YORKTOWN, Va. - For a man named Allan, the shutdown is taking its toll. So much so, he wrote a letter to Sen. Tim Kaine asking for help in getting the government reopened.
"He wrote to our office saying his emergency savings are exhausted. He's behind on his bills and says the situation won't get any better as long as his agency is unfunded," Sen. Kaine said on the Senate floor.
Allan is a veteran and federal civil employee. His agency has been shutdown for 19 days now as the shutdown continues. Kaine points the finger at the president. "Allan is a veteran who voluntarily served this country and this is how the President is treating him," he said.
Related: 5 Virginia congressional members reject pay during shutdown
As the blame game continues on both sides, President Trump headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Republicans. "There was no discussion other than solidarity," he said after the meeting. "We want national security and border security for our country."
Later in the afternoon, Democratic leaders said President Trump walked out of a meeting with them. President Trump tweeted, calling the meeting "a waste of time."
For Kaine and other Democrats, they want to see the government reopen first and then they say they'll discuss border security. "Reopen government and then I'll work as I have been in the past to support border security," Kaine said.
Virginia is the state most impacted because of its many government workers, Kaine believes. "The anxiety of this is completely unnecessary, completely painful, and it's embarrassing," he said.
Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner will meet with impacted federal workers on Friday. President Trump heads to the border for a visit on Thursday.
