Summary
Current Position: US Senator since 2013
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Governor from 2006 – 2010; Lt. Governor from 2002 – 2006; Mayor from 1998 – 2001
Other Positions:
Chair, Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support – Committee on Armed Services Budget Committee, Foreign Relations Committee, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Government Site
“Tim has made boosting job opportunities for everyone a top priority. Tim is focused on crafting smart defense strategy and reducing the risk of unnecessary war. Tim believes that health care is a right … and has consistently pushed for reforms to expand access to quality care.”
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Following speculation about his political future, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced at a Richmond press conference that he will run for a third term in 2024.
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December 16, 2023 – 7:00 am (ET)
Following speculation about his political future, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced at a Richmond press conference that he will run for a third term in 2024.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today called on President Joe Biden to urge the governments of Israel and Egypt to protect press freedom and allow journalists into Gaza to cover the war. In their letter to the president, the senators underscored the importance of safe access into Gaza for journalists and the need for accurate and independent reporting from inside the warzone.
“We ask you to further urge the Israeli government, as well as the Egyptian government, to respect press freedom by allowing all interested journalists to report without restriction from Gaza, with the exception of operational security requirements for embedded journalists, and provide journalists with the appropriate protections to carry out their essential work,” the senators wrote. “Without protections for journalists in Gaza and access for international journalists, the world is unable to get a complete and accurate understanding of events. Journalists play a vital role in a free society by holding individuals, organizations, and governments accountable for their actions. The lack of transparency caused by limited journalistic access is at odds with the obligation all governments have to allow citizens to access factual information. Especially in a time of rampant mis- and disinformation, journalists both provide the international community with up-to-date news about the war and equip the local population with potentially life-saving information about fast-changing developments.”
The senators continued, “American democracy rests on a bedrock commitment to a free press and we must insist on the same from others, including our closest allies and partners. The principles for which the United States advocates send strong messages to foreign governments and help establish essential international norms.”
The full text of the senators’ letter to President Biden is available here and below:
Dear President Biden,
We appreciate your continued engagement with Congress on issues related to the war in Gaza and welcome your efforts to secure the release of hostages, limit civilian casualties, and provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians in desperate need of assistance. We write to you today because we are deeply concerned about the inability of international journalists to enter and report from Gaza and the lack of safety for journalists covering the war in Gaza, which keeps the public from understanding the full dimensions of this war. We were glad to see Secretary Blinken’s letter to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) about the U.S. commitment to protecting journalists during armed conflict and his comments on the “vital importance of their mission” in recent days, but more must be done. Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, does not respect a free press, given its history of using propaganda and harassing, obstructing, torturing, and using physical violence against journalists in Gaza—actions that must be condemned and stopped. Israeli journalists were among the 1,200 killed in Hamas’s unspeakably brutal attacks on October 7th. As Israel addresses legitimate and ongoing threats from Hamas, we ask you to further urge the Israeli government, as well as the Egyptian government, to respect press freedom by allowing all interested journalists to report without restriction from Gaza, with the exception of operational security requirements for embedded journalists, and provide journalists with the appropriate protections to carry out their essential work.
News organizations, including those in Israel, are not able to independently access Gaza. In November, 11 news organizations sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi urging them to allow their journalists into Gaza to report on the war. According to the Israeli government, over 2,000 international journalists have come to Israel since October 7th. A small number of reporters have been allowed to access Gaza as part of a tour organized by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Under this arrangement, journalists must remain with the IDF, and in some cases, face requirements to submit their footage to the IDF for review before publication. One journalist has been able to enter and report from Gaza without IDF supervision, but only for a matter of hours at a United Arab Emirates field hospital in southern Gaza. Other journalists who have requested to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing have been refused, receiving conflicting answers from the Egyptian and Israeli governments about why they are unable to cross the border. This setup is wholly inadequate and severely restricts the flow of independent information.
Reporting on military operations is a dangerous, but extremely important, job. Today, journalists are risking their lives reporting from conflict zones around the globe, including in Ukraine, to share stories about the reality and impacts of war with the world. Israel, which almost entirely controls access to Gaza, allowed international (though, not Israeli) journalists access to the territory during its 2014 military offensive, permitting in-depth, on-the-ground reporting on the war. Journalists understand that entering a warzone puts themselves in harm’s way, but they should be the ones to decide their risk tolerance, not the Israeli or Egyptian governments. You spoke of the importance and the costs of reporting on the war in Ukraine last year, honoring the “courage and sacrifice of journalists around the world.” Let us listen to the nearly 100 French journalists who signed a petition calling for international journalists to be allowed to report in Gaza, writing “Let us enter the Gaza Strip to do our job. We know the risks.”
