Tim Kaine: U.S. Senate

Richmond, VA - In case you missed it, as George Allen failed to give Virginians any specifics on how to avoid sequestration cuts during yesterday's debate, Politifact Virginia criticized his continued attempts to distort Tim Kaine's record on the issue. Allen's attacks on sequestration have already been debunked by news reports and editorial boards. 

Politifact Virginia noted that as Allen's fellow Republicans urged compromise during the debt limit debate last summer, Allen urged Republicans to reject the deal despite his record of voting to raise the debt ceiling four times as a senator without corresponding cuts. 

"Allen voted four times to raise the debt ceiling when he was in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2007. But while the issue was being debated in 2011, he urged Republicans to hold out. "We conservatives have to say, `If you want us to vote for this, there need to be real cuts...and if we don’t get it, we’re not going to vote for that debt ceiling increase."

Politifact also noted Kaine has laid out a set of specific proposals to avert sequestration.

"Kaine, on Sept. 17, endorsed several steps to raise revenues that would replace most of the $1 billion in sequestration cuts. He called for allowing Bush-era tax cuts to expire for those with incomes of $500,000 or more, repealing the prohibition on Medicare negotiating with prescription drug companies and ending tax breaks to the "Big Five" oil companies."

Politifact also set the record straight on Kaine's support for the deal that ensured America's credit but rejection of the possible defense cuts, noting that Allen would likely not level the same distorted attack against Governor McDonnell.

"Kaine has consistently said he supported the deal because it was important to raise the debt limit so Washington could continue [sic] pay its bills. There’s no record of Kaine calling for the deep defense cuts; to the contrary, he repeatedly said he hoped Congress would strike a compromise to avoid them. That’s the same position that Gov. McDonnell, a Republican, embraced last year and defended this summer.

"We doubt that Allen would level the same charge against McDonnell that he has against Kaine. That’s because it is possible to have supported the compromise out of a desire to keep Washington solvent and wish no harm to the nation’s defense."