WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, members of the Senate Budget Committee, released a joint statement after Senate Republicans voted early Saturday morning to pass a budget resolution.
The Senate voted 51-48 to pass the measure after a holding a long series of votes on amendments, which kept senators pacing around the chamber for hours.
Senators Rand Paul (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine) were the only Republicans to vote against it.
Kaine and Warner released a joint statement criticizing the resolution, saying it affects programs that Virginians rely on.
“The Trump Administration has thrown our economy into needless chaos by enacting universal tariffs that will raise costs. Now, despite our strong opposition, Republicans in Congress have moved forward with an enormous tax bill that will cut programs Virginians rely on, give massive tax breaks to billionaires, and raise the deficit by unprecedented levels. We should be focused on lowering the costs of child care and housing, cutting taxes for middle class Americans, and continuing to build on our progress to boost domestic manufacturing. President Trump and Republicans’ budget and economic policies will be a disaster for our country, and we urge them to reverse course before they do more harm.”
Warner and Kaine spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to the resolution. They also said they filed amendments that would have protected federal employees, veterans and Virginians on Medicaid, but those amendments were not incorporated into the resolution.
