Kaine Criticizes “Reckless House Budget Proposal”

From the Kaine for Senate campaign:

Richmond, VA – Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta outlined his concerns about budget proposals passed by the U.S. House of Representatives saying, “By taking these funds from the poor, middle-class Americans, homeowners and other vulnerable parts of our American constituencies the guaranteed results will be confrontation, gridlock and a greater likelihood of sequester.”

In response to these proposals, Tim Kaine released the following statement:

“This bill passed by the House of Representatives exemplifies exactly what is wrong with Washington priorities that place political victories over compromise. I agree with Secretary Panetta that this plan will do more damage to national security, not protect it. The cuts to key services for seniors and other communities all but guarantee that sequestration cuts will go into effect and allow Congress to again avoid finding a real solution to our budget.

“To responsibly deal with our debt and deficit, all items of the budget must be examined and significant cuts made. But reckless, across the board cuts to some services while preserving others is not balanced and will weaken our recovery.

“We must make good on the promises to our veterans like providing full and adequate health care, and ensure our troops have the resources they need to protect our national defense. But in order to do so in these tough fiscal times, all parties must come to the table with a willingness to find common ground, not resolve to obstruct and limit the ability for compromise.”