Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued $900 million in line-item vetoes Friday to the budget amendments package passed by the General Assembly in February. Those cuts are primarily to higher education capital projects, including expansions of the Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke and the Institute for Advancing Learning and Research in Danville.
Youngkin attributed the cuts, higher than previously anticipated, to what he called “short-term risks” due to cuts, shake-ups and uncertainty at the federal level, though he did not use those terms, and the need to create more of a cushion to account for unknowns.
“As President Trump rightfully resets trade imbalances and restores fiscal responsibility in DC, there are short-term disruptions. However, there are real long-term opportunities, and yet those short disruptions, I think, require us to be responsible,” he said.
Of the 172 items in the amended budget package returned to his desk unchanged by the General Assembly, Youngkin approved 135 of them and vetoed 37. About $691 million of the $900 million in cuts are made up of funds for 10 one-time higher education capital projects, he said, which are still in the planning stages.
Those include expansions of the medical school and research institute in Roanoke, an expansion of the Center for Manufacturing Advancement at the Danville institute, renovations on the Amherst/Campbell Building at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, renovations at Lankford Hall at Longwood University, construction of a center for the arts at the University of Virginia, the acquisition of a building for Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as building renovations at James Madison University, Virginia State University and the College of William and Mary. Also cut was funding for a new building at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Youngkin said he would reintroduce funding for all these in December if state finances allow.
The other things that Youngkin line-item vetoed out of the budget cover a variety of projects. Among the other items the governor vetoed:
- $15 million for a grant program for the first-time homebuyer’s program. Youngkin called the program “well-intended” but said the program should be considered as part of a regular budget and not as an amendment.
- $2.7 million in additional marketing for economic development. “This is not the time to expand discretionary spending,” Youngkin said. He had previously recommended reducing the amount. When the legislature rejected that and kept the full funding intact, his only option was to accept it or veto it, he said, so he vetoed it.
- $1.25 million for additional tourism marketing. He cited the same explanation as he did with the additional economic development marketing.
- $1 million for pilot programs in Richmond and Roanoke for people with dementia or geriatric conditions that would otherwise cause them to be admitted to a state hospital.
- An additional $500,000 in funding for the New College Institute in Martinsville. The governor had proposed defunding the higher education center for 2026 and requiring it to present a sustainability plan created in conjunction with other institutions in the region. Among the options the governor wanted NCI to include in that plan was the possibility of closing or merging with another entity. The General Assembly removed that stipulation and added a half-million back into the budget. Youngkin’s veto noted he had recommended NCI present a “meaningful” business plan twice. “The General Assembly has failed to acknowledge that NCI is on a challenging trajectory,” he wrote.
Also vetoed were funding for a water infrastructure project in Nottoway County, heating and air conditioning renovations at the Nottoway Correctional Center and Biscuit Run Park in Albemarle County.
“This is the second year in a row where he’s vetoing and rejecting things that he proposed himself,” Sen. Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, said during press availability after Youngkin’s announcement. “It’s impossible to negotiate with a guy who can’t even agree with the things he proposes.”
Surovell said he did not receive advance notice of the governor’s intentions ahead of Friday’s announcement.
“None of this was discussed during session, it’s not the way to run a commonwealth and it’s very disappointing and aggravating that we’re going to have almost a billion dollars cut out of our budget,” he added.
Surovell added that he was glad to see the governor acknowledging that Virginia’s economy is in uncertain territory due to the actions of the Trump administration and federal uncertainty.
House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, lauded the governor for the $900 million in cuts as “thoughtful and responsible leadership.”
“These are not cancellations, but prudent postponements to safeguard Virginia’s finances in uncertain times,” he said.
Youngkin signed the budget amendments later Friday afternoon.
Items that remain in the budget amendments package, Youngkin said, include:
- $100 million for flood relief and recovery to those impacted by recent disasters and community flood protection;
- Appropriations necessary to fully fund the state’s portion of Medicaid;
- $100 million for the Children’s Services Act;
- $25 million for drinking water infrastructure;
- $12 million for maternal health;
- Roughly $834 million for public education, including a bonus for educators, and state employees
Education writer Lisa Rowan contributed to this report.
