Because the detrimental impacts of the 33-day authorities shutdown compound, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine stated Sunday he does not see the current funding deadlock by way of politics, insisting what Democrats are “targeted on is the American individuals.”
Requested by ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz what Democrats have gained for the reason that shutdown started, Kaine stated, “Effectively, I don’t take a look at this as politics.”
“I imply, the president informed the Home, do a funds and, in his phrases, don’t cope with Democrats. So, Senate Democrats put an alternate on the desk 12 days earlier than Sept. 30 that mounted the well being care wreckage that the Republicans brought on and that ensured {that a} deal could be honored, each by Congress and the White Home. The president refused to fulfill till the day earlier than the deadline,” Kaine continued. “The man’s unserious.”
Raddatz adopted as much as press Kaine: “Not speaking about politics. What have Democrats gained throughout this era? And the way lengthy can this final?”
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks at a press convention on the U.S. Capitol on April 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos, FILE
“I am a United States senator,” Kaine stated. “And I — sure, I run as a Democrat, and I am a Democrat, however I simply do not method my work that manner. So, whenever you ask what Democrats have gained, what we’re — what we’re targeted on is the American individuals. We wish President Trump to cease firing individuals, canceling financial improvement initiatives. We wish them to cease elevating all people’s prices.”
Kaine stated Democrats need Trump to “merely sit down” and negotiate a “funds deal that places us on a path to a well being care repair.”
Because the shutdown drags on, neither aspect has moved a lot from their preliminary stances. The Democrats proceed to insist on well being care priorities, together with an extension of expiring tax credit for thousands and thousands of People who get medical health insurance by way of the Reasonably priced Care Act. The Republicans and White Home proceed to insist the one viable possibility is to go the short-term funding invoice that may fund the federal government by way of Nov. 21 and has didn’t go 13 instances within the Senate.
People are actually studying simply how a lot their well being care premiums would enhance subsequent 12 months if these tax credit aren’t prolonged. However the penalties of the shutdown are additionally turning into extra obvious: air site visitors controllers are more and more calling out sick resulting in delays and floor stops, and the important SNAP meals help program is now in limbo after a choose dominated the administration should proceed to fund this system, regardless of the administration claiming it legally can not.
Listed here are extra highlights from Kaine’s interview:
Kaine refutes GOP claims that Democrats try to provide well being care to “unlawful immigrants”
Raddatz: I do know you heard Secretary [Sean] Duffy [who appeared earlier on the show] speaking concerning the onus is on the Democrats and that you’re combating to get unlawful well being look after immigrants.
Kaine: That is a lie. The well being care battle will not be about well being look after unlawful immigrants and Sean Duffy is aware of it. It is about thousands and thousands of People who, in the previous few weeks, have gotten premium enhance notices that inform them that Donald Trump’s huge, lovely invoice is delivering them huge, ugly medical health insurance payments inside the subsequent few weeks until we will discover a repair.
On stories bipartisan rank and file senators are assembly to attempt to finish shutdown
Raddatz: There are reportedly conversations amongst rank and file senators to attempt to attain — to barter the reopening of the federal government for just a few weeks. Is that happening proper now? Are you a part of these discussions?
Kaine: I might say, Martha, I am kind of on the fringe of them. There’s a group of individuals speaking about these two points, a path to repair the well being care debacle and a assure that if we reopen authorities, I am calling it a moratorium on mischief. If we conform to reopen, President Trump’s acquired to cease the firings.
The FAA, we’re speaking air site visitors management, they’ve pressured 2,400 individuals out of the FAA throughout Trump’s first 12 months once they have been already brief 3,000 air site visitors controllers. Cease the firings, cease the game-playing, cease going after blue cities and serving to pink cities. Let’s have a moratorium on mischief throughout no matter this era is. Get on a path to repair individuals’s well being care. If the president engages, we will probably be — we are going to discover a deal I feel inside hours.
On Virginia Democrats’ probabilities in Tuesday’s governor election
Kaine: I really feel actually good about it, Martha. And right here’s why. In Virginia, we’re the very best pink to blue turnaround within the nation within the final 25 years. And the way in which we’ve finished it’s by specializing in the economic system. Abigail Spanberger, our candidate, three pillars to her marketing campaign: affordability, jobs, and schooling, which is about youngsters, but additionally about our workforce. Her opponent is working adverts on offbeat cultural points that don’t actually matter to most individuals. In Virginia, Democrats deal with the economic system, successful the financial arguments, delivering financial outcomes. And that’s why the state has moved from pink to blue so dramatically since 2000.
