RICHMOND — What a difference two weeks can make. After focusing their campaigns on lowering costs for everyday Virginians, House Democrats have put forward their first legislation for 2026. None of them will lower any costs for Virginia’s working families.

House GOP Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City

“I’m at a loss to understand how mandating a higher minimum wage will lower costs for working families. It’s almost like their entire campaign was designed to hide the fact that Democrats plan to do what they always do — drive up costs, increase regulations, and chase jobs out of Virginia into neighboring states. If Democrats want to lower costs, they should start by dropping the bills that raise them.”

House GOP Caucus Chair Scott Wyatt, R-Mechanicsville

“This first round of bills from House Democrats shows they still haven’t realized that the House passes laws, not ideas. Putting new restrictions on privately-held affordable housing removes any incentive for developers to build such units. Forcing utilities to pay for home renovations will just drive up power bills for all consumers. Neither of these bills will lower costs for Virginia families. Republicans will be introducing legislation to make things more affordable by lowering costs.”

House GOP Whip Michael Webert, R-Fauquier

“I don’t know how you lower prices by passing laws that make everything more expensive. Democrats are adding mandates on employers, mandates on homebuilders, and now even mandates on our utility companies. If this is their plan to help working families, they’re going to be shocked when bills go up instead of down.”

The Virginia House Republican Caucus has elected Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-Scott County) as House Republican Leader, following the decision of Delegate Todd Gilbert to step down.

Kilgore, a veteran legislator first elected in 1993 and former House Majority Leader, brings decades of leadership experience and a focused plan to help House Republicans retake the majority in 2025.

“I’m honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me,” said Kilgore. “We need disciplined leadership, a unified message, and a clear strategy to take back the House. I’m ready to get to work.”

Kilgore emphasized the importance of unity and urgency: “We have no time to waste. The 2025 elections are around the corner, and we need to operate like a team ready to win. That starts now.”

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House Republican Caucus leaders issued the following statements regarding Governor Youngkin’s State of the Commonwealth address:

House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert:

“Republicans recognize that Virginia families are still reeling from years of inflation that has made the essentials of life such as food, shelter, and energy more unaffordable than ever. At a time when Virginia collects billions of dollars in surpluses, we have an obligation to help by lowering Virginians’ tax burdens further. I look forward to working with Governor Youngkin to reduce the car tax for hard-working families, ending the tax on tips for those in the service industry, and reducing regulatory burdens that unnecessarily drive up costs.”

House Republican Caucus Chair Amanda Batten:

“If we want Virginia’s economy to continue growing, we must ensure the Commonwealth has reliable and affordable electricity. As noted by the Governor, we import 40 percent of our power, a huge increase since the Virginia Clean Economy Act became law in 2020. Now is the time to stop taking existing power stations offline and begin the critical work of adding ‘all of the above’ to our power mix. If we fail to do so, economic growth will not be the only casualty. Hard working Virginians will be forced to spend even more of their paychecks to keep the lights on.”

House Republican Whip Michael Webert:

“Economic success means nothing if Virginians aren’t safe in their communities. Governor Youngkin is right that we have an obligation to work with our Federal partners to deport illegal aliens who commit violent felonies. Mandating local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement will save lives.”

Deputy House Republican Leader Israel O’Quinn:

“I want to thank Governor Youngkin for his repeated and ongoing efforts to help our communities rebuild and refurbish schools as part of our joint effort to improve education for all of Virginia’s students. As we heard today, we have made tremendous progress, but there is much left to do. I look forward to working with him and our entire Republican team to make it happen.”

House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert issued the following statement:

“The safety of our communities cannot be sacrificed just so that Democrats can feel good about themselves at cocktail parties. Today’s proposal from the Governor is a common-sense approach that will ensure local governments cooperate with Federal officials to deport criminals who are in this country illegally. I look forward to working with him to see it enacted into law.”

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