Democrats gave an update from the steps of the Capitol in Richmond as they begin the second half of the legislative session. They mainly focused on President Donald Trump’s actions as president, his impact on Virginia and how they plan to respond.
Speaker of the House Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, began by addressing whether Democrats have the energy to push back against Republicans in a post-Trump win world.
“We won two special elections over-performing expectations,” he said, referencing Sen. Kannan Srinivasan and Del. JJ Singh’s special election victories earlier this month.
“We unveiled our platform to unleash Virginia’s potential. We’ve been passing bills to address the housing crisis, expand child care, lower costs, invest in a world-class education, and protect your rights. So no, I don’t think anyone up here would save their time. Rather, we’re pretty fired up.”
“Trump said he lowered the price of eggs,” Scott continued. “But yesterday, I went to my Waffle House and they announced they had a 50-cent surcharge for the eggs. I thought he was supposed to fix this. He is not lowering costs, he is raising them.”
Scott also referenced the new committee he established Tuesday to analyze the reductions in federal money and how it impacts Virginia.
“We have Republicans who are serious and sober, who want to participate to get the answers on what all these reductions will impact,” Scott said. “We will investigate, we will advocate, and we will legislate to make up for the lack of leadership in Washington. But to the hard-working people of Virginia, from Pulaski, Prince William to Norfolk to New Kent. Here’s our message. We’re focused on you. We’re focused on a family-first economy, where you can afford to buy a house.”
“We’re focused on defending your livelihood, ensuring our economy stays strong and that the political chaos does not infiltrate Virginia from Washington D.C.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, talked about the freeze on grant funding and its impact on Virginia.
“Last week, the Trump administration abruptly issued a freeze on federal grants and programs,” he said, referencing Trump’s executive order that was temporarily halted by a federal judge. “This would have impacted a long line of infrastructure projects and economic development initiatives and other programs that are vital to the economic success in our Commonwealth. Virginia has skin in the game in almost every single project around the Commonwealth. We need the federal government to meet its obligations. We need our governor and our attorney general to use their authority to fight for Virginia instead of going along with what’s being proposed out of DC.”
Surovell talked about threats to Medicaid funding in Virginia.
“On top of that, we have 2 million Virginians that rely on Medicaid for their health care, mostly children and the elderly, and low income working adults. We spent years in this Capitol fighting to expand Medicaid, to reduce the number of uninsured Virginians to zero. That work is all at risk because Governor Youngkin is backing his political party and his political ambitions, not his people.”
“A federal judge put a temporary stay on the freeze, which led to the memo that led to it being withdrawn,” Surovell continued. “What that should tell you is the Trump administration’s intentions have not changed. They’re going to be back. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to be here.”
Surovell talked about Tump and Elon Musk’s plans to cancel federal leases across the commonwealth.
“Every day I’m getting queries and there are federal workers in my district who are scared. They’re terrified. They’re looking for help,” Surovell said. “They’re looking for answers on what they can do to be able to support their families in their careers. I want you to remember the majority of Americans did not vote for President Trump. I’ll say it again. He did not win the majority of the votes in this country. He got a plurality. He also lost this commonwealth by 250,000 votes. The governor must stop prioritizing his personal ambitions — his political ambition — and start prioritizing the people of this state, this commonwealth and our economy.”
House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Fairfax, talked about the constitutional amendments passed by the General Assembly that would protect reproductive rights and allow for the automatic restoration of voting rights.
“These constitutional amendments have been a top priority for our caucuses, and I’m proud of our members and the work that they have done to ensure the message we will continue to work to bring them to the voters of Virginia,” she said. “Ultimately, we will continue to protect the values that brought us to the majority.”
These amendments will need to pass the General Assembly again next year and then be approved in a referendum vote by all Virginians next November.