Kaine Statement on Passage of Bipartisan Agreement to Re-open Government and Prevent Default

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement tonight after voting in support of a bipartisan agreement to end the government shutdown and prevent default. The measure, which included a provision introduced by Senators Kaine and Warner to guarantee back pay for federal workers who were furloughed for the past 16 days through no fault of their own, was passed 81-18.  

"Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of my Senate colleagues, tens of thousands of furloughed workers in Virginia will be back on the job with certainty they will be paid back for the time they were unable to work due to the needless government shutdown. I’ve always said that solving our nation’s fiscal challenges in a divided Congress will require a bipartisan process where House and Senate, Democrat and Republican, agree to compromise for the good of the country. Tonight, the Senate came together around this principle and I’m hopeful both houses will act in the same spirit as we move to the budget conference table to find a long-term fiscal solution.”

Kaine, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, was appointed to the conference committee that will seek to resolve differences between the House and Senate budgets before December 13, as outlined in the agreement.

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