On Face the Nation earlier today, Sen. Tim Kaine commented on the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California; on classified documents found at President Biden’s residence; and on the debt ceiling. See below for highlights.
On the Monterey Park shooting: “It’s just like scar tissue that keeps getting reopened; every time these things happen, we’re reminded in Virginia of the shooting at Virginia Tech in April of 2007. My heart goes out to this community…”
On classified documents found at President Biden’s residence: “There needs to be this independent investigation, an independent prosecutor – how many documents are we talking about, dozens, a handful or hundreds? how serious are they? why were they taken? did anyone have access to them? and then is the president being cooperative? And I think by all accounts it suggests that yes, of course he’s being cooperative as as anyone should be…But these are the reasons why this independent prosecutor and an investigation is necessary.”
On the debt ceiling: “First, we should have a clean lift of the debt ceiling, because the 14th Amendment to the Constitution says nobody should question the creditworthiness of the United States. This is about whether the U.S pays our credit card or not. And I don’t think anyone should flirt with not paying the the US’s credit card, which is what Republicans are doing. So the White House position is correct, we should raise the debt ceiling. But if Republicans are saying they won’t do it and they’re threatening our creditworthiness because they want cuts, let them put cuts on the table. Is it cutting Social Security and Medicare that Rick Scott wanted to do? Is it cutting aid to Ukraine in the middle of a war between a democracy and an illegally invading dictator? Let them put on the table what they want to cut so that the American public can see what their priorities are…I’m very very happy that the president and speaker McCarthy are talking, that’s really positive…We have a bill called the ‘Protect Our Credit Act’ that would basically say the president has got to cover the debts of the United States, and if that includes raising the debt ceiling, the president can do that, but if Congress disapproves then you can have an expedited up or down vote in Congress. And I think that’s the right solution to this.”
On still not getting an agreement with NATO allies on providing tanks to Ukraine: “There are some differences about exactly what’s the timing in terms of providing equipment. But we have assembled a global coalition to support Ukraine. The unity
has been very strong and the support bipartisan and bicameral and Congress has been very strong. And I think that
will continue.”
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