House Republicans have spent the last week imploring their colleagues on the other side of the aisle to put scoring partisan points aside and focus on finding practical solutions to everyday issues that face constituents.
Speaker Cox led the charge moments after being sworn in as Speaker of the House when he addressed members of the House of Delegates and said he was, “particularly optimistic about the prospects of working with Governor-elect Northam.”
Some of that optimism was lost following what many have described as a overtly partisan speech when Governor Northam addressed The Joint Assembly. Working across the aisle was not at all a focus of his speech.
With all the partisan issues in his address, which were meant to appease the special interest groups of which funnelled millions of dollars into the Northam Campaign, House Republicans couldn’t help but notice a long list of important issues the Governor failed to mention.
- Caring for our Veterans
- Fighting the Opioid Crisis
- Protecting victims of domestic violence
- Balancing the budget
- Improving commutes & fixing transportation
- Rural Tourism
- Increasing The Reserve Fund
- Streamlining government and cutting wasteful spending
- Making college more affordable
- Helping more children find loving families in adoptive homes
- Virginia’s AAA Bond rating
- Helping small businesses to succeed
- Agriculture and the importance of farming to Virginia’s economy
- Reducing regulatory burdens
- The Chesapeake Bay & supporting our watermen
- Protecting our law enforcement
- Increasing access to mental health treatment
- Expanding access to Broadband
House Republicans realize veterans, victims of domestic violence, and parents who lose a loved one to the opioid crisis do not have the means to donate millions to a Governor’s campaign, but they still deserve to be priorities nonetheless. House Republicans will make them a priority and we hope Democrats will work in a bipartisan way to solve these problems.
Watch Majority Leader Todd Gilbert’s floor speech following the address to the Joint Assembly