Tim Kaine in Survey of 2012 Senate campaign websites
On Abortion:
Don't weaken or subvert the basic holding of Roe v. Wade
I strongly support the right of women to make their own health and reproductive decisions and, for that reason, will oppose efforts to weaken or subvert the basic holding of Roe v. Wade.
We all share the goal of reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The right way to do this is through education and access to health care and contraception rather than criminalizing women's reproductive decisions.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, kaineforva.com
Oct 9, 2012
On Civil Rights:
Strong supporter of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
I signed an executive order that banned discrimination against state employees based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation, veteran status or disability. I also convened the Virginia Sexual
Violence Commission and adopted many of their recommendations, which improved prevention and response to sexual violence in the Commonwealth. I have been a strong supporter of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which guarantees equal pay for equal work.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, kaineforva.com
Oct 9, 2012
On Crime:
Focus attention on the overuse of incarceration
I also pledge to continue Senator Jim Webb's effort to focus attention on the overuse of incarceration in this nation,
especially as applied to African-American males.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, kaineforva.com
Oct 9, 2012
On Homeland Security:
Religious liberty without government punishment
We must fight to maintain America's strong tradition of religious liberty,
where people are free to worship or not as they choose without government preference or punishment.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, kaineforva.com
Oct 9, 2012
On Energy & Oil:
Allow Bush tax cuts for wealthy to expire
We need to reduce the number of loopholes and giveaways. There is no reason why we should be giving tax subsidies to major oil companies--particularly when they are making record profits.
And, the Bush tax cuts, made temporary specifically because of worries about the deficit, should be allowed to expire as planned for those making $500,000 a year or more.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, www.kaineforva.com
Apr 25, 2012
On Immigration:
Seeks defined path to earned citizenship, plus DREAM Act
Only in the event of full acceptance of responsibility and payment of appropriate fines should we allow individuals to seek lawful adjustment of their immigration status.
I support the DREAM Act so that students brought to the US by their parents are not penalized, but instead given a meaningful opportunity to educate themselves and/or serve in our nation's military.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, www.kaineforva.com
Apr 25, 2012
On Social Security:
Adamantly opposes privatization of Social Security
I oppose efforts to privatize Social Security because they would leave our seniors vulnerable to volatile markets, and many such proposals would also directly remove funding from Social Security. We have to have programs that people can count on as
they contemplate their retirement years. Instead of talking about dismantling Social Security, I will work to find common ground on reforms and adjustments that preserve the long-term integrity of the program.
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, www.kaineforva.com
Apr 25, 2012
On Abortion:
Increased access to contraceptive coverage
Tim has co-sponsored legislation to protect female workers and expand access to affordable health care for women. Tim will continue fighting to protect women's right to make their own choices about their reproductive health. He supports increased
access to contraception and introduced legislation to restore the contraceptive coverage requirement guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Budget & Economy:
Reverse the sequester: harmful, across-the-board budget cuts
Tim is proud of President Obama's work to rebuild the American economy and believes Congress can build on that work by equipping Americans with the tools to climb the economic ladder.
One of Tim's top priorities in the Senate has been reversing the harmful, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration that are hurting Virginia businesses and their workers.
Tim supported the two-year bipartisan budget deals passed in 2013 and 2015 that provided relief from sequester cuts and restored certainty to the defense community, businesses, and families across the country.
He continues to press Congress to permanently adopt two-year budgeting to give businesses and communities more flexibility to plan ahead. Tim supports policies that help America continue to grow the world's most talented workforce.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Education:
Invest in education--from preschool to career skills
Tim has been a strong advocate in the Senate for investing in education--from expanding access to preschool, to ensuring students develop skills that prepare them for the careers of the 21st century. Tim reached across the aisle to form the bipartisan
Senate CTE (career and technical education ) Caucus and worked with Republican and Democratic committee leaders to ensure the legislation to replace No Child Left Behind helped strengthen CTE and career counseling in K-12 schools.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Environment:
Always work to protect our air, water and land
Tim is an avid outdoorsman who will always work to protect our air, water and land. In the Senate, Tim has been a strong supporter of efforts to reduce the carbon pollution responsible for climate change and ensure our energy production is cleaner
tomorrow than it is today. From his opposition to the Keystone pipeline to his support for the President's historic Clean Power Plan, Tim has advocated policies that will protect our planet and strengthen our economy.
