Warner Weekly Wrap-Up: Working hard at home and abroad

Sen. Warner stayed active on a broad range of issues this week: addressing the situations in Ukraine and Ethiopia; voting to avert another shutdown; pushing for accountability, answers, and action on inflation and the IRS; and securing more assistance for those affected by the flooding in Buchanan County.

Here’s what happened:

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
Sen. Warner continues to stay laser-focused on the situation in Ukraine. This week, he spoke on the Senate floor condemning the actions of Vladimir Putin and reaffirming the United States’ commitment to standing with the people of Ukraine. He’s repeatedly addressed how a potential invasion might affect Virginians – from rising prices to cyber disruptions.

Also, in his role as Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, he released a joint statement with 11 other bipartisan Senate leaders condemning Russian intimidation and recommitting to solidarity with Ukraine. They wrote, “Make no mistake: the United States Senate stands with the people of Ukraine and our NATO allies and partners most threatened by Russian aggression. Our troops stand ready to reinforce the defenses of our Eastern European allies and we are prepared to respond decisively to Russian efforts to undermine the security of the United States at home and abroad. We also call upon our allies to join us in bolstering NATO’s eastern flank.”

He also remains committed to making sure the public stays informed on the issue and has conducted multiple interviews to convey updates on the situation as they occur. You can see some local coverage on WDBJ7, NBC29, Fredericksburg Today, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, WSLS, or national coverage on FOX, MSNBC, and CNBC.

Yesterday, Sen. Warner traveled to Munich alongside a bipartisan group of senators for a security conference focused on addressing the conflict. While there, he’ll participate in meetings with international diplomats and get further briefings on the situation.

In other international updates, Sen. Warner is also communicating with U.S. officials about the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. He spoke with operatives on the ground in Addis Ababa this week and released a statement of support for the people of Ethiopia.

NEW YEARS (CONTINUING) RESOLUTIONS
Congress kept the lights on once again and averted a shutdown, reaching an agreement on a “continuing resolution” to keep the government funded through mid-March at current levels. While Sen. Warner is always glad to prevent a shutdown, he remains one of the most outspoken critics against the antiquated way Congress deals with funding the government. This week, he released a statement alongside Sen. Kaine arguing for the passage of a full omnibus spending bill; this follows his statement last week calling attention to the potential funding losses. They said,

“We’re relieved we averted a government shutdown, but we need the certainty that a full-year government funding bill would provide. Virginia communities are at risk of being unable to fund critical operations. We owe it to them to do our jobs and fund the government for the full year, instead of simply kicking the can down the road.

Sen. Warner has been advocating for reform to the government funding process for years, including by introducing the Stop STUPIDITY Act, which would help avert shutdowns. This year, however, he has been particularly outspoken because full funding for critical priorities – including the bipartisan infrastructure bill (of which he was a key negotiator) – is dependent on passing a full omnibus spending bill instead of more short-term continuing resolutions. A few weeks ago, he wrote to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to get answers on exactly how much money Virginia stands to lose without a full omnibus spending bill.

Unfortunately, Virginia could lose approximately $364 million in roads and bridges funding and $53 million in transit funding, and several other priorities – $37 billion in defense spending, the Coastal Storm Risk Management Program for Hampton Roads, funding for landmarks, and the CDC – could all lose out.

Sen. Warner brought attention to this issue in a statement and a Twitter thread and continues to advocate for both the short-term need to pass an omnibus spending bill and the long-term need to reevaluate and reform the legislative process for government funding.

BACKLOG BLUES
As the tax-filing season continues, Sen. Warner is continuing to push the IRS on substantial delays and unresponsiveness. That’s why this week Sen. Warner joined a group of Senate colleagues calling on the IRS to quickly address current backlogs. They wrote,

“We continue to hear from constituents who are still waiting for their 2020 tax returns, have received confusing notices about overdue payments they already paid, and cannot reach anyone at the IRS for assistance. Many of these problems stem from the millions of unprocessed correspondence items from 2021.”

Sen. Warner has been a leader in Congress fighting for the 6 million Americans still waiting on tax returns from last year’s filing season. Last month he joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers drawing attention to the severe delays. Some of his efforts have already produced results – this week, the IRS announced they wouldn’t be shutting down a processing center in order to prevent further delays.

He also redoubled his efforts by participating in a Senate Finance Committee hearing about the IRS this week and pushing for concrete solutions that will help Virginians get their returns faster.

GRAB BAG

HELP FOR HURLEY: Sen. Warner has advocated extensively for more federal support for victims of the flooding in Buchanan County, and he achieved another victory this week (following last week’s announcement that victims would be eligible to apply for SBA funds) by announcing almost $175,000 in direct assistance from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

#FEDFIVENOW: After Republican Banking Committee members obstructed a vote on the critical nominees for the Federal Reserve, Sen. Warner expressed his disappointment in the lack of progress on confirming roles that have a major role in tackling inflation. As he continues to fight for lower costs for families, he supports confirming these highly-qualified nominees as soon as possible.

LAWMAKERS WITH BENEFITS: Sen. Warner led a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators this week in reintroducing a law aimed at testing a portable benefits model for the independently employed.

TAKING ON INFLATION: In addition to his IRS hearings, Sen. Warner participated in a Finance Committee hearing this week and advocated for solutions on asked inflation and the housing shortage.

POSTAL SERVICE: Sen. Warner continues to put pressure on passing the USPS reform bill, offering several statements of support so Congress can get this done and reform USPS so it can deliver mail consistently in all communities. This follows Sen. Warner’s personal visits to communities that have experienced significant delays.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Sen. Warner has been contributing to a thread all month long highlighting the contributions and vibrant history of Black Americans.

WEEK AHEAD
Next week, the Senate will be in recess, and Sen. Warner will continue to participate in the security conference in Munich. Once he’s back stateside, he’ll be spending the rest of the week in Hampton Roads, visiting the NASA Langley Research Center, touring the City of Norfolk’s Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, participating in a Gloucester County Leadership Roundtable, and more.