U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., defended joining other Democratic senators to vote with Republicans on a bipartisan deal to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history – now 41 days.
“I sure don’t mind being criticized for a judgment call,” Kaine said. “I stood up yesterday in the caucus after I got the commitment that I needed on the protection of 2 million federal employees, and I said this commitment is enough to get me to ‘yes,’” Kaine said.
Kaine said the holdout wasn’t getting Democrats what they wanted.
“The one thing I could’ve guaranteed, though, is that SNAP beneficiaries would’ve suffered more, federal workers would’ve missed more paychecks and air traffic control would be more chaotic,” Kaine said.
Kaine, along with other Democrats, had been holding out on health care for over a month, but now, with health care removed from the table, Kaine said he believes it’s time to negotiate on other matters.
He negotiated full compensation for federal employees and claims that the bill would reinstate any federal employee who was RIF’d during the shutdown.
The deal also doesn’t guarantee the extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will expire at the end of the year. Allowing the funds to lapse would raise insurance premiums for millions of Americans.
The bill Kaine supports requires that the Senate take up the health care issue within one month of passing the deal, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson already stated the issue is “dead on arrival” in the House.
“This is the problem with this agreement: There’s no guarantee, no assurance, that we’ll deal with this ticking time bomb that is about to go off on Americans’ health care,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
“So, last night, I wasn’t only a ‘no,’ but a strong ‘no.’ We’ve gotta keep this fight going. We’ve gotta make sure that we don’t allow this health care cliff to take place,” said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
Kaine has faced criticism since making his decision Sunday. Some Democratic voters on social media called for him to resign, to which Kaine chuckled and replied, “That’s hilarious.”
U.S. Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., said while he respects Kaine, he plans to vote ‘no’ on the bill when it reaches the House, likely within the next few days.
“I don’t think it secures the long-term protections that federal workers need to prevent the Trump administration from illegally or unilaterally slashing federal programs and federal jobs,” Walkinshaw said.
The funding bill includes three full-year appropriations bills that will fund specific departments through the end of the fiscal year and provide funding for the entire government through the remainder of the fiscal year.
The bill would fully fund SNAP benefits through the end of next September.
Johnson has called representatives back to Washington. If the bill passes the Senate and then the House, it could be on the president’s desk by Friday.
Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
