Friends —

We hope this email finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. Our team is committed to sending these weekly updates to keep folks around Virginia up to date with what Mark Warner is working on in the Senate and his areas of focus.

Here's what Mark is working on right now:

• This week, Mark Warner announced the Department of Justice (DOJ) pilot program for the Ashanti Alert system, which was created by legislation he passed in 2018. After months of pressure from Sen. Warner on the DOJ, this life-saving program is at last being implemented. It would help states spread the word about missing persons who are too old for an Amber Alert, and too young for a Silver Alert, which is reserved for senior citizens.


• Mark Warner talked in-depth about his plan to help communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Mark’s Job and Neighborhood Investment Act includes investment in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), a Neighborhood Loan Program to support small business lending to businesses serving low- and moderate-income and minority communities, and additional programs to strengthen MDIs and CDFIs, aimed at strengthening the relationship between these institutions and federal agencies like the U.S. Treasury.


• Mark Warner called for passage of his States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act, which would allow states (like Virginia) to further benefit from expanding Medicaid benefits, and to incentivize states that have not already expanded their programs to do so. Mark will continue to fight to expand Medicaid access; he argued that passing this expansion is critically important as the coronavirus pandemic continues and more than 5 million Americans find themselves having lost health insurance benefits tied to their employer.


• Mark Warner supported an amendment that would expand critical health care and benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from illnesses after exposure to Agent Orange. This amendment has broad bi-partisan support, and would expand benefits for more than 22,000 veterans.


• Mark Warner called for aid for the U.S. Postal Service during the pandemic. Millions of Americans rely on the postal service for bills and payments, medication, and other essential services.


• Just because we’re physically distancing from one another doesn’t mean we can’t connect with our elected officials! Mark Warner held another virtual town hall this week with Rep. Bobby Scott to talk about the issues that matter to their constituents. Click here to view that town hall.

Thank you for your support.

— Team Warner