to issue arrest warrants for aliens removable from the United States who have been charged with or convicted of felonies, crimes of violence, or pose a threat to national security.

Kaine partnered with Senator Jay Moran to reauthorize the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program with support from colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Kaine discussed the 14th Amendment's definition of birthright citizenship and its historical origins in response to slavery, including the Dred Scott case.

Kaine commended the 10th anniversary of the Recovery Court Program in the New River Valley of Virginia and recognized Lori Trail for her service as program manager and coordinator since the program's creation in 2014.

Kaine requested unanimous consent to confirm Mark G. Eskenazi and Amanda Wood Laihow to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, stating that the Commission had lacked a quorum since April 2023 and that both nominees received strong bipartisan support in the HELP Committee.

Kaine requested unanimous consent to grant floor privileges to three legislative fellows—Julia Burnell, Steven Ramdilal, and Ryan Gallagher—for the duration of their fellowships with his office.

Kaine congratulated North of the James magazine on its 30th anniversary and praised its role in the Richmond community, highlighting the publication's growth, editorial achievements, and recognition by the Virginia Press Association.

Kaine requested that Senator Fetterman be added as a cosponsor of S. 399, a bill to place limitations on excepting positions from the competitive service.

Kaine rose to recognize Hope Porter and Marie Ridder, two Virginia outdoors advocates celebrating their 100th birthdays, and noted their decades of work on land preservation and conservation in Virginia.