Richmond, VA - Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding today's announcement that the U.S. economy added 163,000 jobs in July:
"While the 163,000 jobs created in July continues 29 consecutive months of private sector job growth following 25 months of job losses, as I talk with Virginians, it remains clear there is more to be done to put people back to work. Instead of partisan bickering, it is more important than ever that leaders in Washington work together on strategies to create jobs now and strengthen our economy. We cannot afford more of the same gridlock that causes economic instability and discourages businesses from expanding and hiring.
“Congress needs to immediately address the unacceptable sequestration cuts that will cost Virginia jobs and devastate critical investments in defense, education, and infrastructure. I continue to advocate a balanced approach to address our fiscal challenges, which includes making significant cuts but leaves room for investments in key priorities. Today, we can do more to level the playing field for small businesses to encourage them to grow and we can work to improve the roads, rail systems, and airports that support the movement of goods and services throughout the Commonwealth. But we also need long-term strategies that will allow us to invest in the development of a talented workforce to compete in the global marketplace.
“With so many Virginians still recovering, we cannot afford to return to the same economic policies that created the challenges we face. My opponent, George Allen, spent six years in the Senate fighting for special interests at the expense of the well-being of Virginia’s families and supporting the reckless spending that created massive deficits and caused our national debt to skyrocket. And instead of offering solutions to our fiscal challenges George Allen has said he would not even consider ten dollars in cuts for every dollar of revenue, a position that puts him out of step with even many in his own party. If we're going to get our economy moving again, we must put leaders in place who know how to reject the same old partisanship and come to the table. That's what I did as governor when I worked with Republicans to cut $5 billion in spending as we made critical investments for the future, and that's what I'll do if elected to the U.S. Senate.”
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