Warner Weekly Wrap-Up: It’s Finally Infrastructure Week

From the Warner press office! Congress celebrated some big wins this week: First, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Monday.

In addition, early on Friday the House took another monumental step towards advancing President Biden’s agenda by passing the $1.9 trillion Build Back Better Act.

Also this week, the Senate voted to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the floor. Sen. Warner is championing multiple provisions in the bill that will help military families.

Without further ado, here is this week’s wrap-up:

On Monday, Sen. Warner joined a bipartisan group of colleagues at the White House to witness President Biden sign into law historic infrastructure legislation that makes once-in-a-generation investments in our nation’s communities.

November 15, 2021 – The White House

Following the signing, Sens. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) celebrated the accomplishment, saying:

“It’s with great pride that we applaud President Biden’s signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – a historic law that will bring critically-overdue funding into our communities and create a new generation of good-paying American jobs. The investments made possible by this law will bring Virginia’s infrastructure into the twenty-first century by fixing crumbling roadways, bolstering public transit systems, bridging the broadband gap, and strengthening our coastal resiliency. As former governors of Virginia, we know that getting a bill signed into law is only the beginning, and we’ll be working with folks on the ground to ensure this bill is implemented quickly and efficiently.”

Sen. Warner highlighted what this law means for Virginians on his social media throughout the week:

NDAA DECISIONS

Earlier this week, the Senate advanced debate on the nation’s annual defense budget. Sen. Warner is advocating for measures that will give servicemembers and their families the support they deserve by proposing several amendments to the bill aimed at addressing major problems experienced by members of the military, including food insecurity, poor housing conditions, and access to quality health care.

In response to a 2021 survey by the Military Family Advisory, which found that one in five members of our military reported experiencing food insecurity, Sen. Warner is pushing for multiple provisions to be included in this year’s NDAA that would direct relevant agencies to review and oversee the problem of food insecurity among our ranks.

In addition, he is fighting for a provision that would create a pilot program at nine commissaries across the country. This program would allow the DoD to offer food boxes full of fresh produce to service members facing food insecurity.

Sen. Warner is also advocating for provisions to address poor housing conditions for service members, including accountability around privatized military housing.

Explaining the importance of these measures Sen. Warner explained:

“The brave men and women who serve in our military should never have to worry about putting food on the table, about having a safe place to live, or about being able to access the timely and quality health care they have earned. That’s why I’m proud to introduce these amendments to our nation’s annual defense bill to further protect military families in Virginia and around the country.”

GRAB BAG

JOB WELL DONE: Sens. Warner, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Jon Tester (D-MT) issued a statement after the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law.

NOT TOLERATED: Sen. Warner, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a statement after the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges Thursday against two Iranians and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity for attempting to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

COMMUNITY EFFORT: Sens. Warner and Kaine announced $718,750 in federal funding from the Department of Justice through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP).

WEEK AHEAD

When the Senate returns after Thanksgiving, it will continue work on NDAA and take up debate on the Build Back Better Act, passed today by the House. Senator Warner will also continue working with his colleagues to fund the government past the current December 3rd deadline and raise the debt limit past the current December 15th “X Date”.