RICHMOND, Va. -- Governor Glen Youngkin (R - Virginia) said his cabinet members looked at their shoes 18 months ago when he told them his goal was to put 400,000 people to work by the end of his term. During a media event Friday at the downtown Richmond office of Hourigan Construction, the governor proudly announced that the state has reached the halfway mark.
Attributing the achievement to a series of successful initiatives from his administration, Governor Youngkin said a surge in job creation extends across the state, with various industries experiencing growth, rather than being limited to a specific area or company.
According to Youngkin’s administration, Virginia’s workforce is at its highest number on record.
“This is a combination of people coming off the sidelines and going back to work and finally starting to reverse what was a nine-year trend of more Virginians moving away than people moving here from the other states,” said Youngkin.
His speech touched on the $5 billion surplus in Virginia's revenue with the Governor saying deeper tax cuts would supercharge the state's economy. However, Democratic leaders have differing plans for the surplus.
Previously, state Democratic leaders advocated using the budget surplus to address underfunded schools, calling it the right thing to do. House Democratic Caucus Leader Don Scott asserts the Virginia GOP is instead choosing to invest in corporations.
“They are entirely too comfortable with our schools falling apart and reports that say our children’s education is severely underfunded. We should be using the money to fully fund our public schools, including increasing teacher pay to keep the best educators in Virginia public schools,” said House Democratic Caucus Leader Don Scott.
Despite the contrasting proposals, lawmakers have yet to make a final decision regarding the allocation of the surplus funds. The matter remains under consideration, and the fate of the $5 billion surplus remains uncertain.
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