Access for international journalists is even more important given the dire situation facing Gazan reporters. Since October 7th, the world has relied on Gazan journalists, many of them freelancers, to report on and share information. They, at great risk to themselves, have continued working while fleeing their homes, losing family members, and living under constant threat of violence. The scale of the killings of journalists and media workers is unprecedented in recent times. In October, the IDF told Reuters and AFP that it cannot guarantee the safety of their journalists during IDF operations in Gaza, and devastatingly, dozens of journalists in Gaza have been killed, as have reporters working outside Gaza on the Lebanese border. Others are injured and unable to leave Gaza. With no new reporters or media workers allowed to enter Gaza, there is no flexibility for rotating people in and out of the field. Palestinian journalists in Gaza are cut off from international support, so have been unable to receive personal protective gear, including bulletproof vests and helmets. Media and communications blackouts limit their ability to report and publish information. The inability for reporters or their families to leave Gaza leaves them trapped in a humanitarian nightmare. The international community must make clear that those restrictions on or mistreatment of journalists is unacceptable.
Without protections for journalists in Gaza and access for international journalists, the world is unable to get a complete and accurate understanding of events. Journalists play a vital role in a free society by holding individuals, organizations, and governments accountable for their actions. The lack of transparency caused by limited journalistic access is at odds with the obligation all governments have to allow citizens to access factual information. Especially in a time of rampant mis- and disinformation, journalists both provide the international community with up-to-date news about the war and equip the local population with potentially life-saving information about fast-changing developments.
American democracy rests on a bedrock commitment to a free press and we must insist on the same from others, including our closest allies and partners. The principles for which the United States advocates send strong messages to foreign governments and help establish essential international norms.
We respectfully request your administration urge the Israeli government, and where appropriate, the Egyptian government, to:
- Expeditiously allow journalists interested in covering the war into Gaza;
- Provide the standard protections for Palestinian journalists already in Gaza, including respecting media credentials and press insignia, and convey and follow rules of engagement regarding the press that guarantee basic protection;
- Allow personal protective and professional equipment into Gaza to help journalists conduct their reporting duties, including bulletproof vests, helmets, and phone chargers;
- Permit journalists in Gaza who desire to leave the territory to do so;
- Refrain from using media and communications blackouts and take care to preserve telecommunications infrastructure needed for reporting;
- Ensure that reporters are not to be harassed, detained, threatened or otherwise prevented from doing their jobs in areas adjacent to Gaza, including in Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, and the West Bank, and release unduly detained journalists; and
- Conduct swift, transparent, and thorough investigations into killings and other attacks on journalists, following internationally accepted standards.
We appreciate your emphasis on protecting civilians as Israel addresses the security threats posed by Hamas. We are grateful for your leadership in negotiating the week-long humanitarian pause, which secured the release of many hostages and allowed desperately needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza. As you continue to engage with the Israeli and Egyptian governments, we ask that you advocate for the safety and freedom of journalists in this conflict.
Sincerely,
Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday “there’s a powerful argument to be made” for barring Donald Trump from the presidential ballot based on the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding public office.
“My sense is it’s probably going to get resolved in the courts,” Kaine said on “ABC This Week,” adding that Democrats’ focus should be on winning in 2024.
Legal experts have pointed to the 14th Amendment as a potential long-shot avenue to keep Trump from becoming president. The amendment includes a post-Civil War “disqualification clause” that bars anyone from holding public office if they “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” The Constitution does not, however, spell out how to enforce this ban and it has only been applied twice since the late 1800s, when it was used extensively against former Confederates.
About
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Born: February 26, 1958
Wife: Anne
Children: Nat, Woody, Annella
Education:
University of Missouri
Harvard Law School 1983
Sworn In: January 3, 2013
Tim Kaine has helped people throughout his life as a missionary, civil rights lawyer, teacher and elected official. He is one of 30 people in American history to have served as a Mayor, Governor and United States Senator.
Early Commitment to Public Service
Tim grew up working in his father’s ironworking shop in Kansas City. His parents taught him the value of hard work and showed him how small businesses and technical skills strengthen this country every day. After graduating from the University of Missouri, Tim started his public service career by running a technical school founded by Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. He trained teenagers to become carpenters and welders, equipping them with skills to lift up themselves and their communities. As Tim says, his work in Honduras was “a North Star” that led to his commitment to advance job opportunities for everyone. His time there reinforced three core values that are still a central part of his life today: “Fe, familia, y trabajo” – “Faith, family, and work.”
Family Life
Tim met Virginian Anne Holton at Harvard Law School and they married in 1984 in the same church in Richmond they attend to this day. They have three adult children. Anne, a former legal aid lawyer and juvenile court judge, served as Virginia Secretary of Education from 2014 until 2016. Before that, Anne ran Great Expectations, a program that offers tutoring, career coaching, and other services to help young adults aging out of foster care and attending Virginia community colleges transition to successful, independent adulthood. She now teaches education policy and government at George Mason University – Tim calls her the best public servant he knows. Anne’s father Linwood Holton, a former Republican Governor of Virginia, was critical to integrating Virginia’s public schools, putting the Commonwealth on the path to progress we see today.
