PHOTOS/VIDEO: Kaine Statement Ahead of State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union Address:

“Tonight I expect President Biden to highlight our promises kept. And there have been many, including job growth, a resurgence in American manufacturing here at home, lowering prescription drug costs, restoring America’s role as a leader on the international stage, rebuilding our infrastructure, and a crucial fix to provide more certainty for miners, miner retirees, and their families by permanently extending funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund through the Inflation Reduction Act.

“I’m also looking forward to hearing President Biden outline his vision for how to build on all of last year’s progress. One crucial opportunity to do so is by investing in our workforce. The work ethic of my guest tonight, James Gibbs, a third-generation coal miner from Bristol, Virginia, is a powerful example of why our workers are our economy’s greatest asset. But everywhere I go in Virginia I hear from businesses struggling to fill jobs and from people who are locked out of the workforce because they don’t have access to affordable job training programs. That’s why I recently reintroduced my bipartisan JOBS Act to help more Americans get good-paying jobs by allowing students to use federal Pell Grants for high-quality job training programs.

“In addition to strengthening our workforce, increasing access to affordable child care and lowering key cost drivers, including health care costs, should continue be top priorities. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to partner with the president to push for progress on those fronts.”

Kaine will be joined tonight by his guest James Gibbs, a Bristol, VA native and the At-Large International Vice President of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).

Broadcast-quality footage of Kaine and Gibbs discussing tonight’s address is available here.

Photos of Kaine and Gibbs are available here.

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