Kaine visits EMU after securing STEM funding

"U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., spent Tuesday morning at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, touring the campus to see how $1.39 million in Community Directed Spending from Congress that he helped secure for the school’s STEM and nursing programs will be put to use.

During his visit to Shenandoah Valley, Kaine met with EMU president Shannon Dycus, Harrisonburg mayor Deanna Reed and other EMU leaders as well as Bridgewater College president David Bushman, and Blue Ridge Community College president John Downey. During the sit-down, he explained the Congressional process for securing such special funding for smaller institutions.

Community Directed Spending is similar to what used to be called earmarks, or pieces of the budget set aside for special projects and causes. Kaine said CDS was particularly important for areas such as the Shenandoah Valley.

'Oftentimes, what they will do is fund the big, glitzy initiatives that everyone knows about,' Kaine said. 'The smaller initiatives, the smaller non-profits, smaller universities, smaller metro areas or rural communities are left out in terms of federal funding.'"