Search
Yancey: 5 things the Virginia committee investigating impact of federal cuts didn’t hear (but maybe should have)
When the House of Delegates “emergency committee” on federal government cuts met in Wytheville earlier this week, legislators didn’t hear a lot of specifics. Impacts on international tourism? Too soon to tell, said Virginia tourism chief Rita McClenny. Impacts on agriculture? Too soon to tell, said Jason Grant of the Center for Agricultural Trade at Virginia Tech. Impacts of tariffs on economic development? Too soon to tell, said Virginia economic development chief Jason El-Koubi.
4 things Virginians need to know about Medicaid decisions made by the U.S. House
At the Bradley Free Clinic, patients fill exam rooms for medical, dental, and behavioral health care. For 50 years, this safety-net clinic has served some of the region’s most acutely ill and vulnerable residents. Now, as the federal government moves forward with Medicaid cuts, clinic leaders like Janine Underwood are bracing for fallout. ... The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees funding for Medicaid, voted along party lines Wednesday to move forward with a spending bill that would enact work requirements for people seeking Medicaid coverage.
House clerk blocks three Youngkin vetoes of budget items
The clerk of the House of Delegates exercised his rarely used power to reject gubernatorial budget vetoes on Wednesday by declining to recognize Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s attempts to veto three items in the revised two-year budget he signed early this month. House Clerk Paul Nardo, acting in his capacity as keeper of the rolls, informed Youngkin that he cannot publish three of the governor’s vetoes because they are unconstitutional under the Virginia Constitution.
Big bills, tough choices: Proposed federal cuts threaten Va.
Virginia would face big bills and tough choices if the Congress adopts federal spending cuts GOP committees proposed this week that would shift the cost of food assistance to states, make it harder for people to get health care through Medicaid and cost them more to buy health insurance. A pair of Republican-controlled committees in the House of Representatives released proposed budget cuts that could cost Virginia hundreds of millions of dollars each year and force the state to increase its share of spending or reduce services to people who need help the most.
Hotline between military and air traffic controllers in Washington hasn’t worked for more than three years
A hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn’t worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss shortly after the U.S. Army resumed flying helicopters in the area for the first time since January’s deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, Sen. Ted Cruz said at a hearing Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, confirmed the agency didn’t even know the hotline hadn’t been working since March 2022 until after the latest near miss.
Recall petition effort in Highland County dismissed
Petitions to remove Highland County supervisors Harry Sponaugle and Henry Budzinski have been dismissed. Highland County Circuit Court Judge Edward K. Stein ordered both cases dismissed on May 7. This was the second attempt to recall the supervisors started by Debbie Hodges of Doe Hill. The first try was dismissed without prejudice last fall after the registrar’s office failed to properly certify the signatures on the petitions.
Democrats running for attorney general say Virginia needs to challenge Trump
Democrats will choose between a longtime prosecutor from the Richmond suburbs and a former lawmaker from a politically active Hampton Roads family in the primary race for attorney general. Former state delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor are facing off in the Democratic primary. Democrats are hoping to win big this year. Virginia is considered to be a bellwether state because its statewide elections are held the year after the presidential election.
Virginia GOP embraced a diverse ticket in this year’s elections. Then things got complicated
Republicans engaged in scrubbing the federal government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs are fielding a historically diverse ticket in Virginia in one of the only states holding elections this year. Those two things aren’t inherently incompatible, and some experts say nominating diverse candidates could reinforce the argument that officeholders should be chosen on merit. But in the shadow of Washington, where President Donald Trump’s push to stamp out DEI programs has caused turmoil at colleges, businesses and throughout the federal government, things have gotten complicated.
USDA Staffing and Funding Cuts Would Threaten Virginia’s Ability to Reach Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Goals
Lee Good grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania and raises cows, calfs, crops and hay on about 200 acres in the foothills of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Good, 55, previously farmed as a hobby but now makes his living in Rockingham County, the top contributor to the state’s top private industry—agriculture. He cares about clean water and air while still being profitable, and he wants to protect the environment in both his local community and the Chesapeake Bay at the other end of the state, which recreators, crabbers and fishermen all rely on.
Pulaski company’s $1.3 million poultry poop proposition
A Pulaski County company stands to earn $1.3 million in a state program to keep pollution out of the Chesapeake Bay. The target: chicken poop. MOVA Technologies is one of nine Virginia businesses chosen for the Department of Environmental Quality’s $19 million grant program, called Pay-For-Outcomes Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction, according to a DEQ news release. MOVA will begin testing its poultry air purification system later this year in Rockingham County, at a poultry house near the Shenandoah River, company spokesman Luke Allison said. Commercial demonstrations will begin next year. Ultimately, the system will help both farmers and MOVA make a profit, he said.