Richmond, VA - Today, former governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine campaigned across Hampton Roads with Senator Jim Webb and Congressman Bobby Scott. The day’s events focused on issues of particular importance to Hampton Roads including military and veterans' issues, Kaine’s plan to avoid sequestration cuts, and strategies to strengthen the economy and create jobs. The day began with a roundtable discussion between Kaine, Webb, veterans, and military families. Kaine expressed his commitment to continue Webb’s superlative work to support our men and women in uniform, veterans, and their families.
“There’s no easy replacement for Jim Webb in the Senate, but I hope to be a worthy successor, especially with respect to his work on military and veterans' issues,” said Kaine. “As governor, I had to make $5 billion in cuts but we found a way to expand the state’s veterans services because of the increasing number of returning veterans. I hope to go into the Senate and work on the issues of importance to our veterans as well as our active duty men and women and their families, and our guardsmen and women.”
“I have tremendous respect for Tim Kaine’s integrity, for his intellect, and for his ability to sit down and listen to everyone and make good decisions,” said Webb, a highly-decorated Marine combat veteran and Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan. “I will do whatever I can to make sure that he holds the seat that I have held on behalf of the people of Virginia.”
Kaine is committed to leveraging the leadership and technical skills of our nation’s young veterans. As governor, Kaine doubled the budget for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and as senator he will work to provide service members civilian credentials for skills gained during service. He has also advocated a balanced approach to deficit reduction that will keep the promises made to our nation’s veterans and protect funding for areas like the Department of Veterans Affairs and TRICARE.
At this morning’s discussion, Kaine also laid out his approach to avoid looming sequestration cuts that would cost Virginia jobs and harm priorities like defense. His plan is based on three compromise positions he outlined during the conversation, while George Allen’s only proposed solution to sequestration is a partisan attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move which the Congressional Budget Office says will actually make the deficit $1 trillion larger.
“Sequestration is a microcosm of the bigger question, which is how we deal with our budget issues,” said Kaine. “The way we approach sequestration will set the stage for how we address fiscal challenges going forward. My approach fixes both sides of the balance sheet by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for income over $500,000, a compromise between the parties, by ending a ban on price negotiation under Medicare Part D, and eliminating taxpayer subsidies for big oil companies. This reduces the needed cuts to a manageable level of savings across all items of the budget.”
In the afternoon, Kaine joined U.S. Representative Bobby Scott for an economic roundtable discussion with members of the Filipino American community.
"There are some real differences between me and my opponent on how we strengthen our economy and create jobs, how we balance our budget, and how we break through the gridlock that has paralyzed Washington," said Kaine. "I want to create jobs by leveling the playing field for our small businesses and investing in the infrastructure we need. I will advocate a balanced approach to deficit reduction that will bring down the debt while protecting our economy, unlike my opponent's all cuts approach which will cost Virginia jobs. I also want to work on 'talent issues' like education, workforce training, veterans issues, and immigration, because that is our path to long term success."
"My good friend Tim Kaine is someone who understands the value of early childhood education, who values education and workforce investments, and who lifts people up and brings them together," said Scott. "I hope he will be our next United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia."
Since the first of the year, Kaine has met with Virginia voters at more than 100 forums, roundtables, and town halls, including meetings with small business owners, veterans, Latino community leaders, defense contractors, women business owners, faith leaders, and others who have shared their thoughts on strategies to strengthen the economy and create jobs.
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