Upholding the Constitution

The office of Attorney General in Virginia is often overlooked, buried down-ballot beneath the governor’s race and even some state legislative contests. But make no mistake: this office is one of the most consequential in the Commonwealth not only for its influence on Virginians’ daily lives, but for its power to check federal overreach when Washington veers off course. In the age of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the party that holds this office will determine whether Virginia stands up for the rule of law or stands aside. 

As the Commonwealth’s chief legal officer, the Attorney General doesn’t just give legal advice or defend state agencies. The AG decides when to sue the federal government, whether to join multi-state coalitions to protect civil rights or the environment, and how aggressively to enforce consumer protection laws. The AG’s opinions can shape state policy for years. When the federal government acts beyond its authority, it’s the state attorneys general who decide whether to fight back or to cooperate. 

That’s why the upcoming race for Virginia Attorney General has drawn national attention and national money. It’s not just about Richmond politics. It’s about whether Virginia will be a firewall for democracy and constitutional order at a time when federal institutions are under pressure to bend to partisan will. 

We’ve already seen what can happen when those institutions bend. In September, Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, reportedly resigned after resisting pressure from Trump administration officials to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, the AG who successfully prosecuted Trump for civil fraud in New York. Federal prosecutors in Virginia concluded there was no probable cause for the charges. But within days of Siebert’s departure, Trump installed Lindsey Halligan, a longtime Trump ally with no prior prosecutorial experience, as interim U.S. Attorney. Halligan promptly presented the case to a grand jury, resulting in an indictment many legal experts viewed as politically motivated. 

Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner decried the move as retaliation for Siebert’s refusal to “weaponize federal law enforcement.” The episode underscores a chilling reality that when the independence of the Justice Department is compromised, state attorneys general may be the last line of defense for accountability and constitutional norms. 

During Trump’s first term, Democratic attorneys general from states like California, New York, and Massachusetts successfully blocked dozens of unlawful federal actions - from the travel ban to the rollback of environmental protections to efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. If Virginia’s AG had joined those coalitions, the Commonwealth’s 8.8 million residents would have had a stronger voice in those national fights. 

Instead, under Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, Virginia has charted a different course that aligns closely with Trump-era priorities. Miyares has used his office to investigate locally elected prosecutors, issue politically charged “reports” on Commonwealth’s Attorneys he disagrees with, and withdraw Virginia from multistate coalitions defending abortion rights, voting access, and environmental protections. 

If the next AG shares that philosophy, Virginians should expect the office to cooperate with, rather than check, Trump’s federal agenda even when that agenda undermines state autonomy or civil rights. But if a Democrat wins, the office could once again serve as a counterweight, joining national efforts to protect the rule of law, fight censorship, and preserve basic rights under the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions. 

There is a lot at stake in this election. The Attorney General’s office influences whether Virginia sues to block harmful federal rollbacks in education, housing, or environmental policy. It affects how forcefully the state protects consumers from predatory corporations or defends the rights of LGBTQ+ Virginians when the federal government won’t. And it determines whether Virginia stands with other states in defending reproductive freedom and access to healthcare, both of which are once again on the chopping block. 

Every administration tests the boundaries of power. But the Trump administration has shown a willingness to cross them, pressuring prosecutors to pursue political enemies and punishing those who refuse. The federal system was designed to withstand such pressure because the founders envisioned strong, independent states with their own legal guardians. In Virginia, that guardian is the Attorney General. 

So when voters head to the polls over the next few weeks, they’ll be choosing more than a lawyer for the state. They’ll be choosing whether Virginia remains a state that upholds the Constitution or one that looks the other way when it’s violated. 

This is why I’m not getting distracted by the noise. I know Jay Jones will represent the best interests of the Commonwealth and protect the things my constituents in Falls Church care about the most. 

The True State of Virginia's Economy

There’s a debate playing out in Virginia right now about the true state of our economy. If you believe Governor Glenn Youngkin, everything is fine: Virginia is outperforming national averages in the job market, our revenue collections are above projections, and the Commonwealth’s financial picture is solid. But if you believe the signs that economists, analysts, and even bipartisan legislators are pointing to, we’re in for a heap of trouble.

 

The truth is both perspectives can be true. And that’s the real challenge when you’re cruising at 70 miles an hour down the interstate, everything can look smooth until you spot a bright sign flashing: “Accident Ahead.” Most of us, faced with that warning, take our foot off the gas, check the GPS, and prepare for what’s coming. The question is whether we’ll do that as a Commonwealth or whether we’ll plow forward at full speed, insisting the road is clear until it’s too late.

 

Final Report | Emergency Committee on Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions

 

Last week, the Emergency Committee on Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions held its final meeting and issued a sobering report. After months of testimony, data collection, and economic analysis, the conclusion was clear: Virginia is on a collision course if Congress continues cutting federal spending at this pace.

 

Nearly a quarter of our Virginia’s economy is tied to federal spending, more than any other state. When Washington makes deep cuts, Virginia feels the pain first and worst. We’ve already lost more than 11,000 federal jobs, with another 10,000 at risk. These statistics represent families who’ve lost paychecks, small businesses who’ve lost customers, and local governments who’ve lost tax revenue for schools and public safety.

 

The threats go well beyond the workforce. The President signed H.R. 1, allowing federal premium tax credits to expire at the end of 2025, spiking health insurance costs for more than 200,000 Virginia families with many seeing premiums more than double. Replacing those credits would cost the state $250 million annually, money that could otherwise fund schools, infrastructure, or job creation.

