Youngkin announces plan to invest in all Virginians

On July 29, 2021, political outsider, successful business leader, and Republican nominee for governor Glenn Youngkin delivered remarks outlining his plan for the Virginia budget surplus and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Glenn outlined his plan in Richmond at the L. Douglas Wilder Library at Virginia Union University, stating:

“It’s going to take a new kind of leader to pave the way for a new day in Virginia. So today I’m offering my priorities for investing in all Virginians by using the surplus and the American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide Virginians tax relief, reinvigorate our job machine, reestablish excellence and empower parents in Virginia’s classrooms, and rescue public safety and our mental health system.”

“I’d like to see a meaningful amount of these dollars go directly into the pockets of Virginians. Under Democratic rule, the general fund revenues, which are taxes and fees, have increased at two times the rate of GDP growth.”

“The McAuliffe-Northam regime has had their chance and failed to deliver. They’ve had 8 years to make your lives better, but they live by the philosophy that government should decide all things; which businesses will win and which ones will lose, especially penalizing small businesses and more rural parts of this great Commonwealth. They tell us what’s best for our kids in schools, giving parents no voice, and no choice. And they think they know best how to keep us safe, by underfunding law enforcement and our mental health system. They govern by the belief that they know best how to spend Virginians’ money, these tax dollars. Terry McAuliffe thinks it’s his money.”

“My vision for Virginia is one day, we will lead the nation in job creation because taxes are low and regulations are reasonable, because small business can access capital, can hire who they need to hire, and expand because every graduate is either college-ready or career-ready with the skill that will put them on the pathway to a more prosperous future. To reinvigorate our job machine, we will take several important steps.”

“My vision is a Virginia with safe neighborhoods, where our children can play without worry, where the elderly can take a walk without fear, with police partnering with communities to patrol and keep everyone safe. These are my investment priorities. This is a moment for transformational investment. This $5.8 billion plan includes over $2 billion that goes directly to Virginians in the form of tax relief and educational recovery assistance. It invests $2.6 billion to reinvigorate our job machine, $1.2 billion to reestablish excellence in education, and $500 million to rescue public safety and our mental health system. Make no mistake, with the Youngkin Administration, this is the Virginia that you can expect. When I’m your Governor, we will get things done.”

Glenn listened to the concerns of parents and small businesses owners when formulating a plan to reinvest in our schools & economy. Mother Michelle Williams and small business owner Hayden Fischer joined Glenn to share their personal experiences and demonstrate their support for his plan to invest in Virginians:

“As a mother of five children who have and is currently attending public school in Virginia, I am concerned today. We’ve seen a lurch to the left in the name of indoctrination and lowering of academic standards, prioritizing unions and bureaucracy over education. I trust Glenn Youngkin to go to work for our children and get our education system back on track. Our children deserve higher standards of education. As parents, we should be empowered to choose the best educational opportunities for our students. The education refund Glenn’s proposing will be a huge help to parents like me. I’m with Glenn because he’ll improve educational outcomes for all Virginian students—that’s what matters,” said Michelle Williams.

“My name is Hayden Fisher, I’m a local attorney and entrepreneur, and small business owner. And as we all know, the past eight years we’ve seen an increasingly anti-business climate. A climate particularly anti-business towards small businesses. And that doesn’t take the form just in increased regulations, and higher taxes, it really takes the form in a lack of empathy for small businesses in particular. And that’s why we need someone like Glenn Youngkin who understands every big business starts as a small business. And never was that more apparent than last year when the pandemic hit. As y’all know in a time of crisis we need leadership, we needed Glenn Youngkin to lead us through a time like that.

Instead, McAuliffe Northam administration provided nothing by way of guidance and help for small businesses. And I’ll tell you, in particular, that was present when you talk about the essential vs non-essentials categories of business. If you were big buys grocery store or if you were a gas station, you were essentially you were open. If you’re an innovative new business, that sold similar products or services, especially products and goods in the retail sector, you were non-essential even though you had a business model, that was a new business model, that didn’t fit into a neat government category. And as we started to reopen, the biggest frustration I heard from clients that I advise, I consult with a lot of small business clients, and other small business owners is there was no process. Like, what if my business does, can safely reopen? I don’t fit into a neat category. Why can’t I apply? There’s no process to try and say hey my business can also safely reopen. In fact, the only option was to potentially think about filing a lawsuit. Can you imagine having to file a lawsuit to reopen a business you put your heart and soul into? And not only that, but your concern was not winning, but being retaliated against for even having the audacity to file that lawsuit. That’s a complete lack of empathy for local business and for small business and with Glenn Youngkin, I can assure you there would be a process in place where he can bring every business back that can safely reopen back open as quickly as possible. And that’s why I and many small business owners support Glenn Youngkin for governor,” said small business owner Hayden Fisher.

Youngkin’s Plan to Invest in Virginians will focus on:

• Providing Relief for Taxpayers and Families:
o Immediately return the $1.5 billion in available taxpayer surplus to offset Virginian’s mounting tax burden
o Help working families by suspending the state gas tax hikes passed by Democrats for one year

• Reestablishing Excellence in Education:
o Empower parents with educational choice by piloting 20 new “Innovation Schools”
o Provide $500 per public school student in refunds to parents to invest in student educational recovery

• Reinvigorating the Job Machine:
o Protect employees and small businesses from a cataclysmic payroll tax increase of $270 per employee
o Invest $700 million to bridge the digital divide
o Provide a tax holiday for small businesses
o Invest in initiatives to grow jobs and address environmental challenges

• Rescuing Public Safety and Mental Health:
o Stop the exodus of our law enforcement heroes from the force with a $5,000 retention bonus
o Keep first responders safe with significant investments in critical equipment and continued legal protection
o Fund Virginia’s mental health care crisis plan