Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivers his 2025 State of the Commonwealth address to members of Virginia’s General Assembly on Jan. 13, 2025. (Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
Entering his final full year in office, Gov. Glenn Youngkin addressed a joint session of the General Assembly on Monday, delivering his annual State of the Commonwealth speech after a delay caused by last week’s winter storm and the resulting Richmond water crisis. Yet the governor struck an optimistic tone, highlighting Virginia’s economic growth, education reforms and declining crime rates while laying out his legislative priorities for 2025.
“Three years ago, we began a journey together — not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Virginians,” Youngkin said, emphasizing bipartisan efforts to strengthen what he called “the spirit of Virginia.” He declared that Virginia is now “the very best place to live, work, and raise a family,” citing the state’s top ranking for business, record job growth, and improvements in public safety and education.
But Democrats were quick to challenge Youngkin’s assessment. Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, who delivered the Senate Democrats’ formal response, pointed to recent crises as evidence of vulnerabilities that remain unaddressed.
Aird highlighted last week’s Richmond water crisis, triggered by the severe weather, and the “devastating” impact of Hurricane Helene on Southwest Virginia last fall as “stark reminders of the fragility of our communities when struck by unplanned events.”
“These challenges may make us stronger, but make no mistake — they affect the day-to-day living of so many,” Aird said,
In his one-hour speech, Youngkin detailed Virginia’s recent economic success, including record job growth, $90 billion in new business investments, and a projected budget surplus. He also celebrated Virginia’s rise in population movement, noting that the state has moved from 41st to 9th nationally in net migration.
“For the first time in over a decade, more people are moving to Virginia from the other 49 states than moving away,” he said.
The governor reiterated his call to gradually phase out the car tax, proposing a refundable tax credit of up to $150 for individuals earning under $50,000 a year and $300 for joint filers earning less than $100,000 a year.
“The car tax is the most hated tax in America,” Youngkin said, echoing his previous remarks, and arguing that his plan would provide relief while maintaining funding for localities.
Youngkin also touted his administration’s regulatory reforms, highlighting the elimination of 50,000 regulations and $1.2 billion in annual savings for Virginians.
“We made it easier to do business in Virginia,” he said. “We invested in sites, transformed workforce development, and protected the fundamental right to work.”
Education was a central theme of Youngkin’s address, as he praised what he described as “historic investments” in K-12 education. Over the past three years, Virginia has increased public education funding by $7 billion, raised teacher salaries by 18%, and expanded support for school construction.
Youngkin proposed additional measures in his budget amendments, including $50 million for Opportunity Scholarships to provide low-income families with more education options for their children.
“We can both invest record amounts to support an extraordinary public school system and provide students and parents pathways that work best for their families. That pathway is unique for each family,” he said.
Youngkin also called for expanding partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to create more lab schools specializing in fields like healthcare, coding, and teaching.
However, the governor also addressed challenges in the classroom, warning about the impact of social media on students.
“The cold hard truth is, cell phones are damaging the developing minds of our young people,” he said, citing rising rates of depression and suicide among teens. He highlighted a statewide initiative to make classrooms cell phone-free during instructional hours, a policy that will be implemented in all 100 school divisions by this year.
On energy policy, Youngkin criticized the Virginia Clean Economy Act as “not working,” arguing that it has driven up costs and constrained economic growth. He outlined an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that includes expanding natural gas production, building small modular reactors, and investing in carbon capture technology.
“Virginia’s demand for power is growing because Virginia is now growing rapidly,” Youngkin said. He emphasized the need for affordable and reliable energy to sustain economic growth, particularly as the state continues to attract data centers, which he said contribute $9.1 billion to Virginia’s GDP.
Youngkin also highlighted progress toward Chesapeake Bay restoration goals, noting that the bay is now the healthiest it has been in two decades.
The governor pledged continued support for maternal health, citing preventable pregnancy-related deaths and the need for improved care for mothers and babies. He proposed reforms to expand child care access, particularly in underserved areas, and to reduce waitlists for early childhood programs.
In public safety, Youngkin highlighted the success of programs like Operation Ceasefire and Operation Bold Blue Line, which have contributed to a 38% reduction in murders in Virginia’s most violent cities.
He also noted a significant decline in overdose deaths, attributing it to aggressive drug interdiction efforts that seized thousands of pounds of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
“We unleashed the most aggressive drug interdiction campaign in the history of the commonwealth, seized 16,000 pounds of illicit opioids, 550 of which was fentanyl – enough to kill every Virginian 8 times over,” Youngkin said. “Fentanyl is killing Virginians, but we are fighting back.”
Youngkin made it clear that legislation to establish an adult-use cannabis market would not advance under his leadership.
“Everyone knows where I stand on establishing a retail marijuana market. Let’s work together on other issues where we can find common ground,” he said, citing concerns about the potential impact on youth, mental health and public safety.
The governor also addressed national security concerns, urging lawmakers to pass legislation making drone incursions over critical infrastructure a felony. He reaffirmed that Virginia would not adopt “sanctuary city” policies and proposed cutting state funding for localities that fail to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Despite the partisan differences that are inevitable in a divided government, Youngkin expressed confidence in Virginia’s trajectory, emphasizing the need to build on the pillars of education, economic growth, and public safety.
“Virginia is growing. Virginia is competing. Virginia is winning,” he said, urging lawmakers to focus on policies that keep the state moving forward.
But Aird, the Democratic senator from Petersburg, pushed back sharply in her formal response, arguing that Democrats cannot share Youngkin’s enthusiasm when “so many Virginia families are struggling to make ends meet.”
While Youngkin painted a picture of a winning Virginia, Aird countered that the governor’s vision primarily benefits the wealthy and corporations at the expense of working families.
“Once again, Governor Youngkin’s vision reflects a plan to single-handedly keep a selected few winning, and those who need it the most losing,” she said.
Aird contended that the state’s budget surplus is not a reflection of Youngkin’s leadership but rather the result of prudent spending decisions made under previous Democratic majorities and the sacrifices of “hard-working families paying more than their share.”
Instead of delivering “costly giveaways to those in the highest tax bracket,” Aird called for a plan that prioritizes everyday Virginians. Democrats, she said, aim to return “real money back into the pockets of everyday people” while making balanced public investments in issues that directly impact families, like education and healthcare.
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