 

Food assistance is another area where families will pay more for less. H.R.1 adds $90 million in costs to Virginia in 2027 and $270 million in 2028 just to keep SNAP running. At the same time, it layers on red tape and blocks benefit increases, even as grocery bills climb higher.

 

Hospitals are bracing for a $2.1 billion annual loss in federal funding once these cuts take hold. That is enough to push many community and rural hospitals already operating on razor-thin margins to close their doors. Losing a hospital doesn’t just mean losing access to doctors and nurses. It means longer drives in an emergency and reduced healthcare access for entire regions of the Commonwealth.

 

Education is under the knife too. The U.S. House Appropriations Committee has proposed the deepest cuts in decades, slashing overall federal support for K–12 schools by 27% and Title I by 34%. On top of that, they would claw back $2.6 billion that schools already planned to use. These cuts eliminate programs for English learners, adult education, migrant and homeless students, and teacher training.

 

And it’s not just abstract future obligations, but critical current projects. Portsmouth saw $24.2 million for dam repairs evaporate. Richmond lost $12 million for water treatment upgrades. Hampton lost $20 million for climate resilience. Norfolk lost nearly $40 million for an offshore wind logistics park. These weren’t “nice to have” projects. They were urgent, job-creating investments. And now they’re gone.

 

The Governor would have you believe our current surplus protects us. But that “cushion” is temporary and these costs are ongoing. You can’t build long-term stability on short-term dollars. That’s why the Committee called for transparency from the Youngkin Administration and real-time data so Virginians can see the risks clearly. We also recommended practical protections for workers blindsided by layoffs: the right to break leases they can’t afford, eviction prevention, extended unemployment benefits, and retraining programs. These are common-sense ways to soften the blow when federal cuts land hardest here at home.

 

As his term winds down, the Governor may prefer to look away. But Virginians don’t have that luxury. The warning signs are flashing. Our choice is simple: do we slow down, take stock, and adjust course or do we press the accelerator and hope the road really is as clear as it looks right now?

 

Virginia has always thrived when we planned ahead, diversified our economy, and invested in our people. That’s the road to long-term prosperity. Pretending there’s no accident ahead is not leadership. It’s denial. And Virginians deserve better than that.

American Rescue Plan

In March 2020, we were at the beginning of the pandemic hitting Virginia. Sure, we’d been hearing about it for a couple of months, but the reality of it hadn’t quite sunk in. We couldn’t possibly have imagined what was coming and how it would affect our families, our economy, and our communities.

Now, a year later, the idea of a two-week shutdown is a distant memory. We’ve had three federal stimulus packages, a revised state budget, and an ongoing vaccine rollout that seeks to have all adults vaccinated by May. It truly feels like we are on an upswing. This is thanks in no small part to a President who believes in science, who takes the economic health of our country seriously, and who knows that state and local government assistance is a critical component of ensuring that we recover from this pandemic.

The need for action is clear and the recently passed American Rescue Plan is a historic plan that delivers immediate relief to Virginians. It’s critical that we support struggling communities as we continue to work through the pandemic.

To help our hard-hit small businesses, the Plan includes funding for emergency grants and lending opportunities, so they rehire and retain workers as well as purchase the health and sanitation equipment they need to keep workers safe. This includes a Small Business Opportunity Fund to provide growth capital to main street small businesses in economically disadvantaged areas, including minority-owned businesses.

The Commonwealth will receive $4.43 billion in state funds to ensure that we can keep our frontline workers on the job, expand our vaccination efforts, safely reopen our schools, and maintain vital government services. Coinciding with our education priorities in the recently passed state budget, more than $2.18 billion will be distributed in K-12 relief funds.

The Plan includes a $1,400 economic impact payment for more than 5,118,900 adults and 1,884,700 children in Virginia. This is 82% of all adults and 81% of all the children in the Commonwealth.

Through the Child Tax Credit, there is additional relief available of up to $1,600 per child. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) will also provide relief of up to $1,000 for 419,000 childless Virginia workers, including many in frontline jobs.

Because of this plan, we’ll be able to lower or eliminate health insurance premiums for lower- and middle-income families enrolled in the health insurance marketplace. This means that a 60-year old couple, earning $75,000 per year or less with a marketplace health insurance plan, could see their premiums lowered by over $1,500. Or A family of four making $90,000 could see their monthly premium come down by $200 per month. It also subsidizes premiums for continuation health coverage (COBRA).

The Plan extends the current unemployment insurance benefits and eligibility to September 6^th, plus offers an additional $300 per week supplement.

Virginians will continue to have assistance to stay in their homes with emergency aid to cover back rent and mortgage payments plus utility costs through the Homeowners Assistance Fund. This will help an estimated 267,000 Virginians who are behind on their rent.

SNAP benefits will increase by 15% through September 2021. The bill also funds partnerships with restaurants to feed families and keep workers in the restaurant industry on the job. This will go a long way to help the 503,000 Virginians who report not having enough food to eat.  

We’ll also have the single biggest investment in childcare since World War II by helping providers cover their costs and increase tax credits to help families cover the cost of care.

While the pandemic is far from over, it is clear that the sacrifices we’ve made in the last year aren’t for nothing. We’re seeing downward trends in new COVID cases, over 24% of Virginians have been vaccinated with at least one dose, and nearly 50,000 vaccines are administered on average every day.

If you or someone you know needs assistance with their employment benefits, filing their state taxes, getting an issue resolved at the DMV, or with another state agency, please reach out to my office. These are the types of constituent services we can help with and, in times like this, working through the system can seem quite daunting. Like the American Rescue Plan, we’re here to help those that need it.