Tim is focused on creating economic opportunity for all Virginians. He believes that by supporting small businesses, raising wages, improving education and workforce training, and investing in new industries, the United States will continue to be a global economic leader.

Tim supports raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour because he believes no family working full time should live in poverty. He believes all Americans should have access to good jobs that put them on the path to economic success, and he supports strengthening workforce training programs to help make that goal a reality. Drawing from his experience in Virginia, Honduras, and his dad’s ironworking shop, Tim has been a leader in the Senate on efforts to support skills-training programs that prepare workers for good-paying, in-demand jobs. Tim co-founded the bipartisan Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus and has championed legislation — including bills that have become law — to expand students’ access to high-quality CTE programs and help prepare American workers for jobs in the modern economy, including in the cybersecurity industry.

Tim sees small businesses as the drivers of job creation and economic growth in Virginia and across the nation. He supports policies to help them grow and thrive by increasing their access to capital and lowering barriers to entry for minority entrepreneurs. Tim has been an advocate for women- and minority-owned businesses as well as companies that provide opportunities for veterans, military families, and people with disabilities. He is a strong supporter of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and is concerned about the largest banks getting bigger while the number of small community banks continues to decline. Tim has supported a bill to prevent this consolidation and expand consumer protections for servicemembers, veterans, those with impaired credit, seniors, and people hurt by data breaches. This legislation will help Virginians in rural and underserved communities secure loans to buy a home, send their kids to college, and start small businesses.

Tim has long supported smart tax reforms that provide relief to middle-class families and make the tax code fairer and simpler.

Virginia has served as a model for the nation by prioritizing investments in education and workforce training, as well as embracing global fair trade, which led to the international expansion of Virginia businesses. Tim believes that we can strengthen America’s economic recovery and create jobs by embracing the growth strategies that have worked in the Commonwealth. Tim served as Governor of Virginia during the worst recession since the Great Depression. Throughout his term, Virginia maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, and Tim helped recruit several major employers to move to the Commonwealth. During his tenure as Governor, Virginia was named the best state for business in America.