As a member of the Budget Committee, I am committed to working with my colleagues to return to a normal budget process and put an end to short-term gimmicks and governing by crisis.  I was proud to help Congress pass a two-year budget agreement in 2013 that offsets the worst effects of the non-strategic sequestration cuts and prevented another needless government shutdown. Thanks to this compromise deal, we were able to restore much-needed certainty for working families and businesses in Virginia and across the nation.

As a Governor who had to keep a budget balanced during the worst recession in a generation and the only Governor in modern times to leave office with a smaller general fund than the one I inherited, I believe my experience is of value on the Budget Committee as Congress wrestles with the fiscal challenges our nation continues to face. Through rigorous debate and compromise, we can put forward a balanced and comprehensive deficit reduction plan that puts our country on a sustainable path and protects the investments that are critical to our future.