Rep. McClellan warns of impacts of federal tax bill on Virginia’s budget

The woman who represents Virginia’s 4th Congressional District made a stop in Charlottesville on Wednesday, August 27, warning of the effects that federal cuts will have on the Commonwealth’s budget.

Democratic Representative Jennifer McClellan, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, condemned the recent cutbacks to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, adding that the burden of filling the funding gap will fall to the states.

“For the first time, states are going to have to pay part of the SNAP benefit, they’re going to have to pay administrative costs to change eligibility requirements, and that’s going to require them to find money that could be used for something else,” McClellan said.

McClellan says that because those types of budget decisions will take place in Richmond over the next few years, one of her most immediate concerns is alerting Virginians to the upcoming races for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

“I think people need to understand that every election matters,” McLellan said. “These cuts at the federal level are going to impact the state budget and local budgets, and the next governor...is going to have to deal with that.”

29News reached out to 5th District Congressman John McGuire, who has been vocal about his support for the Big Beautiful Bill in the past, for an interview, but he was not available.

“Right now, while we are in this recess, my number one job is making sure that not just my constituents, but Virginians understand what is in this Big Ugly Bill, how it is going to impact their lives,” Rep. McClellan said. “The first step is for them to understand what’s at stake.”