Allen 'Specifics' on Sequester: Slash the Middle Class Deeper to Protect Billionaires

Richmond, VA - Yesterday during an interview with WSHV former Senator George Allen made his most specific statement yet in terms of how he would avoid the looming sequester cuts that will take effect if congress does not act before year's end.

Instead of promising to compromise and find a balanced solution that protects our national security and the middle class, Allen stayed true to his record of divisive partisanship and cast his lot with a House Republican plan that would make devastating cuts to investments in middle class and low-income families.

The plan Allen supports would eliminate federal funding for essential programs like Meals on Wheels (which benefits more than 56,000 Virginians) and slash nutritional assistance programs, Medicaid and preventative health care funding that create opportunities for Virginia families to build better lives for themselves. 

What's worse, these cuts are so deep and so radical, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has said this approach Allen backs would actually make the sequester defense cuts more likely, "[B]y 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."

"Yesterday George Allen embraced a radical plan that would place the burden of the fiscal crisis his reckless spending helped create squarely on the backs of middle class Virginians - all in order to protect taxpayer handouts to billionaires and oil companies," said DPVA Executive Director David Mills.

"Tim Kaine has a specific plan to bring people together around a balanced solution to avoid the damaging sequester cuts without harming our national defense or the middle class. That's the kind of leadership we need in Washington, not more of George Allen's radical all-cuts approach."

###