SALEM, VA – No state budget, and no shortage of opinions.
“I don’t care which party is in charge. We need to be responsible, and this is not being responsible,” Republican Delegate Terry Austin (37th District) said.
Tuesday, Virginia lawmakers gathered in Salem for a legislative wrap-up panel hosted by several local chambers of commerce and moderated by 10 News Anchor John Carlin.
The lawmakers took questions on the 2026 General Assembly session - with the missing state budget front and center.
“Without a budget, there are so many question,” Republican Senator David Suetterlein (4th District) said.
“The big theme here is trying to plug some of the holes that we’re dealing with coming from the federal government,” Democratic Delegate Sam Rasoul (38th District) said.
Suetterlein pointing to a larger issue: who holds the power and how it’s being used.
“The choice by the legislature, by the Democratic leadership, to not pass a budget, is a huge checks and balance issue. And I usually fall more in line with the legislature to have more authority, given that I am in the legislature, but this is a big problem,” Suetterlein said.
But Rasoul says late budget negotiations are nothing new.
“We’ll have a budget by June 30. Obviously it’s better if we have a budget sooner rather than later, especially for local governments, it makes things easier, so no doubt as far as that’s concerned,” Rasoul said.
And while lawmakers pointed to some wins this session, including investments in education, much of the conversation kept coming back to one issue: data centers.
Republican Senator Bill Stanley (7th District) weighing in on the debate over tax incentives.
“We take this tax credit away and there’s no chance that we’re going to be competitive with other states. They’re gonna go somewhere else and not here. I want our localities to be able to say ‘Yes we want them, or no we don’t,’” Stanley said.
Republican Eric Phillips (48th District) represents part of Pittsylvania County, where a data center is now being considered.
He says he’s been talking with lawmakers in Northern Virginia where those projects are already in place.
“I think we need to do a better job of educating folks on where data centers are now. I asked him, ‘How often do you get complaints about these?’ he said, ‘Almost never,’” Phillips said.
Rasoul addressing water concerns
“Look, water is going to be one of the fights of the future. For us even in the middle of a drought to not be taking that seriously is important,” Rasoul said.