Transcript: Sen. Tim Kaine on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," June 28, 2026

The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected June 28, 2026.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: We crook present to Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, who joins america from Brussels. Good greeting to you, Senator.

SENATOR TIM KAINE: Great to beryllium with you, Margaret. Thanks.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Because you are successful Europe, I privation to inquire you astir precisely what is going connected with the U.S. Army Europe General Chris Donahue. We cognize helium was ordered by Secretary Hegseth to crook successful his status papers, he's going to relinquish bid July 2, relinquish NATO bid July 9. Do you person immoderate denotation wherefore this precise well-respected wide is getting pushed retired the door?

SEN. KAINE: Margaret, I americium successful Europe with a bipartisan delegation of senators visiting NATO allies and our troops, talking chiefly astir NATO acme adjacent week and enactment for Ukraine. I volition accidental connected General Donahue, a batch of questions and precise fewer answers. He was precise good regarded successful the Armed Services Committee, wherever I sit, some sides of the aisle thought truly highly of him, and truthful the quality that helium was being ushered retired caught america each by surprise, and we don't yet person bully answers from the Pentagon.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it's portion of a bigger question arsenic to the changes Secretary Hegseth is making astatine the Pentagon. Retired Admiral Bill McRaven, radical cognize him from commanding the raid to instrumentality retired Osama bin Laden. He wrote a portion successful The Atlantic, raising concerns astir the exit and the firing of astatine slightest 12 different high-ranking subject officials. He explained officers request to beryllium "brutally candid" successful bid to springiness bully advice. He said "these caller firings rise a existent hazard elder officers volition beryllium overly cautious astir providing their champion advice, and truthful the accidental for subject miscalculation volition turn dramatically." How acrophobic are you? Can Congress intervene and bash thing here?

SEN. KAINE: Well, I don't deliberation that interest is misplaced. We're disquieted astir the aforesaid thing. Are you- are you pushing retired the information tellers to situation yourself by yes-men, and successful particular, it looks similar the caput is coming down hardest- coming down hardest connected the Army. He served successful the Army, helium felt similar helium wasn't treated good by the Army, that's a grudge he's carried that he's described publicly. And so, erstwhile you spot Army officers forced out, you got to wonder, is this a idiosyncratic thing, oregon is it truly what's champion for the nation? So we are moving connected the defence measure close now. We've- we voted it retired of the Senate Armed Services Committee. There's thing successful the measure astatine this constituent that would code this situation, but erstwhile we bring it up connected the floor, I deliberation by then, we'll person immoderate of our questions answered, and if we request to spell farther to enactment immoderate guardrails successful place, you'll astir apt find bipartisan enactment to bash that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What are you proceeding from your NATO partners determination astir the American plans to trim the beingness successful Europe?

SEN. KAINE: So the- it would beryllium hard to trim the beingness successful Europe, based upon immoderate NDAA provisions that we person enactment successful spot that benignant of acceptable a level successful presumption of U.S. unit strength. And here's the bully news, Margaret, some due to the fact that of President Trump, but also, frankly, due to the fact that the actions of Vladimir Putin, European nations are truly stepping up their concern successful their corporate defense. They spot the request to bash it, and they recognize that the United States is close determination with them. There's immoderate governmental churn, nary uncertainty astir it. European nations are not lone acrophobic astir rhetoric coming retired of the White House, they spot a chaotic tariff argumentation arsenic hurting their economies, but they besides spot the U.S. continuing to marque sizable investments successful European defense, unit presence. The Senate mentation of the Armed Services measure that we conscionable passed has sizable investments for the defence of Ukraine, and I deliberation you're going to spot immoderate positives coming retired of the NATO acme adjacent week. That's my expectation.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you conscionable mentioned the defence measure that is truthful significant, and we looked, and you said that for the archetypal clip successful your 13 years connected the committee, you voted against it. I recognize you person objections to the Iran war, but fixed the important subject assemblage you person successful Virginia, and the request the subject says it has, however tin you support that?

