Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed six Republican redistricting bills live on his monthly call-in radio show Thursday, then took the highly unusual step of signing the budget plan produced by Virginia’s GOP-led legislature without a single amendment. McAuliffe’s actions came one day before the Democrat is expected to announce vetoes on a raft of Republican legislation turning on political flashpoints such as guns, home schooling, “living wage” rules and the limits of federal power. Taken together, the moves seem intended to project twin images of McAuliffe, as both bipartisan dealmaker and stalwart defender of certain liberal causes.
They also reflect the political reality that McAuliffe faces, with Republicans fully in control of both House and Senate. With his top campaign promise, to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, out of reach given the present configuration of the legislature, McAuliffe has abandoned the high-stakes budget brinkmanship that brought the commonwealth to the edge of a government shutdown last year.
By coming together quickly on a budget that contains no new taxes or fees, gives raises to teachers and state employees, provides health care to Virginians with severe mental illnesses and stashes away extra millions in the state’s rainy-day fund, McAuliffe and Republican legislative leaders can make the case that Richmond can govern in ways that Washington cannot. Making note of the across-the-board federal spending cuts that are a symbol of congressional dysfunction and a threat to Virginia’s defense-heavy economy, McAuliffe said sequestration had spurred the state’s leaders to put partisanship aside.
Full Article: McAuliffe vetoes six redistricting bills – The Washington Post.