Webert: Show your work, governor

Every governor promises to make government work better. The real test is whether government becomes more accountable to the people who bear the cost of its decisions.

Regulation is not a great dinner-table conversation, but it shows up at the dinner table every day. It influences the price of groceries, utility bills, housing, insurance and the cost of doing business. Every regulation carries a cost, whether measured in dollars, delays, paperwork or lost opportunity. Those costs do not disappear simply because they are not called taxes. 

That is why Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s new executive order on Virginia’s regulatory process deserves closer attention. The administration presents the order as a modernization of regulation, but it dismantles many of the reforms that made Virginia’s regulatory process more transparent over the past four years.

The changes are significant. The order eliminates the Office of Regulatory Management, which provided centralized review of agency regulations. It removes the requirement that agencies publish annual Unified Regulatory Plans, giving Virginians advance notice of significant regulatory actions. It abandons the common baseline used to measure whether regulatory burdens are increasing or decreasing. It also eliminates several analytical requirements that helped quantify the economic consequences of proposed regulations. 

Every governor has the right to pursue a different regulatory philosophy. Elections have consequences. But no administration should make it harder for citizens to understand the consequences of its decisions. Government’s authority to regulate should be matched by an equally strong obligation to explain itself. 

That is why disciplined regulatory review matters. Before government imposes new obligations, it should answer a few basic questions. What problem is being solved? What will compliance cost? Are there less burdensome alternatives? Do the expected public benefits justify those costs? 

These are not ideological questions. They are questions of competent government.

Virginia’s previous review process required agencies to answer those questions systematically. Agencies were expected to document costs and benefits, periodically review existing regulations and publicly explain their reasoning. Businesses, local governments and ordinary citizens could examine that analysis, challenge flawed assumptions and participate in a more informed public debate.

Gov. Spanberger’s order moves Virginia away from that model. 

That shift comes at an unfortunate time. In 2026, CNBC made infrastructure the most heavily weighted category in its annual Top States for Business rankings and, for the first time, added ease of permitting as a factor. The reason was simple: companies want world-class infrastructure, abundant energy, reliable transportation and access to markets — but they also want a permitting process that is predictable, transparent and free from unnecessary red tape. 

Virginia has long benefited from that reputation, earning the nation’s No. 2 ranking for infrastructure. While many factors contribute to that success, a regulatory system built on measurable standards and transparent review has helped make Virginia an attractive place to invest and build. Weakening those guardrails risks creating greater uncertainty for employers and entrepreneurs at precisely the moment other states are competing aggressively for jobs and capital. 

Transparency is not merely a good-government principle; it is an economic advantage. Businesses can adapt to clear rules. They struggle with uncertainty. When government removes the very tools that allow citizens and employers to understand how decisions are made, predictability suffers — and with it, one of Virginia’s greatest competitive strengths. 

The deeper problem is the philosophy behind the order. It speaks the language of efficient and effective regulation while discarding several tools that let citizens test whether a rule is efficient or effective.

Accountability begins with measurement.

If government believes a regulation will improve public health, protect natural resources or strengthen the economy, it should welcome rigorous public analysis demonstrating those benefits. Likewise, if compliance costs are substantial, Virginians deserve to know that before those costs appear in higher utility bills, housing prices, insurance premiums or the price of everyday goods.

Legislatures debate their bills in public. Courts publish written opinions explaining their decisions.

Regulations should be held to the same standard. Regulators do not stand for election. Their accountability comes from transparency, measurable standards and a willingness to show the public the evidence behind the rules they propose.

The Youngkin administration built its regulatory framework around independent oversight, measurable standards and public transparency.

Virginians should ask a simple question: If a regulation is worth imposing on millions of citizens, why shouldn’t government be required to show its work?

That is not a conservative principle or a progressive principle. It is simply the foundation of accountable government.

Del. Michael Webert of Fauquier County is the House Republican Caucus Whip in the House of Delegates.