Because the adverse impacts of the 33-day authorities shutdown compound, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine mentioned Sunday he does not see the current funding deadlock when it comes to politics, insisting what Democrats are “centered on is the American folks.”
Requested by ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz what Democrats have gained because the shutdown started, Kaine mentioned, “Nicely, I don’t have a look at this as politics.”
“I imply, the president advised the Home, do a price range and, in his phrases, don’t take care of Democrats. So, Senate Democrats put another on the desk 12 days earlier than Sept. 30 that fastened the well being care wreckage that the Republicans precipitated and that ensured {that a} deal could be honored, each by Congress and the White Home. The president refused to satisfy 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 Photographs, FILE
“I am a United States senator,” Kaine mentioned. “And I — sure, I run as a Democrat, and I am a Democrat, however I simply do not method my work that means. So, while you ask what Democrats have gained, what we’re — what we’re centered on is the American folks. We wish President Trump to cease firing folks, canceling financial growth tasks. We wish them to cease elevating everyone’s prices.”
Kaine mentioned Democrats need Trump to “merely sit down” and negotiate a “price range deal that places us on a path to a well being care repair.”
Because the shutdown drags on, neither facet 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 Individuals who get medical insurance by way of the Reasonably priced Care Act. The Republicans and White Home proceed to insist the one viable choice is to go the short-term funding invoice that will fund the federal government by means of Nov. 21 and has didn’t go 13 occasions within the Senate.
Individuals at the moment are 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 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 decide dominated the administration should proceed to fund this system, regardless of the administration claiming it legally can’t.
Listed below 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 just isn’t about well being look after unlawful immigrants and Sean Duffy is aware of it. It is about thousands and thousands of Individuals who, in the previous few weeks, have gotten premium enhance notices that inform them that Donald Trump’s massive, stunning invoice is delivering them massive, ugly medical insurance payments inside the subsequent few weeks until we will discover a repair.
On experiences 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 a couple of weeks. Is that occurring proper now? Are you a part of these discussions?
Kaine: I’d say, Martha, I am form 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 comply with reopen, President Trump’s bought to cease the firings.
The FAA, we’re speaking air visitors management, they’ve pressured 2,400 folks out of the FAA throughout Trump’s first 12 months once they had been already quick 3,000 air 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 folks’s well being care. If the president engages, we will probably be — we are going to discover a deal I believe inside hours.
On Virginia Democrats’ possibilities in Tuesday’s governor election
Kaine: I really feel actually good about it, Martha. And right here’s why. In Virginia, we’re one of the best pink to blue turnaround within the nation within the final 25 years. And the way in which we’ve performed it’s by specializing in the financial system. Abigail Spanberger, our candidate, three pillars to her marketing campaign: affordability, jobs, and training, which is about children, but additionally about our workforce. Her opponent is operating adverts on offbeat cultural points that don’t actually matter to most individuals. In Virginia, Democrats concentrate on the financial system, successful the financial arguments, delivering financial outcomes. And that’s why the state has moved from pink to blue so dramatically since 2000.
