Kaine: ‘The last thing Americans need right now is more wars’
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) joins Jim Lokay on The Final 5 to discuss efforts to limit President Trump’s war powers in Iran, prevent a wider conflict involving Oman and accelerate long-delayed safety changes at Reagan National Airport.

The Brief

Sen. Tim Kaine called for limits on the Trump administration's military actions.
The senator also called for faster safety changes at Reagan National Airport (DCA) after a midair collision.
Sen. Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner introduced legislation to address overcrowding at the airport.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Tim Kaine said Congress must keep pressing the Trump administration over its military actions involving Iran and threats against Oman, declaring, "The last thing Americans need right now is more wars. We need fewer."

What we know:

The Virginia Democrat told FOX 5’s Jim Lokay that the Senate was preparing for another vote related to the conflict with Iran as early as Thursday, and predicted the measure would attract more Republican support than an earlier effort.

"There’s a growing drumbeat," Kaine said.

Kaine has also introduced a separate resolution concerning Oman after President Donald Trump threatened military action if the country interfered with U.S. objectives in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Oman is an ally of the United States. They’re not Iran," Kaine said. "When the president threatens to bomb another nation, you cannot completely take that as just him blowing off steam. He might well do it."

"I think it’s a horrible idea," Kaine said. "I think the last thing Americans need right now is more wars. We need fewer."

Kaine pushes Congress to use power of the purse

Lokay pressed Kaine on whether congressional votes would have any practical effect if the White House continued asserting broad commander-in-chief powers.

Kaine said the votes would still hold lawmakers accountable to their constituents and argued that Congress could use the federal funding process to impose meaningful limits.

"The Constitution says you can’t be at war without a vote of Congress," Kaine said.

He said lawmakers were considering provisions that would block federal money from being used for what he described as an unauthorized war.

"We are the ones that write the appropriations bill," Kaine said. "I’m expecting a significant push to put some restrictions in place in that bill about using funds for an illegal war."

Kaine acknowledged that securing sufficient Republican support would be critical. Because spending legislation generally needs 60 votes to advance in the Senate, he argued that Democrats could have leverage during negotiations later this year.

‘I’m not happy with the pace’ of DCA safety changes

Kaine also addressed aviation safety at Reagan National Airport following the deadly midair collision near DCA.

"I’m not happy with the pace," Kaine said. "Work has been done, so I’m not going to say nothing has been done."

Still, Kaine said none of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) more than 50 recommendations had been fully implemented more than a year after the crash.

"We still have an awful lot of work to do," he said.

Kaine said the Senate unanimously approved legislation addressing some NTSB recommendations, including improved communications technology to help aircraft detect one another. But he argued that Congress must also address congestion at DCA, which operates within some of the nation’s most restricted and complicated airspace.

Under legislation proposed by Kaine and fellow Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the number of arrivals and departures at DCA would be limited to 28 during any 60-minute period. Those flights would also have to be spaced throughout the hour rather than concentrated within shorter windows.

Kaine said the proposal’s most controversial provision would roll back some of the flights Congress has added at Reagan National over the past 25 years despite objections from airport and safety officials.

The full interview can be seen this Sunday on LiveZone Primetime with Jim Lokay on FOX Local.

The Source: Information in this article is from original FOX 5 DC reporting.

Home

Sen. Kaine pushes for limits on President Trump’s military actions, calls for faster changes at DCA