2013 U.S. Senate candidates Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine, both former governors of Virginia, are both slated to speak Thursday at the second annual Virginia Economic Summit hosted by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce in Tysons Corner.

The event will also include U.S. Secretary of Transportation Roy LaHood and Dr. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University’s Center of Regional Analysis. The theme of the event is “The Federal Government’s Role in Virginia’s Economic Prosperity,” considered a vital matter given the level of federal spending in this region and the threat that a funding sequester resulting from the failure of the Congressional Joint Deficit Reduction group to make a deal earlier this month.