Video, Highlights: “TL:DR of House Emergency Committee on Federal Cuts: Virginia’s economy is screwed” – Federal job cuts, SNAP & Medicaid cuts, etc. (For his part, Youngkin seems to think this is all a "positive externality," "good news") bluevirginia.us/2025/09/vide... h/t @vaplan.bsky.social

@lopez4va.bsky.social asks at House Emergency Committee mtg (joint w Approps): What does expiring farm bill & programs plus tariffs do for agricultural jobs, businesses, and prices etc. in Virginia? Agriculture is single largest sector, billions of dollars of economic activity in Virginia.

A fiery Delegate Torian (Approps Chair) says in Joint House Emergency Committee mtg: We will NOT run to our reserve funds. We will work hard to appropriate the resources where they are needed: healthcare, education, increasing our workforce, protecting vital interests.

.@Lopez4VA asks at House Emergency Committee mtg (joint w Approps): What does expiring farm bill & programs plus tariffs do for agricultural jobs, businesses, and prices etc. in Virginia? Agriculture is single largest sector, billions of dollars of economic activity in Virginia.

"How much is the sky actually falling," Del Hodges asks at House Emergency Committee mtg. Spouts Youngkin talking points re: surplus (which ofc wouldn't even BEGIN to cover VA's losses). (Response: revenue ok for now but job losses are in VA's highly productive core industries.)

@marcussimon.com in House Emergency Comm mtg: If you know there's an accident up ahead, you don't barrel ahead at 80mph hoping it clears before you get to it, you plan ahead, slow down. That's what we need to do here, prepare for impact. And rainy day funds aren't for a crash you KNOW is up ahead.

Important policy suggestions coming from House Emergency Committee on Federal Cuts: ✅ Allow fired workers to end leases early ✅ Eviction reduction program ✅ Temporarily extend & increase unemployment benefits ✅ VA re-employment bonus ✅ Workforce training ✅ Hiring tax credit

TL:DR of House Emergency Committee on Federal Cuts: Virginia's economy is screwed. Unemployment rising, job growth slowed, falling labor force participation rate (discouraged workers), and we are just beginning to feel the impacts of tariffs, on prices & small business closures.

9,500 Virginians who lost their federal jobs between January and July. A "positive externality" and "good news" according to Youngkin.

The 5 main areas where federal budget bill HR1 will affect Virginia's costs: 🟥 SNAP cuts 🟥 Medicaid cuts 🟥 premium tax credit 🟥 higher education access and affordability 🟥 federal tax policy changes Many are not one-time but ongoing costs--so cannot replace using rainy day funds.

Stat from today's presentation at House Emergency Committee on Federal Cuts (Joint today w House Approps): 24% of Virginia's economic activity is reliant on the federal government, as an employer, a consumer, and an investor. Federal government spending is inextricably linked to Virginia's economy.

Unemployed after long career in federal public service? Lost funding for critical life-saving research? In letter to House Emergency Committee members, Youngkin calls that "good news" and "one of many positive externalities resulting from federal decisions to reduce spending."

While Del Feggans and @philforvirginia.bsky.social have "passed new laws that SUPPORT active-duty military members, veterans and their loved ones... "HR1 creates barriers that will take food and health care away from those who have served this country in uniform, and their families..."

All you need to know about the GOP candidate for governor: "Earle-Sears agreed to an interview at the Mercury's office in downtown Richmond but canceled on the day of and has not responded to reschedule requests and other questions." virginiamercury.com/2025/09/08/o...

So, let me see if I understand...we'll use the $10b in surpluses, $9b of which we've given back to taxpayers already, to replace the $26b hospitals are going to be losing. This is some CREATIVE math. And when $1b<$26b and hospitals cut services, somehow nobody will lose care?

Typical crime reporting designed to imply laxness due to policy choices. But a) the sentence is determined by the judge/jury, and b) being eligible for parole means next to nothing in Virginia, where about 2% of those eligible actually are granted it (including elderly, sick, youth, etc.).

We really need a STRONG Attorney General who will stand up for VIRGINIA, not cowtow to the whims of Trump. Someone who will fight for Virginians' rights. I'm voting for @jonesjay.bsky.social, not this 👇Trump sycophant: www.meetjasonmiyares.com

There's no one person who's going to swoop in and save us. We are going to save ourselves, starting at Labor Day events in Falls Church, in Arlington, in Alexandria, by collective action and applying the principles of unions that took us out of the last "gilded age." @marcussimon.com

It's interesting that Sears is running a Corey Stewart sort of campaign, which didn't even resonate with Virginians back in 2018, as opposed to a Glenn Youngkin sort of campaign.

So if I understand correctly, your story @jaaavis.bsky.social is that under Youngkin and Miyares, DoC is illegally releasing prisoners early by granting good-time credits they aren't legally eligible for? And then they're telling the families they hurt to go on TV and blame it on the Democrats?

Lying liars and the lies they tell! 🤥 If you want someone we can trust to do the actual job of being the people of Virginia's lawyer protecting our rights, rather than someone who's only focused on telling lies to get his face on Fox News, I suggest @jonesjay.bsky.social

Even though this poll framed it as Northern Virginia issue 61% of Virginians are concerned about Federal jobs cuts with 44% very concerned Probably bc affects other parts of Virginia too Reason GOP really can’t run on that and needs to try and change the topic to other issues

"But 2025 is not 2021. And though the threat of transgender bathrooms will always loom large for the socially conservative wing of the Virginia electorate, the greatest concern facing voters in the state is the cost of living" - @amconmag bluevirginia.us/2025/08/sund...

