FROM NBC NEWS: Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., defended Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in an exclusive interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” urging House Democrats to stick to their chamber rather than focus on the party’s Senate leadership.
“I don’t tell Ro Khanna or AOC or anybody else who you should pick as your House leader, because I got a full-time job being a senator,” Kaine said Sunday, referring to Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
After a handful of Democrats sided with Republicans on a funding bill to reopen the government, Khanna said in a post to X that he believed Schumer “is no longer effective and should be replaced.” Ocasio-Cortez has said that the “problem” was bigger than Schumer, but in an interview with Politico last week, she said, “It is Senate Democrats that select their leadership.”
The record-long shutdown ended last week when eight Democratic senators sided with Republicans on a funding deal, which did not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, despite health care being a top demand for Democrats. Kaine was one of the lawmakers who voted with Republicans, infuriating many members of his own party.
“I don’t need to freelance opinions about House leadership,” Kaine said. “They should focus on their own leadership and let senators do what we need to do to keep this country moving forward.”
Kaine pointed out that the funding bill included full-year funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), federal worker protections, and a future Senate vote on health care subsidies.
“Frankly, I viewed the situation last weekend as we had no path, none, to a health care fix until we reopened government,” Kaine told moderator Kristen Welker. “Now we have a path, not a guarantee, but we at least have a path.”
Kian’s said that if House Republicans don’t address Obamacare subsidies, it would be “malpractice.”
“If they don’t take it up, I’ll give you a prediction: The November 2026 elections are going to look a whole lot worse for Republicans than the November 2025 elections did,” Kaine said.
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