On June 25, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed 18 bipartisan bills aimed at enhancing support for individuals with developmental disabilities. These laws improve accessibility in education, recreation, law enforcement, and transitional services. The governor also signed a biennium budget allocating $247 million for 3,440 priority one waiver slots, increasing the total under his administration to 4,540 slots.

Updated June 27: The Fox News Channel will broadcast live from the Juke Box Diner in Manassas on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 6 a.m. 5 o’clock in the morning Gov. Glenn Youngkin will join the broadcast, according to the Manassas GOP.

President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Chesapeake, about 200 miles away, at 3 p.m. on the same day. Youngkin, a potential vice presidential candidate, is expected to join Trump at the rally.

Last year, on July 5, 2024, Youngkin appeared on Fox and Friends at the same diner. During his appearance, he discussed education and hiring more police officers. In an interview with Potomac Local News, Youngkin emphasized the need for departments to support their officers, highlighting a partnership with Petersburg that has reduced police vacancies.

Crime is a significant issue in the upcoming November 7 General Election, with violent crime in Prince William County up 70% since 2019. Youngkin stressed the need for prosecutors to take action, noting a decline in monthly direct criminal indictments under Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth. Ashworth faces Republican challenger Matt Lowery in the upcoming election.

During last year’s broadcast, diners were asked whether Youngkin should run for president. Both diners interviewed said he should focus on governing Virginia. Youngkin has been governor since 2022.

The Juke Box Diner at 8637 Sudley Road features classic 1950s decor and serves breakfast all day. Owner Joe Attyah said the Fox News Channel approached him to broadcast from his restaurant, viewing it as an opportunity to promote his business.

Republican candidates Ian Lovejoy and John Stirrup attended last year’s event, with Youngkin encouraging them to focus on public safety issues. The Manassas City Government did not have representatives present at the breakfast.

The diner remains a local landmark, drawing attention from media and political figures alike.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state lawmakers are scrambling after veterans' families lost education benefits following the approval of the state budget.

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Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) came to Prince William County, where farms are moving indoors.

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(The Center Square) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office issued an announcement Wednesday morning that as of next year, Virginia will no longer follow California’s electric vehicle mandates.

“Once again, Virginia is declaring independence – this time from a misguided electric vehicle mandate imposed by unelected leaders nearly 3,000 miles away from the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement.

Though Youngkin has fought green energy mandates established by the prior administration – most notably, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – the announcement comes as a surprise, as it was believed that the decision was in the hands of the General Assembly.

Youngkin encouraged state lawmakers at the start of this year’s legislative session to repeal the 2021 law tying Virginia’s vehicle emissions policies to California’s, but the bill never made it out of committee due to the Assembly’s Democratic majority.

But state Attorney General Jason Miyares has issued what is sure to be a highly contested official opinion “confirm[ing] that Virginia is not required to comply with expansive new mandates adopted by the unelected California Air Resources Board (CARB) set to take effect January 1, 2025.”

The governor held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, proudly declaring Virginia’s emancipation from California policy.

“I have the privilege of announcing once and for all the California electric vehicle mandate in Virginia. The idea that governments should be telling Virginians what kind of car they must drive is just simply wrong,” Youngkin said.

Federal law limits state autonomy regarding vehicle emissions: States must adhere to federal vehicle emissions standards, or they can choose to adopt California’s more stringent standards.

In 2021, under a Democratic governor and a Democratic majority in the General Assembly, Virginia passed several bills that dramatically changed the state’s energy and environmental landscape. One was the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which committed to transitioning Virginia’s electric grid entirely to green energy by 2050, and another hitched Virginia’s electric vehicle policies to California’s.

California requires 100% of new car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and can fine automakers that fail to comply.

Republicans have bucked against the mandates since they came to Virginia but have been unable to reverse them through the legislative process. But Miyares seems confident that he has found a legal loophole.

In 2012, California adopted its Advanced Clean Car Program I, regulating vehicle emissions standards from 2015 to 2025. In 2022, California adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II.

“Virginia’s air pollution control board has never approved, never adopted these ACCII (Advanced Clean Car Program II) regulations and because there was an explicit sunset provision placed on ACCI, it expires on December 31 of this year,” Miyares said.

Miyares also pointed to “permissive” language in the Virginia law referring to the first program, ACCI, which allowed the commonwealth to abandon California’s clean cars policies in 2025.

“I can reach no other conclusion as the attorney general of Virginia that the provisions tying us to California ACCII are no longer operable and yes, Virginians, yet again, have consumer freedom,” Miyares said.

Republicans are voicing their support for the move, grateful the commonwealth’s environmental policies will no longer be tied to California’s.

“Virginians, not unelected bureaucrats in California, should be able to choose the cars that fit their families needs,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Michael McDougle posted on X.

“Outstanding!! This had to be one of the most ridiculous policy decisions forced on Virginians when the Democrats took complete control of government in 2020/2021,” Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, posted on X.

Virginia Democrats have yet to issue an official response to the news.

We're getting a clearer picture of the two men inside a box truck used by two illegal immigrants to ram the main gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base.

Sources tell Potomac Local that the box truck that rammed the gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base contained only boxes and miscellaneous items—no weapons.