In Commish on Updating VA Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes: more ideas (based on 1677 Treaty of Middle Plantation) for possible legislation ensuring/clarifying tribal tax exemptions: * Utility consumption tax * Sales/use tax * Land tax * Car/watercraft tax

Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes discussing whether to make available in-state tuition for those in (as chair @paulkrizek.bsky.social says) "educational exile" (who left VA because education wasn't accessible to them as tribal members).

Presentation to Crime Commish on impaired driving. More enforcement=more DUI arrests. (But it's always good to remember that correlation does NOT mean causation. Especially when DUIs are measured by arrests, not by # committing it.)

Dept of Forensics explains to Crime Commish it's hard to test impact of THC on driving/motor function, bc when it's present in blood doesn't match when it's present in the brain, where it actually affects you. Oral fluid testing more indicative of recent use but not impairment.

According to VDOT presentation to VA Crime Commission, tens of thousands of people are injured or killed by speeding per year. 45% of fatal crashes are speed-related.

Speed camera citations and revenues according to Virginia State Police presentation to Va Crime Commission.

@ssurovell.bsky.social in Crime Commish discusses how to use speed cameras in way that balances the finding that "Black road users are killed in traffic crashes at a 30% higher rate than white road users" w/ the possible disparate impact of speed cameras (overpolicing of Black communities).

At Crime Commission meeting, @visionzeronet.bsky.social discusses promoting equity in speed camera programs, including issuing a warning for first offenses, using flat fines or reduced-fines for low-income drivers, directing generated funds towards safety programs, monitoring the program.

Fireworks already at Crime Commission between former-Democratic Comm. Atty Theo Stamos (before going on to work for Trump's DoJ & GOP Miyares) and Chair Charniele Herring over license plate reader law enacted this July, which Stamos claims has major problems per law enforcement.

Made more secure and more accessible by @vademocrats.bsky.social That’s a fact.

Stats presented in Virginia Housing Commission by Sen Sturtevant on number of single-family homes in Virginia Beach owned by hedge funds (for rentals): over 3,000 homes, or 4% of the market. (He and @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social had bills that died last year to prohibit such purchases.)

Presentation to Virginia Housing Commission by the Virginia Housing Alliance shows map of the 250 affordable housing projects underway. No single locality has received more than 20% of the projects in a fiscal year.

Watching VA Housing Commission meeting this AM. Presentation from VHDC shows results of Housing Trust Fund since its inception. Thanks to legislative funding, they're able to help bring to completion many housing projects. (It contributes the "last dollar" to ensure completion.)

Elections Commissioner Beals says that this year once again the USPS is sometimes tagging registrars' offices and the Dept of Elections itself as "undeliverable" and sending voting materials back to residents undelivered.

Lots of questions from legislators in House Privileges and Elections committee about elections data-sharing MOUs between Virginia and other states...which are only necessitated by Youngkin having pulled Virginia out of the more multistate, nonpartisan voter data system ERIC.

Republican appointee Elections Commissioner Susan Beals affirms VIRGINIA ELECTIONS ARE SECURE. (No matter how often GOP legislators claim otherwise when they're pushing their multitude of bills to restrict ballot access.)

Watching House P&E where Chair @delciaprice85.bsky.social mentions shout-outs to VA at the National Conference of State Legislators for improving access to voting...while breaking news headline pops up about Trump wanting to use an executive order to "get rid of voting machines and mail-in ballots."

Per SCHEV at House Emergency Committee mtg, Students in 39% of AA and 16% of BA programs would be at risk of not having access to student loans under the federal loan accountability component of Trump's budget. (Puts an earnings test on those graduating with these degrees.)

At House Emergency Committee mtg, Virginia is expecting significant decline in international student enrollment at VA universities due to federal actions. Combined with reduced loan and Pell grant eligibility, our universities are expected to struggle fiscally.

So not only was Winsome Earle-Sears' suggestion (to use "Rainy Day" fund to cover massive, long-term Medicaid funding shortfall "very unwise," as fmr. VA LG Bill Bolling (R) said -- it's also not even allowed! bluevirginia.us/2025/08/fmr-... h/t @vaplan.bsky.social

In House Emergency committee, VA Health Benefits Exchange shows effect of the expiring premium tax credits (ie, someone making $40k a year would go from paying 2% to 6.6%), and the number of households in Virginia this will affect. This likely prices many people out of insurance.

Del @marcussimon.com points out that this DMAS presentation indicates changes to Medicaid eligibility for immigrants and asks presenter how that matches Youngkin's claim this morning that NO ONE will lose Medicaid. She says I'm sure he must have said "no eligible people." Um, nope.

Based on this Medicaid presentation to House Emergency committee mtg, it sounds like there's some room for influencing the specific implementation rules for the Medicaid "work" rules and other features. Advocates should be prepared to make their voices heard.

The richest people in the country got a massive tax break while Virginians who need help to afford health insurance got completely, utterly screwed by the federal Republicans who voted for the Big, Dumb Belching Bear Bill. Now Virginia’s government has to figure out how to clean up their mess.

Del @marcussimon.com asks in House Emergency Committee meeting: There are very specific triggers allowing us to access the rainy day fund, and the "Big Beautiful Bill" was not one of those triggers, correct? Staff confirms, that's correct.

In House Emergency Committee meeting overview, this is the key: "Unlike previous revenue downturns such as the Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear what, if any, federal support would be provided to assist State and local government responses."

Still many unknowns re: hits to VA's economy due to grant cancellations, federal job cuts, etc. House Emergency committee hopes to have more clarity this fall, especially as Fork'd workers end their paid leave (yes, taxpayers have been paying workers to not work all this time).