RICHMOND, VA – Longtime conservative leader, 2014 U.S. Senate candidate and 2017 Republican candidate for Governor Ed Gillespie released the following statement Friday on Governor Terry McAuliffe and Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam’s budget proposal.
“The McAuliffe-Northam budget shortfall is a direct result of the anemic economic growth we’ve seen under this administration. Virginia’s growth rate has been below the national rate for the last five years as we have swapped higher-paying jobs for lower paying ones, seen too many Virginians being forced to work part time and watched our labor-force shrink to a ten-year low this year. Now, the General Assembly has to make difficult decisions on higher education, public safety and state employee compensation. I am confident that the Republican-led General Assembly will navigate these challenges in the short term, but the long-term solution is to foster natural, organic growth that leads to better paying jobs and a growing economy. With all Virginia has to offer, we should be in the top five states for economic growth.”