Both parties trumpet ‘affordability’ ahead of the General Assembly session, but plans to achieve that goal may differ

Affordability will be the key priority of the 2026 General Assembly session that convenes today, according to lawmakers, but the two parties have different ideas on how to achieve that end goal. 

Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly have said, repeatedly, that their plan is to pass legislation that will help reduce the cost of living for Virginians. Bills to increase the minimum wage, efforts to lower energy prices, and increase access to affordable housing are among some of the first pieces of legislation filed largely by Democrats. 

The liberal party will have a trifecta of power and a considerable majority in the House of Delegates during the 2026 session. Democrats have a 64-seat majority to Republicans’ 36 seats in the House of Delegates. Democrats in the state Senate hold a 21-seat majority to Republicans’ 19 seats, and the Democratic Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi will preside over the chamber. Democratic Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger will be sworn into the governor’s office on Jan. 17. 

All signs point to Democrats passing their legislative agenda, and it’s unclear how lawmakers from the largely Republican Southwest and Southside regions of the commonwealth will advance their priorities. 

“Democrats have control,” said Republican Del. Terry Austin, of Botetourt County. “Certainly there are going to be things that I and my constituents will want protected or advanced that we as Republicans are not going to be able to save. I’ll do my best, our caucus will work hard to do that, but it’s very difficult given the numbers.”

Republicans plan to introduce their own affordability agenda after Spanberger’s inauguration on Saturday. In the meantime, members of the conservative party have signaled that they plan to oppose many of their Democratic colleagues’ initiatives and have argued that the bills introduced may not do much to lower the day-to-day costs for Virginians. 

“Republicans recognize that people need help making their lives more affordable,” said Garren Shipley, a Republican spokesperson. “That doesn’t mean ‘bills lower than they would have been otherwise,’ it means bills that take less money out of their pocket each month.”

Southwest and Southside Republicans have met with the incoming Spanberger administration

Republican Sen. Todd Pillion, of Washington County, said that he has left conversations with Gov.-elect Spanberger with the impression that she has “all intentions to move the entire commonwealth forward.”

Pillion said he’s expressed the importance of Southwest Virginia and the region’s unique needs in conversations with the incoming governor. Economic development after the mining industry collapsed years ago, access to affordable health care and transportation issues are among the region’s unique needs. 

“She’s listened and now we just need to turn listening into action, and I’m trusting that we can work together to make some great things happen,” he said. 

Policy areas where Pillion said he is confident he and Spanberger can find common ground include economic development, education and access to health care. 

Areas where they may find themselves at cross purposes, however, include the 2nd Amendment and gun control legislation, efforts to change or repeal the so-called “right-to-work” law, and some cultural and social issues, he said, calling them the “5 to 10% that you hear about in the press rather than the 90% that we all agree on.”

Austin was among Republican lawmakers that Spanberger’s policy team and cabinet members have reached out to ahead of the start of session. He said his meeting with the incoming administration was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, when he was reached by Cardinal News on Monday for a phone interview. 

His desire for that meeting, Austin said, is to put a process in place so that Republican concerns are identified and acknowledged by the incoming administration to support “good legislation for the commonwealth.”

He added that there are issues of great difference between the two parties, however.

He pointed out areas of great difference between the two parties, including the constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s Congressional map and echoed Pillion’s concern regarding the 2nd Amendment and gun control bills. 

“There’s a great divide. They’re going to do things or propose things that we’re going to push back on, as we should. I don’t know that we’re going to be able to control the end game, but we’ll certainly try,” Austin said. “Politics is the art of compromise. We do respectfully disagree, and we’ll do that this time.”

Del. Eric Phillips, R-Henry County, said he has met with members of Spanberger’s transition team in economic development group meetings in Pittsylvania and Henry counties as well as Martinsville. 

“I think economic development should be bipartisan — it should be nonpartisan,” he said.

He added that he hopes that will be an area of common ground between Republicans and the incoming administration. Access to affordable housing is another area where he said he hopes the parties can agree. 

“Obviously there’s going to be disagreement on a lot of the other issues,” he said. “But I think we should work together where we can and they seem open to that.”

Libby Wiet, spokesperson for the Spanberger administration, said that the governor-elect is encouraged by the positive feedback she’s heard from legislators in response to her focus on lowering costs for Virginia families. 

“High costs impact all Virginians, no matter their party affiliation, and she knows that addressing the rising cost of housing, energy, and healthcare is a priority shared by leaders from across Southwest and Southside Virginia,” Wiet said. 

Points of possible contention

Policy areas that could see some contention include the Virginia Clean Economy Act — Republicans have expressed an interest in repealing that law, which mandates Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power achieve carbon-free energy portfolios by 2045 and 2050, respectively. Republicans have argued that renewable energy sources alone can not meet the energy demand in Virginia and that the effort could drive up costs for ratepayers. Some Democrats have expressed openness to changing the law.

“We all are wanting to lower energy prices for our constituents, we just disagree on how we come up with a solution,” Pillion said. 

That disagreement can be traced back to energy generation — whether to use natural gas and nuclear, or focus on a transition to renewable energy, or to use an all-the-above strategy. 

The so-called “right-to-work” law, which says that if there’s a union in the workplace nonmembers aren’t required to pay union dues is another policy area that could see an intra-party fight. Democratic state Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy has introduced a bill that would repeal parts of the law, but Spanberger has been reticent to express support for changes to the bill as it stands now. 

The 2026 General Assembly session will also usher in a new biennial budget. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has introduced his proposal for the 2026-2028 period in December, but Democratic lawmakers have voiced their intention to scrap much or all of his spending bill. 

“The legislature traditionally does that no matter who the governor is,” Pillion, a conferee in past budget sessions, said. He added that he believes there is “significant value” in Youngkin’s proposed budget that Pillion said he hopes the legislature, Democratic lawmakers included, will work from.

He added that for the last four years, the state coffers have shown a surplus and that has led to tax rebates for Virginians but, he noted that the economy is not “growing by double digits anymore.” 

“We’re just going to need to tighten up a little bit,” he said, because of things like K-12 education rebenchmarking, and the Medicaid forecast. 

Putting infrastructure in place to comply with new federal Medicaid work requirements will cost the state, and a decrease in tax revenue related to federal worker and spending cuts could be seen as well.