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In a single sweep, Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed two more bills that families in this state were counting on. Add them to the collective bargaining veto from last week and you start to see a very clear picture of centrism.
Let’s go through them one by one.
ICE Warrants
The General Assembly passed a bill requiring ICE to obtain a judicial warrant before making arrests in courthouses, schools, hospitals, and polling places. Basic due process. The kind of protection any of us would want if federal agents showed up at the door.
Rather than signing it, Spanberger stripped out the provision that would have allowed the state attorney general to sue on behalf of individuals if violations occurred. Her version told people they were on their own, forcing individuals who were detained or deported to pursue legal claims themselves, without state support.
This provision essentially guts the bill’s purpose, removing state protection for the people terrorized by this federally funded group of thugs.
We are living through a moment where ICE is conducting raids in communities across this country without accountability or judicial oversight. Virginia had a chance to draw a clear line and stand up for immigrants and people of color. And our Governor chose not to.
Our campaign is focused on comprehensive immigration reform which includes abolishing ICE. We seek to build toward secure borders and just processes when encountering undocumented immigrants.
Retail Cannabis
Virginia legalized cannabis years ago. People can grow it, possess it, use it. But there is still no legal place to buy it, which means the unregulated market is still thriving and the state is leaving tax revenue on the table while small business owners wait in limbo.
The General Assembly passed a framework to finally establish a legal retail cannabis marketplace. Spanberger vetoed it. She said she wants to get it right. But this was the fifth time Virginia legislators have tried to make this happen. At some point “getting it right” starts to look a lot like running out the clock.
The communities that have been indiscriminately harmed by decades of cannabis criminalization are still waiting for the economic opportunity that legalization promised. Every year this drags on is another year that option goes unfulfilled. We have a lot of work to do within criminal justice reform and I look forward to moving the needle on that, like we did in Virginia when we repealed the drug felony ban on public benefits.
Prescription Drug Affordability
The legislation would have created a state advisory panel to study prescription drug pricing, recommend policies to lower costs, and cap what drug manufacturers could charge for certain medications at the price already negotiated by the federal government for Medicare recipients.
It passed with bipartisan support. It was a five-year effort. And Spanberger vetoed it for the third time between two governors.
But when you take $50,000 from the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America [ [link removed] ] — an American trade group representing companies in the pharmaceutical industry — of course you’d want to keep prices high.
This is why Medicare for All and campaign finance reform are two of our top priorities. We must end the industry’s for profit motive and stop this practice of corporations pouring money into campaigns.
The bigger picture
Four major vetoes in one week. Collective bargaining. ICE warrants. Cannabis retail. Prescription drug affordability. Each one passed by a Democratic majority. Each one representing something real that Virginians were fighting for.
And in each case, the people cheering loudest were corporations, industry lobbyists, and Republicans.
While her PR teams takes time to spin the narrative on these vetoes, the people know the truth. We know the truth because our neighbors are still underpaid. Immigrants are still unprotected in courthouses. And patients are still deciding between food and insulin.
The DNC states that Democrats are supposed to be “organizing for a brighter, more equal future.” The Democratic Party is supposed to stand for working people, not corporate donors, lobbyists, and political convenience.
I’m running in the 1st Congressional District [ [link removed] ] because that’s what I believe. We need a Representative with experience fighting and winning for families.
Governor Spanberger endorses Shannon Taylor for this race, painting a clear picture about how she will represent this district: corporate-backed, carefully managed, and completely disconnected from the working people - which is why she has skipped every public forum.
While the establishment democrats have corporate interests to abide by, I will only answer to the people of Virginia’s 1st District because working families deserve representatives who fight for them, not for money.
All my campaign funding comes from people - not corporations or their executives and lobbyists.
Funded by people, we will fight for people. Every single day. Together, let’s paint Virginia a blue that benefits you.
Sincerely,
Salaam
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