Republican U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao called for more support for veterans during a Monday campaign stop in Norfolk.
“No one cares about us but us,” said Cao, a retired Navy veteran. “We need to take care of veterans now.”
Cao, who is facing off against Democratic incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, was addressing a few dozen attendees at VFW Post 4809. He said more money should be given to support veterans struggling with homelessness or post traumatic stress disorder but asserted that funding was instead used to support immigrants.
“We could take care of them but instead they’re taking a billion dollars a day and paying it to illegal aliens to house them and feed them and give them a free cellphone,” he said. “Are we out of people to help in the United States (to the point) that we need to import people in?”
Cao criticized the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago and called for an end to “endless wars.” He said the military has been a “punching bag” for too long and that society was demonizing the type of young men and women needed to fight wars.
If elected, Cao added that he would respect state rights.
“What we don’t want is for a senator from California or a congressman from Idaho making rules and laws for Virginians,” he said, as the crowd applauded.
After the event, Cao discussed his campaign with a gaggle with reporters. He said he recently agreed to debate Kaine because they reached an understanding.
“We were always going to debate; we finally came to an agreement,” he said. “We don’t just do whatever Tim Kaine wants to do.”
The debate is slated for Oct. 2 at Norfolk State University in Norfolk. Cao was unsure whether he would agree to any additional debates.
“Right now that’s the only thing we have on the books,” he said.
Cao previously declined to debate Kaine. The Virginia Bar Association announced last month it had canceled its debate — a longstanding tradition — at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs after Cao would not commit to participating.
Kaine’s campaign put out a statement Monday indicating two other events scheduled in September, a debate and forum, were canceled after the Cao campaign informed them that he refused to participate.
Cao also addressed his harsh remarks about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The candidate appeared to criticize NATO employees during a May campaign event in Richmond.
“They are freaking lazy,” Cao said in an audio recording provided to The Virginian-Pilot. “They just don’t do (expletive). They don’t do anything.”
Cao said Monday that he was referring to the organization as a whole, not individual staff members, and doubled down on his comment.
“NATO stands for Needs Americans to Operate,” he said. “If you want to see a comedy show, put a German and an Italian officer together and they will fight like cats and dogs.”
Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com
