A government shutdown would hit especially hard in Virginia, which has more than 140,000 federal civilian employees — trailing only California among states — as well as large military bases. With the current federal budget running out at the end of September, a shutdown seems increasingly probable as a few hard-right Republicans in the House of Representatives prevent GOP leadership from producing a spending plan.
And Democrats on the campaign trail are wasting no time painting Republicans as extremists. A member of Virginia’s own congressional delegation has played a role in the stalemate, with Rep. Bob Good that “we should not fear a government shutdown. Most of what we do up here is bad anyway.” Youngkin has drawn partisan criticism recently for staying largely mum on an issue of such consequence to the state. In 2013, by comparison, Gov. Robert “Bob” McDonnell was much harsher on his fellow Republicans, calling a news conference as a shutdown loomed to warn of its dangers. McDonnell faulted the Obama administration for not engaging on entitlement reform, but hammered Republicans for budgetary brinkmanship.“Look, I am no fan at all of Obamacare,” McDonnell said at the time.