Tim Kaine: Why I Voted to End the Shutdown

Government shutdowns are awful. People get laid off or lose critical services, citizens with questions about their tax refunds or Social Security benefits can’t get answers, air traffic grows chaotic and potentially even dangerous, and the economy suffers. It’s the responsibility of the president and Congress to do everything they can to avoid shutdowns — or if we are in one, to get out quickly.
That’s why, after 38 days of mounting economic pain, risks to Americans’ safety and no clear end in sight, I joined the bipartisan group initiated by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Angus King of Maine, who had been working with Republicans to find a deal to end the latest government shutdown. I understand the earnest criticism from those who say that extending the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, would have forced Republicans to offer more concessions to Democrats on critical issues such as health care. But I was at the negotiating table, and I believe the chances of that were near zero.