He has become a leader on the issue of combating sea level rise, which is already impacting our defense community and Virginians' daily lives through flooded roads and skyrocketing flood insurance costs. Despite the unfortunate partisanship on climate
change issues, Tim was able to break through the gridlock and organize a forum on sea level rise with Democratic and Republican members of Congress and local leaders alongside scientists at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Families & Children:
Teach Safe Relationships: prevent sexual assault
Tim believes we must do more to prevent sexual assault on and off our college campuses. Thanks to passage of a key provision of Tim's Teach Safe Relationships Act, federal funding can now be used for teaching safe relationship behavior among students
as a strategy for preventing sexual assault and dating violence. Tim is married to Anne Holton, a former juvenile court judge who has advocated on behalf of foster children and currently serves as Virginia's Secretary of Education.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Foreign Policy:
Strengthen partnerships with Latin America
As a fluent Spanish speaker,Tim has worked to strengthen partnerships with Latin America. In 2015, he and Senator John Cornyn traveled to Mexico, Colombia, and
Honduras focused on political, economic, and security issues. In Honduras, Tim returned to El Progreso to visit the technical school where he worked with Jesuit missionaries in 1980.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Gun Control:
Gun violence causes unbearable pain; stand up to gun lobby
As Governor during the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, Tim understands the unbearable pain gun violence causes in communities across the country. Tim has called on his colleagues in Congress to stand up to the gun lobby that no longer represents
the views of gun owners in our country and finally pass reforms that the American people support to curb gun violence. This includes strengthened background checks, increased resources to enforce gun laws, and improved mental health treatment.
As Tim works to combat the epidemic of opioid addiction that is hurting Virginia, he has spoken with law enforcement across the state about spikes in crime related to drug abuse. Tim strongly supports providing communities with additional tools to
prevent and treat drug addiction, including through education, drug courts, and resources for law enforcement. He also introduced legislation to help prevent opioid overdose deaths through increased access to the life-saving drug naloxone.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Homeland Security:
Troop Talent Act: ease transition to civilian careers
One of Tim's favorite parts about serving in the Senate is getting to represent Virginia on the Armed Services Committee. Virginia is home to the world's largest naval base, more than 25 military installations, thousands of servicemembers and
their families, and our nation's best shipbuilders and defense contractors. Tim came to the Senate determined to help reduce unemployment among our nation's veterans. His first bill, the Troop Talent Act, made improvements to credentialing to ease
the transition from active duty service to civilian careers. The idea for the legislation came from Tim's conversations with veterans who had encountered private sector employers who were unfamiliar with the skills they had
developed during military training and how they would translate to the civilian workforce. One of the few Senators with a child serving in the military, Tim is a consistent advocate for military families on the Armed Services Committee.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Homeland Security:
Open all combat roles to women
Tim supports the Department of Defense's decision to open all combat roles to women. He made news in 2015 by publicly highlighting the unacceptable lack of women on a
panel focused on military compensation, arguing that women must be at the leadership table for policy discussions that impact servicemembers and their families.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Jobs:
Close the gender pay gap
Tim has fought for policies that would help close the gender pay gap and ensure women are receiving equal pay for equal work. He's concerned by the adverse impact that wage discrimination continues to have on families and the
U.S. economy by providing working families with less income to spend at local businesses and hurting their ability to save for retirement. In the Senate,
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Social Security:
Make Social Security work for today's seniors and future
Tim continues to be a strong supporter of Medicare and Social Security and is committed to making these critical programs work for today's seniors and future generations. On the 49th anniversary of the signing of Medicare,
Tim spoke about the importance of the program, calling it "one of the best programs that this nation has ever embraced" and praising reforms included in the Affordable Care Act that helped improve the solvency of Medicare.
Tim believes Congress should focus on finding ways to make Medicare work better for seniors while saving costs, which is why he supports efforts to lower prescription drug costs that are impacting patients, health care providers, and American taxpayers.
As a member of the Senate Aging Committee, Tim has focused on issues impacting seniors across Virginia, including protection from scams and abuse.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On War & Peace:
Redefine War Powers to reflect realities of 21st century
As a member of the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, Tim has helped shape federal policy on issues impacting our nation's military and foreign policy.
Since June 2014, Tim has been the leading voice calling on Congress to debate and authorize the war against ISIL to show our troops, allies, and enemies that we're united in this fight.
While others claimed a bipartisan authorization wasn't within reach, Tim joined Republican Senator Jeff Flake to introduce a compromise proposal that has received support from both sides of the aisle.
Tim's long-term goal is for Congress to pass a rewrite of the 1973 War Powers Resolution to better reflect the realities of war in the 21st century.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On War & Peace:
Nuke deal with Iran is dramatic improvement over status quo
Tim co-authored the bipartisan Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act to set up a constructive process for Congressional review of the final nuclear agreement with Iran,
a deal which Tim believes is a "dramatic improvement over the status quo" that will greatly improve global security.
Source: Virginia 2012 Senate campaign website KaineForVA.com
Feb 29, 2012
On Budget & Economy:
Opposes "Cut, Cap and Balance" as all cuts & no balance
In response to today's Senate vote on the Republicans' "Cut, Cap and Balance" legislation, Governor Tim Kaine released the following statement:"I applaud the Senate's rejection of the Republicans 'All Cuts, No Balance' legislation.
By targeting programs like Medicare and Social Security for the deepest cuts while making it harder to ask wealthy individuals and companies to pay their fair share, the Republicans' plan asks everyday
Americans bear the entire burden of spending reductions while insulating billionaires and corporations from cuts.
"Instead, our country needs a truly balanced approach to fiscal responsibility that incorporates targeted spending cuts, increased revenue
though closing tax loopholes on corporations who don't need them and allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the wealthiest individuals and investments in education and infrastructure that will grow our economy."
Source: 2012 Senate campaign website, www.kaineforva.com, "Welcome"
Jul 22, 2011
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018