By Anthony Iafrate
Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger blasted President Donald Trump over the U.S.’ cost of living — despite leading a state party that has proposed roughly 50 different taxes in the past few weeks. Both houses of the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature already voted to empower local governments to raise sales taxes, and to impose rules on local governments that will lead to property tax increases. Virginia already has higher taxes than the average state.
Spanberger delivered her party’s response to Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address, excoriating the president for his new tariffs, which she called “another massive tax hike on you and your family,” and blaming congressional Republicans for making Americans’ lives “harder” and “more expensive.” However, since she took office in January, the governor’s party has introduced dozens of new taxes and tax increases in the state legislature in just two weeks. The state Senate’s budget relies on at least one major tax increase exceeding a billion dollars, rising to two billion dollars in future years, but it is still early in the legislative session.
The taxes Virginia Democrats proposed in the latter half of January included levies on food delivery, concerts, ride sharing services, fantasy sports, dog walking, dry cleaning and electric leaf blowers, ABC affiliate WJLA reported in late January. (RELATED: Major Defense Contractor Flees Spanberger’s Virginia Just Weeks After She Takes Office)
Legislation passed by Virginia’s Democratic legislature will increase electric bills and utility bills for most Virginians, according to research from the Thomas Jefferson Institue for Public Policy.
“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” Spanberger asked the American public as she responded to Trump’s speech.
“Since this president took office last year, his reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs. Small businesses have suffered, farmers have suffered, some losing entire markets. Everyday Americans are paying the price,” the governor continued. “And even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down four days ago, the damage to us, the American people, has already been done.”
“Meanwhile the president is planning for new tariffs, another massive tax hike on you and your family. And Republicans in Congress — they remain unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop him. They are making your life harder, they are making your life more expensive, they are even making it more difficult to see a doctor,” Spanberger said.
“And it is not just me. Democrats across the country are laser focused on affordability,” the Virginia governor went on to say. “Americans deserve to know that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night. Problems that dictate where you live, whether you can afford to start a business or whether you have to skip a prescription in order to buy groceries.”
A memo sent to Republican members of Congress by the Advancing American Freedom Foundation estimated that if seven of the proposed Democratic tax bills became law, they would increase Virginians’ taxes by $6.6 billion in just the next fiscal year, The Center Square reported.
As Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger claims Democrats are the party of “affordability,” Democrats in her state have proposed the following taxes/forced costs on regular Americans:
• dog walking and grooming tax
• gun and ammunition tax
• new [higher] income tax brackets
• storage…— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 25, 2026
The Democrat flipped Virginia’s governorship from red to blue in November 2025 after largely stressing affordability during her campaign, saying that Trump’s policies were hurting her state’s economy.
Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson said in October 2025 — days before Spanberger’s 15-point election victory — that if “Democrats flip the governor’s seat, it will be because Spanberger made it about people feeling the consequences of Trump’s economy,” Politico reported at the time.
