We are now a week removed from the conclusion of the 2026 General Assembly legislative session, and still no budget has been produced by the Democrats who control the House and the Senate. Each day that goes by without a budget brings more uncertainty as to the funding for local governments and law enforcement/first responders, education, social safety net programs, transportation infrastructure, and the multitude of other important state priorities that millions of Virginians rely upon each day. It is often said that the Commonwealth’s budget is more than numbers – it is a statement of values and priorities. The statement Virginians have received this session is that Democrats cannot even agree with themselves on what those values and priorities are, and yet, they are asking Virginians to entrust their party with even more power via a constitutional amendment that would grant them a 10-1 majority in Virginia’s congressional delegation. In the case of the latter policy, Democrats had no trouble working together to try to give themselves this power.
It is easy to come out of a lopsided legislative session – such as this past one – feeling beaten down. Lots of bad bills got out of the House and on to the desk of Governor Abigail Spanberger. But do not let that take away from the things that House Republicans were able to accomplish – a number of significant actions that for a caucus of 35 legislators is frankly impressive.
Our team focused like a laser on the 50 or so tax hikes that Democrats had put forward, including income tax hikes, the “dog walking” tax, the car repair tax, and a tax on pretty much every service imaginable. All of this attention did something rare in Virginia politics: it not only got Democrats to back off of their plans, it got them to publicly disavow them. At the General Assembly’s “Crossover” deadline – the point at which the House and Senate must complete work on their own bills of origin – the “Democrats will raise taxes” drumbeat was so strong that the Speaker of the House held a press conference to talk about all the ways that his party did not raise taxes. This was despite his caucus introducing the increases that I mentioned earlier. When the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee presented his report of the House budget, he went out of his way to talk about how there were no tax increases. That is not a standard Democratic talking point. But do not be fooled – tax increases are still on the way in the form of a mandatory payroll tax with no upper limit to pay for universal family medical leave, and also in the form of mandated collective bargaining.
While legislators await word on a budget agreement between Democrats in the House and Senate, Republicans have been in a full-court press against the Democrat-led gerrymandering constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot via referendum on April 21. Early voting for this special election has already begun, and the early indications show that rural Virginia is turning out in force. It stands to reason that rural Virginia has already had a taste of what it feels like when the Commonwealth is run by Northern Virginia interests, and standing by while Northern Virginia consolidates even more power is out of the question. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to vote NO on the Democrat-led attempt to turn our current, fair, and non-partisan 6-5 Democrat-to-Republican congressional map to a 10-1 Democrat gerrymander.
As the Delegate representing the 42nd House District in the Virginia General Assembly, your concerns are my greatest priority. If ever I may be of assistance to you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DelJBallard@House.Virginia.Gov. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBallardVA or like my Facebook page, Jason Ballard for Delegate, to keep up to date with what I am doing in Richmond and in our community on your behalf.
