Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, flanked by majority leaders in both chambers of the General Assembly, unveiled her economic policy plan Thursday morning, aimed at access to affordable health care, energy and housing for Virginia residents.
“My overarching, unrelenting focus in 2026 will be making the commonwealth more affordable,” Spanberger said. “Lowering the cost of living is a major economic task, it is not easy and it cannot be done with a flip of a single switch.”
She said that her administration, along with Democrats in the General Assembly, will work to lower the cost of prescription drugs, insurance premiums and doctor visits while holding pharmacy benefit managers accountable for increased drug costs.
The Democrats also aim to lower the cost of utility bills by expanding energy storage, increase energy efficiency, improve power usage forecasts and deploy small solar systems. Regarding housing, the party aims to increase access to affordable housing and cut through red tape to make it easier for companies to build housing.
She added that the 17-point plan should see bipartisan support in the General Assembly.
Republican House of Delegates Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, said that members of his party were still “digesting” the governor-elect’s proposals on Thursday.
“But at first blush they appear focused on the right priorities. That said, we have serious concerns about how these problems are being addressed,” he said in a statement.
Those concerns revolve around the housing proposals, which he said focus on managing existing stock rather than building new homes, and the energy proposals, which he said could saddle Virginians with costs for large-scale batteries that could be passed on to ratepayers.
“If you don’t build enough houses, housing gets expensive. If you don’t produce enough energy, energy gets expensive. If demand rises faster than supply, prices go up. No legislation can repeal the law of supply and demand,” Kilgore said.
What’s in the 17-point policy proposal?
Health care bill proposals
- To establish a pilot program that would provide health insurance premium assistance for Virginians at risk of losing insurance through the Marketplace due to rate hikes;
- To reign in the actions of pharmacy benefits managers;
- To increase efficient access to health care and limit approvals required by insurance companies to receive certain medications; and
- To invest in efforts to grow Virginia’s health care workforce.
Energy bill proposals
- To require electric utilities to expand programs to help low-income customers improve energy efficiency in their homes. This bill was introduced by Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun County, ahead of the 2026 session;
- To establish a taskforce to explore improvements to energy efficiency. This bill was introduced by Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, D-Henrico County, and Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, ahead of the 2026 session;
- To facilitate the adoption of portable, small solar systems, known colloquially as “balcony solar.” Republican Del. Delores Oates, of Warren County, announced a similar bill in early December, but the bill text was not yet available;
- To improve power usage forecasting to avoid overestimates that lead to higher prices; and
- To establish a process for the State Corporation Commission to measure grid utilization for future investments.
Housing bill proposals
- To urge localities to preserve and protect access to affordable housing. This bill was introduced by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, ahead of the 2026 session;
- To create a revolving loan fund to build mixed-income housing developments;
- To expand the Virginia Eviction Reduction Program; and
- To increase bond allocation to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development for affordable housing projects.
A number of the bills the Democratic governor-elect touted as a part of her plan were ones vetoed by her Republican predecessor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Those vetoed bills are expected to be reintroduced during the 2026 session.
Those previously vetoed bills include one to eliminate additional fees on insurance premiums through surcharges passed on to tobacco users by health insurance carriers, patroned by Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington County; an effort to increase energy storage capacity patroned by Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond; a bill to extend the grace period for tenants facing eviction, patroned by Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News; and an effort to increase affordable housing options in every locality, patroned by Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William County.
Democrats will hold a trifecta during the 2026 legislative session, with majorities in both General Assembly chambers, and a Democratic governor. Spanberger said that the amount of time will vary regarding when Virginians could begin to see results from the legislation once it’s signed.
A health care association, energy companies, and a housing organization respond
Julian Walker, spokesperson for the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, said that the organization is “encouraged” to see emphasis on access to health care in Spanberger’s policy proposals.
“Several of the proposals align with issues the organization has advocated for in the health care industry, including efforts to limit insurance prior authorization policies that lead to patients experiencing delays or denial of care that is recommended by a healthcare provider, a focus on strengthening healthcare workforce development to support clinician training and promote access to timely care, and efforts to protect care access for people at risk of losing coverage due to federal policy developments,” he said in a statement.
Regarding housing, Mary Lawson, spokesperson for Virginia Realtors, said that the organization is also “encouraged” to see a commitment to expanding housing supply in Spanberger’s policy platform.
“With a housing shortage of nearly 200,000 market-rate homes here in the Commonwealth, any steps Virginia can take to increase supply will help alleviate our housing crisis,” Lawson said.
Spokespersons for the Appalachian Power Company and Dominion Energy both said their companies have begun to review the policy proposals.