The Alexandria Democratic Committee isn’t happy that Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner recently voted for a number of President Donald Trump’s new cabinet secretaries.
At its March meeting last week, the ADC passed a resolution asking the Democratic lawmakers to withhold future support in all forms.
According to the resolution:
In light of the ongoing constitutional crisis, the Alexandria Democratic Committee calls upon Senators Kaine and Warner to withhold any support in any form—including requests for unanimous consent on procedural matters—for any nomination subject to Senate confirmation while President Trump continues to violate the United States Constitution and his oath of office.
Alexandria is solidly Democratic, with no Republican elected officials representing the city on City Council, the state legislature, in Congress or the U.S. Senate.
Kaine and Warner haven’t shied from displaying contempt for Trump.
Kaine was Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate, losing to Trump in 2016. Regardless, he voted in support of Trump’s nominations of Doug Collins to lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, John Ratcliffe as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Sean Duffy as director of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Warner, who voted against Collins’ nomination, voted yea for Ratcliffe and Duffy.
The senators put out a joint statement earlier this month condemning “haphazard” mass layoffs across the federal government, as well as proposed tariffs on Canadian goods.
“Virginians can’t afford the cost of President Trump’s tariffs, which will raise prices on everything from groceries to houses and cars,” Warner said in a statement. “Congress must step in before President Trump tanks our economy.”
In his response to President Trump’s recent Congressional address, Kaine said that the administration and Republicans in Congress should expect “fierce opposition.”
“I know many Virginians are worried about the state of our country, and they have my commitment that I’ll continue to stand up against any efforts that will harm Virginians, hurt our economy, or make Virginians less safe,” Kaine said.
ALXnow has reached out to Kaine and Warner’s offices for comment on the ADC resolution.
The full resolution is below.
Whereas, Senator Tim Kaine was re-elected to the office of United States Senator representing the Commonwealth of Virginia on November 5, 2024, earning the votes of more than 62,000 residents of Alexandria City; and
Whereas, Senator Mark Warner was re-elected to the office of United States Senator representing the Commonwealth of Virginia on November 3, 2020, earning the votes of more than 65,000 residents of Alexandria City; and
Whereas, both Senator Kaine and Senator Warner have served in their offices with distinction and fealty to their constitutional oaths and the needs of their constituents; and
Whereas, President Donald J. Trump has, as the 47th President of the United States, engaged in an unprecedented series of unconstitutional, illegal actions that threaten the lives, safety, and welfare of Alexandrians, Virginians, Americans, and the entire world; and
Whereas, President Trump has nominated to Cabinet and other senior-level offices in the federal government persons who are historically unqualified and unfit for the offices to which they are nominated, including:
- Doug Collins to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs, despite Collins’s efforts to subvert the will of the American people and overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election of President Joe Biden;
- John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, despite Ratcliffe’s actions to spread Russian disinformation—previously discredited by Republican Senators on the Senate Intelligence Committee—in the lead-up to the 2020 election; and
- Sean Duffy to be Secretary of Transportation, and Lee Zeldin to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, despite both Duffy and Zeldin denying the existence of climate change and its effects;
Whereas, the above nominations were considered by the U.S. Senate following President Trump issuing executive orders and taking other illegal actions that threaten the careers of more than 2 million of America’s civil servants, including more than 140,000 who reside in Virginia and 70,000 who reside in and around Alexandria City; and
Whereas, the above nominations were considered by the U.S. Senate following President Trump issuing executive orders and taking other illegal actions regarding mass deportations that spread unjustified fear of illegal arrest, detention, or deportation among residents of Alexandria and the Commonwealth of Virginia; and
Whereas, the above nominations were considered by the U.S. Senate while President Trump illegally and unconstitutionally attempted to withhold federal funding duly appropriated by the Congress, affecting numerous important community programs and organizations in Alexandria and the Commonwealth of Virginia; and
Whereas, nominees continue to be sent to the Senate while President Trump’s administration perpetuates a constitutional crisis by disobeying valid court orders and usurping the powers of the Congress; and
Whereas, Senators Kaine and Warner supported each of the above nominations, voting to confirm Collins, Ratcliffe, and Duffy, and acceding to requests for unanimous consent for the nomination of Zeldin to proceed to a floor vote; and
Whereas, Senators Kaine and Warner both voted to confirm Daniel P. Driscoll as Secretary of the Army, just days following President Trump’s purge of top military officers for purely partisan political reasons, deepening the country’s ongoing constitutional crisis; and
Whereas, Senators Kaine and Warner acceded to requests for unanimous consent for the nominations of other dangerous and unqualified individuals to advance to floor votes, including vaccine-denier Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as Secretary of Health and Human Services; Tulsi Gabbard, who supported the murderous reign of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, as Director of National Intelligence; 2020 election denier Pam Bondi to be Attorney General; and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and
Whereas, Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii has demonstrated what meaningful leadership by a Democratic Senator can look like in the face of President Trump’s continued spree of illegal actions, by withholding unanimous consent from any State Department nominees until USAID is fully restored; and
Whereas, the best interests of Alexandria, Virginia, and the nation demand that these nominees and President Trump’s agenda be opposed at every opportunity.
Therefore, Be It Resolved that
In light of the ongoing constitutional crisis, the Alexandria Democratic Committee calls upon Senators Kaine and Warner to withhold any support in any form—including requests for unanimous consent on procedural matters—for any nomination subject to Senate confirmation while President Trump continues to violate the United States Constitution and his oath of office.
