Gov. Timothy M. Kaine sent a "Dear Bob" letter to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell yesterday, saying the former attorney general was mistaken in assertions about the General Assembly's rejection of $125 million for unemployment insurance.
McDonnell responded that it is Kaine who is mistaken, as the Republican and Democrat fought over the wording of the federal stimulus act that sought to extend $125 million in unemployment benefits to Virginia.
Kaine zeroed in on a letter McDonnell wrote Tuesday in which he asked Virginia's congressional delegation, rather than the General Assembly, to resolve the issues that House of Delegates Republicans said posed an obstacle to taking the federal stimulus funding.
"Given the key concerns expressed in your letter have already been directly addressed by the administration, I am sure you will agree that it would be good for Virginians if the General Assembly would make these simple eligibility changes and resolve the issue so that Virginia does not forfeit millions in funding for displaced workers," Kaine wrote to McDonnell.
In reply, Tucker Martin, McDonnell's press secretary, said language in the stimulus act prevails.
"Therefore, Bob McDonnell hopes that Governor Kaine will work with his own party to amend this unfunded, expensive mandate for Virginia, so we can take the money for Virginians who are hurting now without negatively impacting our ability to create new jobs in the future," he added.
McDonnell and Republicans in the House of Delegates maintain that conditions attached to the stimulus funding -- which would have extended in Virginia for the first time unemployment benefits to part-time workers and to people training for other jobs -- would force the state to continue the benefits in two years, after the federal money runs out.
Employers then would have to pay a higher unemployment tax to pay for the benefits, say Republicans and prominent members of the business community.
The Democratic Governors Association on Tuesday made a $740,000 donation to Common Sense Virginia, a political committee formed to attack McDonnell. This brings its contributions from the association to $849,500.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.
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