Early Career
After law school, Tim practiced law in Richmond for 17 years, specializing in the representation of people who had been denied housing due to their race, disability, or family status. In 1998, Tim helped win one of the largest civil rights jury verdicts ever in a case involving discrimination against minority neighborhoods by an insurance company. He also began teaching law part-time at the University of Richmond in 1987.
Elected Office
Tim was first elected to office in 1994, serving as a city council member and four years later, Mayor of Richmond. When he was first elected to City Council in Richmond, the city had one of the highest homicide rates in America, and he worked with law enforcement and the community to find solutions that brought down the rate of violent crime. He became Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2002 and was inaugurated as Virginia’s 70th Governor in 2006. While serving as Governor, Tim improved the education and health care systems, and by the end of his term, leading publications ranked Virginia the best state to raise a child and the best state for business. He visited a school in every county and city in the Commonwealth and helped Virginia make it through the worst recession since the Great Depression. He also responded to the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech by strengthening Virginia’s background check system and pushing his legislature to do more to make communities safer.
In the Senate
Tim was elected to the Senate in 2012 as a can-do optimist skilled in bringing people together across old lines of party, race, or region. Tim has spent his time in the Senate focused on improving the lives of Virginians. He has made boosting job opportunities for everyone a top priority. As co-chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, Tim focuses on expanding access to job-training programs to ensure that students of all ages are prepared with the skills they need for the jobs of the modern economy. Tim has helped lead efforts in the Senate to reduce unemployment for military families and veterans. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, a Senator from one of the states most closely connected to the military, and the father of a Marine, Tim is focused on crafting smart defense strategy and reducing the risk of unnecessary war. He works to ensure that the military has the resources it needs to keep the country safe and that service members and veterans receive the benefits and care they have earned. He has also been the leading voice against Presidents starting wars without a vote by Congress. Tim believes that health care is a right, not something reserved just for those who can afford it, and has consistently pushed for reforms to expand access to quality care. This includes legislation to give Americans more options for affordable health insurance and to combat the opioid abuse epidemic. Tim serves on Senate Committees where he is able to work on those priorities every day for Virginians: the Armed Services; Budget; Foreign Relations; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees. He is Ranking Member of the Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee and the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism.
Staff Directory
Source: https://www.kaine.senate.gov/services/staff-directory
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Email: Government
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Politics
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Economy & Jobs
Tim is focused on creating economic opportunity for all Virginians. He believes that by improving education and job training, supporting small businesses, raising wages, providing tax relief to low- and middle-income families, and investing in new industries, the United States will continue to be a global economic leader.
Throughout his work in the Senate, Tim has become a leading voice for strengthening the job training programs Americans need to access good-paying, in-demand jobs that put them on a path to economic success. Drawing from his experience in Virginia, Honduras, and his dad’s ironworking shop, Tim cofounded the bipartisan Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus and has championed legislation—including bills that have become law—to expand students’ access to high-quality CTE programs and help prepare American workers for jobs in the modern economy, including in the cybersecurity industry.
Tim sees small businesses as the drivers of job creation and economic growth in Virginia and across the nation. He has successfully passed legislation, including the American Rescue Plan Act, to help them grow and thrive by increasing their access to capital and lowering barriers to entry for minority entrepreneurs. Tim is concerned about the largest banks getting bigger while the number of small community banks continues to decline. He supported legislation to prevent this consolidation and expand consumer protections for servicemembers, veterans, those with impaired credit, seniors, and people hurt by data breaches. This legislation was signed into law and has helped Virginians in rural and underserved communities secure loans to buy a home, send their kids to college, and start small businesses.
Tim was also proud that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which he helped pass in 2021, included his legislation to expand support for minority-owned businesses in rural areas. That legislation also marked the largest investment in America’s infrastructure needs in generations, creating jobs in Virginia and across the country by repairing roads, bridges, airports, ports, waterways, water treatment facilities, expanding access to broadband, and boosting climate resiliency.
Tim continues to work to build an economy that works for everyone and has sponsored legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour because he believes no one working full time should live in poverty. He also has supported smart tax reforms to provide relief to working Americans and make our tax system fairer and simpler. He helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act to make sure that the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes.
Tim has long advocated for the resources Virginia needs to continue being a leader in business and industry, including in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips. In 2022, he was proud to help pass the Chips and Science Act, legislation that will provide support for domestic chips production and science research—a win-win-win for job creation, America’s national security, and reducing supply chain bottlenecks. As a manufacturing and research hub, Virginia is uniquely well-positioned to benefit from this legislation.
Virginia has served as a model for the nation by prioritizing investments in education and workforce training, as well as embracing global fair trade, which led to the international expansion of Virginia businesses. Tim believes that we can strengthen America’s economic recovery and create jobs by embracing the growth strategies that have worked in the Commonwealth. Tim served as Governor of Virginia during the worst recession since the Great Depression. Throughout his term, Virginia maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, and Tim helped recruit several major employers to move to the Commonwealth. During his tenure as Governor, Virginia was named the best state for business in America.
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