As the negative impacts of the 33-day government shutdown worsen, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday that he doesn’t see the current funding stalemate in policy terms, insisting that Democrats are “focused on the American people.”
Asked by ABC “This week” When co-host Martha Raddatz talked about what Democrats have gained since the shutdown began, Kaine said, “Well, I don’t see this as politics.”
“I mean, the president told the House, make a budget and, in his words, don’t deal with the Democrats. So the Senate Democrats put an alternative on the table 12 days before September 30 that fixed the health care disaster that the Republicans caused and that ensured that the agreement would be respected, both by Congress and the White House. The president refused to meet until the day before the deadline,” Kaine continued. “The guy isn’t serious.”
Raddatz continued to press Kaine: “I’m not talking about politics. What have the Democrats gained during this period? And how long can this last?”
Senator Tim Kaine speaks at a press conference at the United States Capitol on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, FILE
“I’m a United States senator,” Kaine said. “And I… yes, I’m running as a Democrat, and I’m a Democrat, but I just don’t approach my job that way. So when you ask what the Democrats have won, what are we… what we’re focused on is the American people. We want President Trump to stop laying off people and canceling economic development projects. We want them to stop raising everyone’s costs.”
Kaine said Democrats want Trump to “just sit down” and negotiate a “budget deal that puts us on the path to a health care solution.”
As the shutdown drags on, neither side has budged much from its initial positions. Democrats continue to press health care priorities, including an extension of expiring tax credits for millions of Americans who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Republicans and the White House continue to insist that the only viable option is to pass the short-term funding bill that would fund the government until November 21 and which has failed to pass the Senate 13 times.
Americans are now learning how much their health care premiums would increase next year if these tax credits are not extended. But the consequences of the shutdown are also becoming more apparent: Air traffic controllers are increasingly alerting the sick, causing delays and ground stops, and the critical SNAP food assistance program is now in limbo after a judge ruled that the administration must continue funding the program, even though the administration claims it legally cannot do so.
Here are more highlights from Kaine’s interview:
Kaine refutes GOP claims that Democrats are trying to provide health care to ‘illegal immigrants’
Raddatz: I know you heard the Secretary [Sean] Duffy [who appeared earlier on the show] talk about how the responsibility falls on the Democrats and that you are fighting to get illegal health care for immigrants.
Kaine: That’s a lie. The battle over health care is not about health care for illegal immigrants and Sean Duffy knows it. These are millions of Americans who, in recent weeks, have received premium increase notices telling them that Donald Trump’s big, beautiful bill will leave them with big, nasty health insurance bills in the coming weeks unless we can find a solution.
Bipartisan rank-and-file senators are reportedly meeting to try to end the shutdown
Raddatz: There are reportedly talks between rank-and-file senators to try to negotiate reopening the government for a few weeks. Is that happening right now? Are you part of those discussions?
Kaine: I would say, Martha, that I am on the verge of them. There is a group of people talking about these two issues: a path to fixing the health care debacle and a guarantee that if we reopen the government, I call it a moratorium on shenanigans. If we agree to reopen, President Trump must stop the layoffs.
The FAA, we’re talking about air traffic control, they kicked 2,400 people out of the FAA during Trump’s first year, when they were already short 3,000 air traffic controllers. Stop the layoffs, stop playing games, stop going after the blue cities and helping the red cities. Let’s have a moratorium on mischief for whatever period this period lasts. Take the path to improving people’s healthcare. If the president commits, we will reach an agreement, I think in a matter of hours.
On Virginia Democrats’ chances in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election
Kaine: I feel really good about that, Martha. And here’s why. In Virginia, we are the best change from red to blue in the country in the last 25 years. And the way we’ve done that is by focusing on the economy. Abigail Spanberger, our candidate, three pillars of her campaign: affordability, employment and education, which has to do with children, but also with our workforce. Your opponent is running ads about offbeat cultural topics that most people don’t really care about. In Virginia, Democrats focus on the economy, win economic arguments, and get economic results. And that’s why the state has gone from red to blue so dramatically since 2000.
