Affordability is the watchword for Senate Democrats, who are rolling out an agenda that includes everything from taxing the rich to expanding access to health care.
"We're going to frame affordability as inseparable from freedom and opportunity, and of course, some of the highlights would include access to quality education, health care, affordability and reproductive freedoms, transportation, workforce development and economic mobility," says Senate Finance Chairwoman Louise Lucas. "And I know some folks at the federal level are saying that affordability is just a word. It's more than just a word. Affordability is about what affects working families."
Republicans say Virginia can't afford the agenda of Senate Democrats, criticizing, for example, the new payroll tax that’ll finance paid family and medical leave.
"We are talking about for an average of a $60,000 salary, an individual would pay about $4 a month. That is about the cost of a cup of coffee," says Senator Jennifer Boysko, a Democrat from Herndon. "I would question the validity of saying that that's going to make things unaffordable."
Republicans aren't really in a position to stop the new payroll tax for paid family and medical leave or any of the proposals on the Democrats’ affordability agenda. For the first time in four years, Democrats will have a trifecta – controlling the House, the Senate and the Executive Mansion.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
