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Tim Kaine

Tim Kaine

United States Senator

Appears in 6 stories

Born: 1958 (age 67 years)
Party: Democratic Party
Previous offices: Governor of Virginia (2006–2010), Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (2002–2006), Mayor of Richmond (1998–2001), and more
Children: Woody Kaine, Nat Kaine, and Annella Kaine
Spouse: Anne Holton (m. 1984)

Notable Quotes

"It's a war. The president of the United States has called it a war. The head of the Joint Chiefs has called it a war. The secretary of state has called it a war." — Senate floor debate, March 2026

"The American people want lower prices, not more war — especially wars that aren't authorized by Congress and don't have a clear objective." — Statement on the resolution, March 2026

"It was disappointing that my colleagues let the president sort of beat them into submission." — January 14, 2026

Stories

Congress confronts its war powers as US-Iran conflict escalates without authorization

Rule Changes

Led nine Senate war powers attempts; resolution advanced procedurally for first time May 19

The House voted 215-208 on June 3 to order President Trump to end military operations in Iran, the first time either chamber passed such a measure on a final vote since the conflict began February 28. Four Republicans broke with their leadership: Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The Senate advanced a parallel resolution 50-47 in May but has not scheduled a final vote.

Updated 5 hours ago

US and Israel launch joint military campaign against Iran

Force in Play

Leading bipartisan war powers resolution in the Senate

Operation Epic Fury, launched jointly by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, reached day 39 with the heaviest strikes yet on Iran. The campaign has confirmed over 9,000 targets hit, more than 130 naval vessels destroyed, and at least 55 senior regime leaders killed.

Updated 5 days ago

The Venezuela raid and congressional war powers

Force in Play

Led failed effort to require congressional authorization

Congress hasn't declared war since 1942, though presidents have ordered 212 military strikes without formal declarations. On January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces raided Venezuela, captured President Nicolás Maduro in his residence, and flew him to New York to face narcoterrorism charges.

Updated May 22

The US capture of Nicolás Maduro

Force in Play

Led bipartisan war powers resolution to restrict Trump's Venezuela authority

Delta Force operators captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas at 2 a.m. on January 3 as explosions rocked the capital and helicopters evacuated them to the USS Iwo Jima, bound for New York. By Saturday afternoon, Maduro arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn—the first American military capture of a sitting head of state since Manuel Noriega in 1989.

Updated May 19

The tanker hunt: Trump’s Venezuela “blockade” turns into Coast Guard seizures

Force in Play

Warning about war powers and escalation

The U.S. Coast Guard is now chasing a third Venezuela-linked tanker in international waters near Venezuela—under a judicial seizure order. Two other tankers have already been stopped in the past 11 days, including one dramatic helicopter boarding that the administration amplified on social media.

Updated May 15

Trump’s 2025 national security strategy revives Monroe Doctrine and pivots U.S. power to the Americas

Force in Play

Congressional critic of Venezuela operation as unauthorized war

On December 5, 2025, the Trump administration released a 33-page National Security Strategy declaring a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The document formally revives the 19th-century idea of the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence and promises to reassert American preeminence across the Americas.

Updated May 10