Richmond, VA - Former governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine was joined on the campaign trail yesterday by Senator Mark Warner for site visits, tours, and employee town halls in Norfolk, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Manassas. During the stops, Kaine shared his vision for creating jobs and strengthening the economy, his plan to avoid sequestration, and his approach to break through Washington’s partisan gridlock.
During tours of Fredericksburg’s HDT Robotics and Aurora Flight Sciences in Manassas, Kaine and Warner learned more about the innovative products being developed by these two Virginia companies. HDT produces robots and other products for use by the U.S. Military and international defense forces, while Aurora specializes in unmanned aircrafts.
During both visits, Kaine shared his approach to avoid the looming sequestration cuts triggered by Congress’ inability to forge a compromise that responsibly reduces the deficit. Instead of the all cuts approach advocated by George Allen and represented by sequestration, Kaine advocated a balanced approach of cuts and revenues to protect Virginia jobs while meaningfully reducing the federal deficit. Kaine's approach finds a middle ground between Democratic and Republican positions on the Bush tax cuts, allowing them to expire for income over $500,000. In addition, Kaine advocates ending an up to $24 billion-a-year giveaway in Medicare to prescription drug companies, and subsidies for the big five oil companies.
"Virginia companies like these are powerful forces for innovation, job creation, and economic development," said Kaine. "If I'm chosen to serve, my approach to balancing the federal budget will be a balanced one that combines significant cuts and new revenues to reduce the deficit while protecting jobs and our economic recovery. The all cuts approach promised by George Allen would devastate important priorities and make it harder for small businesses like these to succeed."
"I want Tim Kaine to get hired," said Warner. "The thing we need more than anything in Congress is people willing to get stuff done and who understand the choice is not left or right but past or future. He's going to be one of the guys that helps get our country back on track."
Kaine and Warner began the day with a tour and town hall at Grow Interactive in Norfolk, a rapidly growing high-tech firm specializing in marketing services for clients such as Google, Sprint, and BFGoodrich. During his discussions with employees, Kaine shared his approach to creating the world’s most talented workforce through smart reforms and investments in education and job training from pre-K to higher education and beyond.
"Virginia's economic story is a talent story," said Kaine to the employees of Grow Interactive. "Once we decided to embrace talent, regardless of what it looked like, our economy rocketed ahead. At the national level, we're slipping on talent measures relative to our international competition. As Virginia's senator, I will focus on these talent issues, like education, workforce training, immigration, and research and development policies, because I believe they are critical to our economic future."
Kaine and Warner then visited Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. (HDL), a Richmond-based laboratory services provider that seeks to reduce chronic illnesses through better diagnosis. The company has grown to more than 550 employees after beginning with only a handful of employees in 2009. HDL is located in the Richmond BioTechnology Research Park, a cluster of 59 life science companies and research facilities located on a campus that Kaine helped develop as a Richmond city councilmember.
Kaine and Warner will continue their tour today with economic events in Ashburn at MVM, Inc., a Virginia-based defense contractor, and near Vienna at the site of a Silver Line metro station that is currently under construction.
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