'I don't look at this as politics': Kaine pressed on what Democrats have gained from shutdown
Source: ABC News
November 2, 2025, 11:14 AM
As the negative impacts of the 33-day government shutdown compound, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday he doesn't see the present funding impasse in terms of politics, insisting what Democrats are "focused on is the American people." Asked by ABC's "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz what Democrats have gained since the shutdown began, Kaine said, "Well, I dont look at this as politics."
"I mean, the president told the House, do a budget and, in his words, dont deal with Democrats. So, Senate Democrats put an alternative on the table 12 days before Sept. 30 that fixed the health care wreckage that the Republicans caused and that ensured that a deal would be honored, both by Congress and the White House. The president refused to meet until the day before the deadline," Kaine continued. "The guy's unserious."
Raddatz followed up to press Kaine: "Not talking about politics. What have Democrats gained during this period? And how long can this last?"
"I'm a United States senator," Kaine said. "And I -- yes, I run as a Democrat, and I'm a Democrat, but I just don't approach my work that way. So, when you ask what Democrats have gained, what we're -- what we're focused on is the American people. We want President Trump to stop firing people, canceling economic development projects. We want them to stop raising everybody's costs." Kaine said Democrats want Trump to "simply sit down" and negotiate a "budget deal that puts us on a path to a health care fix."
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kaine-calls-virginia-best-red-blue-turnaround-us/story?id=127105367
Diamond_Dog
(38,982 posts)paleotn
(21,108 posts)I doubt the parasitic Martha Raddatz worries about the cost of her healthcare or putting food on her table. Ever think THAT was what Dems were trying to "gain" from all this, you contemptible piece of shit? Trump isn't the only one who deserves to have his head on a spike.
erronis
(21,819 posts)irisblue
(36,435 posts)Dem4life1970
(1,005 posts)Period. End of story.
It's cute how the MSM thinks that he would allow the House back into session under any circumstances. He won't.
That is how his lizard brain thinks. Keep it closed. No 218th vote for the discharge petition.
No Epstein file release.
It's pretty simple actually.
pat_k
(12,250 posts)....failure act to stop the administration from illegally withholding funds we've appropriated. We refuse to be accomplices in the illegal firings. We refuse to be accomplices to the damage this administration is doing as it refuses to execute the laws we have passed.
This is the sort of answer I would love to hear. And furthermore:
Yes. The shutdown is hurting people. But this administration has abused it's power and done far, far more damage.
We seek two, incredibly simple and reasonable things.
1. To stop the Obamacare premiums from more than doubling.
2. Provisions that assert the power of Congress to ensure the administration fulfill it's oath to carry out the laws passed by Congress. Doing this is what OUR OATH to protect the constitution demands. This is a moral imperative.
Without that, we have nothing but a lawless administration.
We are in the minority. We are using the only leverage we have to accomplish these simple, moral imperatives.
The Republicans can take that leverage away tomorrow. They can use the so-called "nuclear option" and get rid of the filibuster. They can continue to allow this lawless president to violate the constitution. They can allow Obamacare premiums to double.
But it will all be on them.
We will not be their accomplishes in dismantling our constitution democracy.