I wondered aloud last night if U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., would help Senate Republicans get cloture on an appropriations measure that would give ICE $10 billion more to use to harass American citizens, legal residents and long-time undocumented folks with no criminal records.
Assuming, you know, that he would.
Because he’s Tim Kaine.
From a statement issued by Kaine’s office on Friday, it seems that Kaine is getting what his constituents want him to do, which is, not comply.
“We are not living in normal times. The President is acting chaotically and unlawfully and we shouldn’t give his deranged decisions the imprimatur of congressional approval by passing this legislation without significant amendment,” Kaine said.
I know, shocker.
The measure giving billions more to ICE was passed by the House on Thursday by a 220-207 majority that included votes from seven House Democrats, who, if they’d voted the other way, could have killed the legislation.
ICYMI
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries bothsidesed this one – announcing publicly that he intended to vote against the bill, but also making clear that he wouldn’t whip votes from his caucus to send the measure to defeat.
Mealymouthed whatever.
We need new leaders.
Kaine, remember, played a pivotal role in ending the weeks-long government shutdown in November, days after off-year elections that saw voters in Virginia and New Jersey endorse the fight ‘em-to-the-death strategy, crafting a compromise that led to a do-nothing vote to extend healthcare subsidies that, predictably, failed.
ICYMI
- Senate Democrats cave on healthcare fight: It was all just for show, apparently
- Tim Kaine to critics of his Senate shutdown compromise vote: ‘They’re wrong’
- Kaine critics line up to take shots at ill-conceived Senate compromise
Maybe getting burned on that one changed Kaine’s perspective on trying to work with the other side.
“Appropriations bills shouldn’t just fund priorities; they should also place restraints on a runaway executive,” Kaine said in the statement released today, leading into a series of rhetorical questions.
“Where are the funding restrictions to stop the President from unilaterally taking our sons and daughters into illegal wars, even endless wars, even wars against allies? Or to block deploying our troops against American citizens, as he has done and is threatening to do again? Or to impose effective safeguards against ICE operations that inflame tensions within our cities, terrorize our communities, and make all of us less safe? Or to stop the wholesale firing of federal employees and the unilateral cancellation of congressionally-appropriated dollars?
“Where are the provisions ensuring that millions of Americans don’t lose health insurance? Where are guardrails to stop the President from targeting states, like Virginia, that voted against him during his three presidential campaigns?”
Where was all of that in November, would be my question to Tim Kaine.