Gov. Youngkin's budget action: Zero vetoes, a record 233 amendments, 3% raise for teachers

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday unveiled 233 amendments to the biennial budget passed by the General Assembly in what he called a “common ground” compromise.

Flanked by his cabinet members and against a backdrop of flags, Youngkin presented the latest iteration of the budget before a packed room on Monday afternoon.

“Budget process work is hard, 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,” he said. “And that is what they hired us to do.”

What’s in Youngkin’s budget?

While the latest iteration of the budget does not contain any line-item vetoes from the governor, Youngkin issued 233 amendments. That number of budget amendments is the highest since 2000, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

The “common ground” budget does not contain tax increases that had been passed by legislators in March nor the tax cuts Youngkin had in his initial proposal, presented in December.

The $64 billion two-year spending plan invests $21.3 billion in K-12 education; provides a 3% pay raise for teachers each year; increases funding for higher education by $1 billion; caps tuition increases at 3%; increases funding for health and human services by $3.2 billion; fully funds Virginia’s share of Metro’s operating shortfall; and provides toll relief in Hampton Roads and additional funding for I-81.

Youngkin’s “common ground” budget was unveiled after the governor and General Assembly Democrats embarked on dueling mini-tours across the commonwealth to blast the other’s characterization of the spending bill.

The budget includes a record number of amendments to the spending bill that had passed with bipartisan support in March. Eleven Republicans in the House of Delegates voted in support of the General Assembly’s fiscal bill, along with three Republican Senators and every Democrat in both chambers.

The General Assembly will meet again on April 17 to consider the governor’s actions on the budget as well as the 1,046 bills passed by the legislature during the 2024 session.

Democrats are not impressed

House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, D – Portsmouth, called Youngkin’s 233 amendments an “attempt to rewrite the budget.”

“He doesn’t get to do that,” Scott said in a statement.

Appropriations chair Del. Luke Torian signaled that there is work to be done regarding the governor’s amendments.

“The General Assembly's bi-partisan budget is one that delivers for all of our constituents across the Commonwealth,” Torian, D – Prince William County, said in a statement. “Once we’re done working through the Governor’s amendments, I’m confident we'll still be able to say we've come through for Virginia.”

Senate President Pro tempore Louise Lucas, who has been a foil against Youngkin’s legislative agenda, cast doubt on the governor’s attempt to characterize his budget as “common ground,” in light of the record number of bills vetoed.

“Glenn Youngkin asking us to work together while he is vetoing hundreds of bills is unimaginable and exactly why he has almost zero support left in the General Assembly even among his own party,” Lucas, D – Portsmouth, said in a post on X.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Gov. Youngkin's budget action: Zero vetoes, a record 233 amendments