RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin touted his budget amendments as common ground on Monday, but some Democrats aren't buying it.
"He's clearly trying to make up for the fact that he's vetoed more bills than any other governor in the history of the Commonwealth and make it appear that he's not being nearly as confrontational, partisan, as he's been for the last three weeks," Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said in a press gaggle.
Youngkin offered over 230 amendments to a budget passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. At a press conference, the governor emphasized his both/and approach as opposed to either/or concerning the two parties' fiscal priorities.
"See, budget process work is hard," Youngkin said. "But with that, we have the opportunity to see and hear one another, to understand those priorities. And yes, to compromise and to find common ground that will enable us to unleash the next chapter of Virginia's future."
Virginia operates under a two-year biennial budget cycle. Each year, the governor prepares the proposed budget bill for introduction by the General Assembly. Those bills are adopted in even-numbered years and amended in odd-numbered years.
The budget ping-pongs back and forth between the governor and the General Assembly. Youngkin's amendments address the proposed Democrat-backed budget that passed the legislature.
Following the conclusion of the General Assembly in March, the governor traveled on a press tour around the state, calling the proposed budget backward. The governor's amendments strip all proposed tax increases while agreeing not to include tax decreases.
"In a moment where we are finding common ground, I believe the first step to that common ground is recognizing that we have to make a decision together," Youngkin said. "And I will propose today that that decision together is that we do not fight over tax decreases."
Youngkin's original budget, proposed in December, included cuts to personal income tax. The General Assembly stripped $850 million in funding for the governor's priorities. The amendments seek to restore $140 million from that allocation.
According to Youngkin, Virginia's economic success allows the budget to include record educational spending without a single tax increase.
Youngkin attributes job and wage growth along with economic expansion, not taxes, as reasons Virginia's budget has increased from $43.7 billion over the 2019-2020 biennium to $63.2 billion in budget funds this cycle, a 45% increase.
"Virginia is financially stronger than she has ever been," Youngkin said. "When you have record job numbers with rising wages, it translates into record receipts for the Commonwealth."
Surovell said Youngkin's tone changed dramatically from before the session when the administration warned of economic red flags.
"The presentation today was very rosy and rainbows and sunshine and as if we have lots of money to spend on everything we want," Surrovel said. "That's inconsistent with the tone the administration was taking in December and January, which that kind of inconsistency is very troubling."
Considering some pricey expenditures, Surovell is skeptical of the governor's ability to present a balanced budget without tax increases. According to Surovell, the last budget passed by Youngkin used excessive amounts of the state's rainy day and literary funds as a short-term fix to balance the budget.
"Maybe at Carlyle, it's okay to say a budget is structurally balanced when you use one-time money," Surovell said of the former private equity executive's amendments. "But unlike Carlyle or private equity firms, the General Assembly has to follow our Constitution, which requires a balanced budget."
Measures passed through the General Assembly to increase teacher and state employees' salaries by 3% each of the next two years remain in the budget. The budget allows for $21.2 billion in funding for K-12 education and financing aimed at capping tuition increases for Virginia colleges at 3%.
"Common ground means that we affirm the importance of world-class quality education," Youngkin said. "It means that we allow Virginians to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets."
Surrovel noted that Youngkin's original budget included few of the priorities he boasted as common ground.
"In the press conference, the governor's staff took credit for a lot of proposals that were made in the budget by the Democratic lawmakers in the House and the Senate and the General Assembly, which were not in his original budget," Surrovel said.
The amendments ask the General Assembly to remove language from the budget aimed at returning Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The RGGI is a multistate market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by trading carbon emissions credits. Youngkin said the initiative increases the cost of utilities for consumers.
The General Assembly reconvenes April 17 to review Youngkin's vetoes and amendments. Youngkin can increase his already record-setting number of vetoes as he has until 11:59 p.m. Monday to act on hundreds of remaining bills.
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