Youngkin downplays shutdown threat, which hits just as Va. voting begins
A government shutdown, depriving Virginia families of paychecks as Republican lawmakers fight among themselves, would make Youngkin’s quest more difficult, said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. “The MAGA Republicans in Washington are handing a gift to Virginia Democrats this year,” he said.
And Democrats on the campaign trail are wasting no time painting Republicans as extremists. A member of Virginia’s own congressional delegation has played a role in the stalemate, with Rep. Bob Good (R) saying over the summer that “we should not fear a government shutdown. Most of what we do up here is bad anyway.”
“It’s our prayer they figure it out before it cuts too deep, particularly right here in the commonwealth,” state Sen. Lamont Bagby (D-Richmond), the head of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, said Thursday at a campaign event in Henrico County. But, he added, “Voters aren’t stupid. Virginians understand what’s at stake” and will vote accordingly.
“I don’t know why they would go and support a party that put them out of work,” Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) said in an interview. Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) noted that fellow Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) carried a bill this year that would have provided a 30-day stay of eviction and foreclosure proceedings for residents who are furloughed by the federal government. The bill passed the Senate unanimously but was killed in a Republican-controlled House subcommittee.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called Thursday for a resolution to the situation, noting that a brief shutdown in 2018-2019 caused 380,000 furloughs among government employees. “It’s unacceptable that there are some Republicans in the House who are willing to shut down the government if they don’t get everything they want. We need to come together to pass a bipartisan bill to fund the government past September 30,” Kaine said in a written statement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/09/22/virginia-youngkin-shutdown-elections/
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