House Leaders Urge Governor McAuliffe, Senate Democrats to pass a clean budget, hold special session on Medicaid expansion

At a press conference Tuesday in Richmond, members of the Virginia House of Delegates urged Governor Terry McAuliffe and Senate Democrats to separate the state budget from the debate over Medicaid expansion, calling on Governor McAuliffe to stop using Virginia's budget as a bargaining chip and instead hold a special session on Medicaid expansion as a standalone issue.

"Governor McAuliffe and Senate Democrats improperly injected Medicaid expansion into the budget process, purposely trying to use funding for teachers, schools, firefighters, police officers and local governments as leverage in their efforts to implement ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion in Virginia," said Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford). "This is wrong. Virginia's budget should not be held hostage to one particular issue. Governor McAuliffe and the Senate should let the General Assembly pass a clean budget with no strings attached. Once that happens, he should call a special session to debate the issue of ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion on its merits."

"Holding the budget hostage to one particular political or policy debate that has no immediate impact on the budget is wrong," said House Majority Leader Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights). "We have been very clear that we think the debate over Medicaid expansion should be separate from budget negotiations. The best way forward is for the Governor and his allies in the Democrat-controlled Senate to allow the General Assembly to pass a clean budget on time and then handle Medicaid expansion in a special session as a standalone issue."

"The House and Senate budget proposals are very close," added Cox. "The bottom lines are separated by one-tenth of one percent, a difference that could be closed in a matter of days if Senate budget conferees would begin to seriously negotiate. Too many Virginians are counting on the General Assembly to finish the state budget for it to be delayed over one issue."

Speaker Howell emphasized the importance of passing a state budget as soon as possible, saying local governments, school boards and state agencies could not wait until July 1.

"Governor McAuliffe has repeatedly said he wants a budget by July 1st," said Howell. "Anyone who knows Virginia government knows July 1st is far too late. Local governments, school boards, state agencies, contractors and businesses that work with the state begin to make their budget decisions in April. We cannot drag this issue out for months. That's why we believe we should handle the budget first and then continue to debate the issue of Medicaid expansion in a special session."

At the press conference, House Republican leadership highlighted a letter Governor Terry McAuliffe wrote during his campaign to the Virginia congressional delegation regarding the threat of a federal government shutdown.

In that letter, Governor McAuliffe wrote that Congress should "stop using the threat of a government shutdown as a bargaining chip in other negotiations, including over the healthcare law."

"We agree with Governor McAuliffe that the threat of a state government shutdown should not be used as a bargaining chip in other negotiations, especially ones involving an issue as complex and complicated as ObamaCare," said Speaker Howell.

The press conference was attended by all of House Republican Leadership, including Caucus Chairman Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax), Majority Whip Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) and Deputy Majority Leader Todd Gilbert. Also attending was House Appropriations Committee Chairman Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), House Budget Conferees Delegate Steve Landes (R-Augusta), Delegate John O'Bannon (R-Henrico), Delegate Tag Greason (R-Loudoun) and Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission Members Delegates Jimmie Massie (R-Henrico) and Charles Poindexter (R-Franklin).

Also attending was Delegate Tom Rust, a supporter of Medicaid expansion, who believes the issue should be separate from the budget process.