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Governor Glenn Youngkin joined law enforcement officials from across the region today for the ceremonial signing of three bills to strengthen child protection. The event took place at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 22, 2023, at the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.

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By Morgan Sweeney

(The Center Square) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive directive Thursday to assemble a task force to help address some controversial changes in the state’s latest budget to a decades-old educational assistance program for qualifying military families.

The task force would include veterans, families of service members killed in the line of duty, General Assembly members, and state public colleges and universities, who help fund the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program and approached the General Assembly due to rising program costs.

The program was established in 1996 to make higher education more accessible to spouses and dependents of those killed in military service, missing in action, prisoners of war, or who had sustained service-related injuries that left them 90% or more disabled by waiving tuition and mandatory fees. However, program participation has skyrocketed in recent years after eligibility was broadened, according to Youngkin, to a degree that may be unsustainable.

The just-passed budget narrows eligibility for the waiver component of the program to undergraduate programs, and people domiciled in Virginia, taking advantage of other benefits they might be eligible for and reaching specific academic benchmarks, jilting some military families and resulting in pushback from some lawmakers “on both sides of the aisle,” according to Youngkin.

“I am issuing this executive directive because it is vital that we study this issue and address it in a future budget to avoid any unintended consequences,” Youngkin said in a statement. “It is important that lawmakers review this issue so that we can provide a better path forward.”

The task force is to issue guidance on the changes to the program and make recommendations to the General Assembly on how it might be able to change eligibility language in the future while “balanc[ing] the need for long-term program sustainability with eliminating unreasonable barriers to the VMSDEP waiver or a survivor of dependents’ educational goals.”

By Morgan Sweeney

(The Center Square) — Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Virginia’s budget for fiscal years 2025-2026 Monday after the state’s General Assembly voted to pass it in a special session convened for that purpose.

The $188 billion biennial budget was agreed upon at the tail end of last week after protracted and extensive negotiations between Youngkin and conferees.

Despite the Republican governor holding the line and not allowing taxes to be increased, he and the Democratic-majority General Assembly were able to reach a compromise due in large part to general fund revenues to date exceeding forecasts. They’re currently expected to surpass original projections for the year by over $1 billion.

“While Virginians’ elected officials can sometimes be far apart on policy, today demonstrates and reiterates that we can come together to deliver for the Commonwealth. This budget resolution was empowered by the strength of our labor market, with more Virginians working than ever before and investments by businesses large and small that have fueled record revenues for the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement.

Democrats tried to include a digital sales tax in the compromise budget – something they adopted from Youngkin’s December budget proposal – but the governor objected to the tax without the accompanying tax breaks he had included in his introduced budget.

While the sales tax would have increased revenues by over $1 billion, the budget passed Monday relies on $525 million from excess revenues to help implement some Democratic priorities.

Chair of the Senate finance committee Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth – one of the most vocal critics of some of Youngkin’s budget proposals and goals – lauded the conferees’ work and praised the final product.

“I want to take this moment to thank the conferees and the committee staff for their hard work and dedication,” Lucas said. “There’s a lot to love about this budget…. This is a win for the commonwealth.”

The budget includes 3% raises for teachers and state government employees each year and increased funding for K-12 schools and higher education. It also includes additional funding for law enforcement, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, transportation and conservation, among other initiatives.

Notably, the budget lacks one other item for which Democrats fought intensely: Looping Virginia back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. On Youngkin’s first day in office, he issued an executive order to sever Virginia’s ties with the initiative, viewing it as a burden to Virginia’s pro-business environment and as a “backdoor tax” to residents whose energy bills could be raised by utilities trying to recoup costs.

Legislation making Virginia a part of the Initiative was passed in 2020. The Initiative attaches a cost to CO2 emissions. Participating states – a coalition of 11 Northeastern states before Virginia joined – place limits on how many CO2 emissions power plants can produce. Plants can purchase emissions credits if they need more allowable emissions or risk penalties and fines. A lawsuit claiming Youngkin acted outside the scope of his powers as governor by effectively repealing passed legislation through executive action is ongoing.

Del. Richard Sullivan, D-Fairfax, lamented the death of Democrats’ efforts to incorporate RGGI back into Virginia policy through the budget from the floor – while vowing to resurrect it in the future.

“I will vote today for the budget, Mr. Speaker, because of the long list of important advances it makes for the commonwealth. But my vote will be tempered by great disappointment at an opportunity squandered by our governor,” Sullivan said. “Also my vote will be filled with resolve to get Virginia back into RGGI just as soon as possible. This is not over.”

Republicans aren’t thrilled with many aspects of the freshly approved budget, but most voted to pass it.

“While the budget isn’t what a Republican House of Delegates would have produced, the document signed by the Governor today is a significant improvement over the budget sent to him at the end of the regular session,” said House Minority Leader Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, in a statement.

“Today’s budget contains no tax increases and does not require that Virginia rejoin the failed Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. It reflects compromise, with both sides dealing in good faith to meet our most basic responsibility,” Gilbert said

If lawmakers had not been able to compromise with the governor by June 30, Virginia would have been at risk of a government shutdown.