July 10, 2025
Youngkin lauds federal budget bill, plays down Medicaid cuts
Gov. Glenn Youngkin fully embraces the massive federal tax-and-spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week, including cuts to Medicaid that Democrats and state hospitals say would cause hundreds of thousands of Virginians to lose health care coverage and potentially threaten the survival of small rural hospitals. Youngkin, speaking after an unrelated news event on Tuesday, said the spending package would deliver tax relief of about $2,800 per family. Most of that relief would come from extending the provisions of the tax cuts that the president signed into law in 2017. The law also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime and creates a $6,000 tax credit for seniors.
As partisan disputes boil, it’s still unclear how new federal law will impact Medicaid in Virginia
The “big beautiful bill” was passed by both chambers of Congress and last week. President Donald Trump signed it into law, triggering a countdown until sweeping changes to Medicaid take effect, including potential coverage loss for millions nationwide, financial strain to hospitals and new work requirements for Medicaid recipients. While the changes won’t kick in for more than a year, Virginia lawmakers are already preparing for the transformation of the state’s health care landscape. It’s still unclear exactly how many Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage because final analyses from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) haven’t dropped yet. The uncertainty has left many wondering if they or loved ones will be impacted — and set the stage for partisan bickering.
Inside the Univ. of Virginia gun incident that drew DOJ's ire
University of Virginia President James Ryan resigned last month amid a Justice Department investigation into allegations the school failed to wipe out its diversity programs. But a letter the agency sent U.Va., released last week as part of a public records request, reveals another reason the Justice Department targeted the university. In it, the department zeroed in on allegations that a fourth-year Jewish student had endured antisemitic bullying and that U.Va. had mishandled the case.
These Younger Democrats Are Sick of Their Party’s Status Quo
A number of prominent younger Democrats with records of winning tough races are forming a new group with big ambitions to remake their party’s image, recruit a new wave of candidates and challenge political orthodoxies they say are holding the party back. Members of the initiative, Majority Democrats, have different theories about how the national party has blundered. . . . According to Ms. Smith, members include: former Representative Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia; Representative Mikie Sherrill, the party’s candidate for governor of New Jersey; Senators Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan; members of Congress from highly competitive districts including Representatives Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan; and the mayors of Cincinnati, Denver, Scranton, Pa., Newport News, Va., and Kansas City, Mo.
As part of FEMA Review Council, Youngkin to assess state, federal disaster coordination
In the wake of deadly flooding in central Texas and New Mexico that claimed over 100 lives with nearly 200 still missing, scrutiny of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provides disaster recovery services and funding, has mounted. Before the floods, the federal government had announced plans to eliminate or remake the agency and is now reviewing its procedures, funding, and execution of agency missions, a process in which Virginia’s governor is taking an active role.
Joint cannabis commission holds first meeting amid push for regulated market
The newly formed joint commission tasked with overseeing Virginia’s transition to a legal retail cannabis market held its inaugural meeting in Richmond Wednesday, launching what lawmakers described as the next chapter in the commonwealth’s winding path toward a regulated marijuana industry. Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, who sponsored the House resolution creating the commission earlier this year, was elected chair during the meeting at the state Capitol. While no other formal action was taken, the panel laid out its mission and signaled it would use previously vetoed legislation as a foundation to craft a new proposal for 2026 — when Virginia will have a new governor.
Turnout rate was up slightly in Virginia's June primaries, data show
What was the voter turnout for Virginia's local primary elections? The Virginia Public Access Project reports that turnout ranged widely for the June 17 primary election, with some localities having a turnout rate of more than 20%. VPAP referenced data from the Virginia Department of Elections, using the total number of votes cast for candidates running for the listed office.
As AI booms and the grid strains, Virginia grapples with competing energy visions
A new report from the Department of Energy warns that, without increased energy production, the nation’s power grid could face a sharp rise in blackouts by 2030. In Virginia, Republicans are sounding the alarm, arguing that Democratic-led efforts to expand renewable energy and combat climate change are hindering the state’s ability to meet growing demands.
Historical markers approved for Lucy Addison in Roanoke, small newspaper in Highland County
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has approved nine new historical markers across Virginia, including one for the famed Roanoke educator Lucy Addison, as well as the weekly newspaper in the smallest county in the state. Other notable markers include one in King William County to call attention to the Virginia “racial integrity” act of 1924 that was used to erase the existence of Native American tribes in the state, something that has since been called a “paper genocide.” The department notes that markers aren’t meant to “honor” a particular person or event but rather to recognize history that has happened.
Planned Parenthood centers in Virginia brace for potential Medicaid funding loss
Planned Parenthood centers in Virginia and across the nation are preparing for potential impacts from the Trump administration's "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which aims to prohibit Medicaid payments for services at facilities like Planned Parenthood for one year. A federal judge has temporarily blocked this provision for 14 days. Jamie Lockhart, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said the legislation could affect around 5,700 Medicaid patients in Virginia. She explained that these patients would lose access not only to abortion services but also to STI tests, cancer screenings, and contraception.
Henry County to demolish dozens of blighted properties
An abandoned property sticks out among the row of modest houses in the Greyson Street neighborhood in Henry County’s Collinsville district. For years, the home has been vacant, with overgrowth almost completely covering its street-facing exterior, to the dismay of some neighbors. “It’s about time,” said Aesha Mitchell upon learning about plans to demolish the house and similar structures throughout the county. . . . At their June 5 meeting, county supervisors voted unanimously to demolish 39 properties deemed unsafe.
The pro-business group Virginia FREE sent out a seemingly routine announcement earlier this week: Its board of directors had met with Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, to discuss business-related issues. What wasn’t said, and what made this announcement newsworthy: Virginia FREE has been trying for three months to secure a similar meeting with Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, and still doesn’t have a commitment, according to the group’s executive director, Chris Saxman.
Kaine and Warner: Virginia must resist Trump's attacks on higher ed – before it's too late
Last month, the Trump Department of Justice crossed a dangerous line when it interfered in the governance of the University of Virginia to oust president Jim Ryan, not for misconduct or mismanagement, but for reasons of personal and political grievance. Under Ryan’s leadership, UVa expanded access to first-generation and low-income students, navigated complex challenges around free speech and campus safety, and strengthened UVa’s standing as one of the world’s premier public research institutions. But instead of being recognized for those accomplishments, he was targeted — the latest casualty in a calculated campaign by the Trump administration to politicize higher education and undermine local governance of public education.
Cantor: Virginia prison cites unwritten policy when declining press comment
Tomeka Wallace didn’t know her son was being transferred from Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison until she got a call in February from a Maine prison official. Demetrius, her son, was among a group of men at Red Onion who previously harmed themselves and participated in a hunger strike to protest conditions at the super-maximum security facility in the southwest portion of the state. “I just happened to get a call that I almost didn’t answer,” Wallace recalled. “The lady said, ‘Do you know Demetrius Wallace? … Well, your son is in Maine.’ I said, ‘In Maine? You mean the state?’” Wallace is hundreds of miles from where her son’s now being held and said the entire carceral system needs to be changed.