SEN. KAINE: Margaret, it was 1 of the hardest votes I've formed successful 13 years successful the Senate, but present was the reason. President Trump is seeking astatine slightest a 40% summation successful the defence fund successful 1 year. He hasn't truly told america wherever that wealth is coming retired of. Is it coming retired of education? Is it coming retired of wellness care? And to ballot for that benignant of an summation without knowing wherever we're going to propulsion the wealth from, successful the mediate of a warfare that I deliberation is illegal, unnecessary, and foolish, and besides to enactment that benignant of an summation without guardrails astir however the wealth is spent, I conscionable couldn't bash it. Part of protecting our Virginia troops and going to bat for them is making definite that they're- that erstwhile we usage troops, particularly erstwhile we spell to war, we bash it the close way, not the incorrect way. Our troops person deployed into the Middle East often implicit the past 25 years, and an amerciable warfare for benignant of a fishy rationale- that's nary mode to dainty our troops.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I request to speech to you astir much successful respect to this, but I person to instrumentality a commercialized break. So delight enactment with us, if you would. Senator Kaine, determination successful Brussels.

SEN. KAINE: Will do.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll beryllium close back.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face the Nation. We instrumentality to our speech with Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. Senator, I privation to inquire you a small spot astir what's happening present astatine home. There were 3 far-left candidates handpicked by New York City Mayor Mamdani, who won past week implicit much centrist candidates. Some are looking astatine that and saying the scope of the near helping of your enactment seems to beryllium expanding, and present is what President Trump said. Take a listen.

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DONALD TRUMP: It's becoming a communist party. These are not societal democrats, these are hardcore godless communists. They're godless communists. All communists are godless. They don't judge successful God. This is the astir superior menace to our state since its existence.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: What bash you marque of that onslaught here? And bash you person concerns that the progressive level of immoderate members of the enactment volition marque it much hard to triumph successful different parts of the state headed into November? 

SEN. KAINE: Margaret, what the president said is conscionable goofy connection salad. I'm not an adept connected New York House races, I americium an adept connected Senate races, and we person got Senate candidates each implicit this state flip- moving to flip reddish seats bluish by focusing connected the president's mismanagement of the American economy, families are suffering outgo increases due to the fact that of chaotic tariffs, amerciable warfare and absorption connected goofy things similar ballrooms, arches, and the reflecting pool. And successful Virginia, astatine the location races, I've got 4 Democratic challengers moving to flip reddish seats blue, who are focused connected that aforesaid benignant of outgo and affordability docket that led america to person a landslide triumph successful authorities races past fall. So, I can't truly explain, you know, what's connected the voters' minds successful New York City legislature races, but I cognize what's connected Virginians' minds, and I deliberation I cognize what's connected Americans' minds. Let's absorption connected the system and bringing costs down, not foolish wars and chaos.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, arsenic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said, the enactment needs important caller enactment due to the fact that the aged models are not working, and she pointed a digit astatine leadership. Leader Jeffries, Leader Schumer, said they request to marque country for others who tin accommodate if they cannot. Do you hold with her assessment?

SEN. KAINE: Well, I don't cognize precisely the discourse successful which she was making it. Look, I bash deliberation immoderate of these elections tin amusement that there's a, there's a tendency for new, and it's a pugnacious situation for incumbents. And that I deliberation works to the Democrats' vantage successful November. Remember, primaries are interesting, but wherever you truly marque the quality is not trading retired 1 Democrat for different oregon 1 Republican for another. Where you marque the quality is flipping a spot from reddish to blue, and it is simply a challenging situation for incumbents, but that's going to enactment to Democrats' vantage successful November.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you volition proceed to enactment Chuck Schumer arsenic leader.

SEN. KAINE: Yes, helium is. He was 1 of the champion bulk leaders we've had successful a agelong time, and if helium gets the chance, he's going to beryllium a bully bulk person going forward.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, conscionable to prime up connected thing Senator Cassidy said, helium was talking astir healthcare affordability. Is determination immoderate Democratic program for wellness attraction oregon accidental to enactment crossed the aisle?

SEN. KAINE: There is, and look, Bill has been a bully chairman. I hold with him connected a lot. We person immoderate disagreements, but helium said he's been a bully president of the HELP Committee, and we're moving connected immoderate affordability issues. For example, we person a bipartisan measure that we've enacted immoderate pieces of, but we could bash much to rein successful pharmaceutical costs by much effectual regularisation of the PBMs, the pharmacy payment managers. On the Democratic side, we privation to reverse immoderate of the harmful Medicaid cuts that the Republicans enactment successful spot a twelvemonth ago, and we've had immoderate involvement by immoderate Republicans successful that, but reversing those Medicaid cuts and the cuts to SNAP benefits is thing that we consciousness very, precise powerfully astir arsenic Democrats.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Kaine. Thank you for joining america this morning. We'll person to permission it there.