By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Virginia lawmakers adjourned the 2026 General Assembly session without adopting a final state budget, leaving one of the state government’s core responsibilities unfinished despite Democrats controlling the House of Delegates, Senate, governor’s office, lieutenant governor’s office and attorney general’s office.
The impasse sets up a likely return to Richmond later this spring and prompted criticism from Republicans, who said Democratic leadership failed to produce a finalized spending plan before adjournment.
“As of the end of the 2026 legislative session, Virginia still does not have a state budget,” Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, wrote in a newsletter to constituents after lawmakers left Richmond.
Walker said House leadership informed members Thursday that negotiations had stalled and no completed budget agreement had been reached before adjournment.
Walker said the unfinished budget leaves schools, local governments, law enforcement agencies and community organizations waiting to learn what funding levels they will receive for the next biennium.
First-term Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, in a statement released Saturday, pointed instead to the legislation advanced during session and said she remained focused on lowering costs for Virginia families.
“I am reviewing the legislation on my desk as we continue to focus on lowering costs for families, growing Virginia’s economy, and making sure every Virginia student is set up for success,” Spanberger said.
She added that she looked forward to calling lawmakers back to Richmond on April 23 “to pass a budget that delivers on the responsible, pragmatic leadership Virginians voted for this past November.”
Spanberger also highlighted parts of what her office called its “Affordable Virginia Agenda,” including House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 72, which her office said would reduce heating and energy costs for Virginians who need it most. Her office also pointed to HB15 and SB48, aimed at improving protections for Virginia renters, and HB220 and SB630, which it said would eliminate additional fees on health care premiums.
The governor’s office also highlighted HB830 and SB669, which it said would stop predatory middlemen from hiking the cost of prescription drugs, and HB1227 and SB729, aimed at leveraging the commonwealth’s bonding authority to support affordable housing.
But while the governor emphasized legislation tied to housing, health care and energy costs, the session still ended without a final budget agreement in place.
Public comments from Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas showed a dispute over Virginia’s data center tax policy had become a visible point of tension in the final days of session. In posts on social media, Lucas said there would not be a budget with former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s data center tax breaks in it and said large companies should pay their “fair share of taxes.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from House Speaker Don Scott and Lucas.
The unfinished budget leaves unresolved major spending decisions for the next two years and prolongs uncertainty for localities and agencies that rely on state funding.
