Democrats in the General Assembly are planning for the potential impacts of the new administration in Washington.
President Trump campaigned on slashing the size and cost of the federal government and also rolling back Obamacare. That could mean that thousands of lower-income people in Virginia could lose their health insurance under Medicaid. Senator Creigh Deeds is a Democrat from Charlottesville who’s introduced a budget amendment to prevent people from losing their health insurance.
"Some of the Republicans who would have to vote for it in the Congress come from areas where large portions of the population are served by Medicaid expansion, and it's hard for me to believe that these people are going to put loyalty to the president above the needs of their constituents," he says. "But I guess it could happen. It's just something we have to be prepared for."
Senator Aaron Rouse is a Democrat from Virginia Beach who says he's worried about what might happen to federal workers if the government shuts down in March.
"The bills still don't stop because you stop getting paid. The bills keep coming, and you still have to put food on the table," Rouse explains. "And if there's a time where the government shuts down, we want to ensure that they have an opportunity to make a living and have an income coming in."
That's why he's introduced legislation creating a 30-day delay for evicting federal workers struggling to make ends meet without a paycheck.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
