Governor Youngkin delivers an optimistic State of the Commonwealth address

By Katie Northcott

Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivered his 2025 State of the Commonwealth address on Jan. 13, offering a glowing review of Virginia’s growth over the past year.

This address is Youngkin’s final address of his term. He delivered the address later than planned because of weather concerns. He highlighted Virginia’s growing population as a sign that the commonwealth is doing something right. He addressed topics such as education, business, immigration, and taxation.

“Virginia is growing. Virginia is competing. Virginia is winning,” he said.

Education

Youngkin pointed to improvements in Virginia’s education system, expressing excitement over the Virginia Literacy Act and ALL in Virginia. The Virginia Literacy Act is part of an effort to improve literacy outcomes for Virginia’s young learners. The act initiated support to school divisions through tools, resources, technical assistance, and funding. ALL in Virginia increased state funding to school divisions by $418.3 million in fiscal year 2024.

“Our investments in education have been transformational,” he said. “We have increased investment in K-12 education more than any other General Assembly or Governor has ever.”

Youngkin recently submitted budget amendments to continue Virginia’s investment in education. An incremental $517 million will bring Virginia to $22.1 billion for the biennium, and an additional $290 million for school construction means that Virginia will have invested a total of nearly $2 billion in education over the past three years.

Additionally, he plans to continue supporting lab schools (public schools that partner with a college or university to allow students to graduate with a degree at no cost to them). Youngkin is proposing $50 million for Virginia Opportunity Scholarships. These scholarships will give low-income families $5,000 scholarships to go toward a high-quality education for their children. Youngkin observed that Maryland, North Carolina, and Washington DC offer similar opportunity scholarships.

“Let’s work together to provide Opportunity Scholarships, expand lab schools, and further career and technical education so parents and students have multiple pathways to a great education,” he said.

Youngkin plans to implement a new School Performance and Support Framework to identify high-performing schools to serve as models for other schools. The Roadmap to Readiness is available to support schools that need intensive help to get back on track.

Though he is optimistic about the trajectory of Virginia’s education system, Youngkin recognized the use of cell phones and social media in schools as an existential crisis. He noted that on average, teens spend seven hours on their phones every day. He connected phone use to rising rates of suicide and depression among teens.

“The cold hard truth is cell phones are damaging the developing minds of young people,” he said.

In July, Youngkin issued Executive Order 33, which provided guidelines for schools to implement cell phone free policies. Schools following those guidelines since the school year started in August should be cell phone free bell-to-bell as they go back to school this January.

“We know local leadership is critical,” he said. “At Middlesex High School, the principal is tracking a dramatic decrease in disciplinary referrals … and reports that lunch in the cafeteria is loud once again … because students are talking to each other instead of buried in their phones.”

Economy

Youngkin said that 257,000 more Virginians are working now than in January 2022 when he took office. He expects 65,000 future jobs to come to Virginia thanks to investment and expansion commitments from companies like LEGO, LS Cable, Micron, and Microporous.

“And these are great jobs—jobs that are rocket fuel for our economy, lifting up all Virginians,” Youngkin said.

Youngkin sees tax relief as the pathway to providing more jobs for Virginians. He believes this should start with what he calls “the most hated tax in America”: Virginia’s car tax.

“The Car Tax Credit for Working Class Families will provide a permanent, refundable income tax credit up to $150 for individuals earning under $100,000 a year,” he said. “We can fund the first three years with $1.1 billion of the state’s projected surplus.”

Additionally, Youngkin plans to remove taxes on tips.

Youngkin said that the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which was passed in 2020, is not working because it didn’t account for the economic and job growth that occurred under Youngkin. He said the act drives up rates, drives down reliability, and constricts Virginia’s economic growth. 

He says Virginia is importing too much of its power needs. He wants Virginia to stop decommissioning its baseload generation, build more natural gas generation, build small modular reactors, finish the projects already underway, and pursue innovative technologies.

“This is embracing innovation over regulation,” Youngkin said. “This is delivering affordable reliable, and yes, increasingly clean energy that will power Virginia’s future.”

Youngkin supported building more data centers in Virginia, saying that local communities should be able to exercise their rights in regard to land use. He said that different communities would make differing decisions regarding data centers, but that local communities needed to be able to make their own decisions.

“Data centers alone support 74,000 jobs, bringing in $9.1 billion in Virginia GDP, and generate billions of dollars in local revenue, supporting education, public safety, and critical local services,” Youngkin said. “We should continue to be the data center capitol of the world and make sure Richmond is doing what is necessary to support that goal.”

Community Safety

Youngkin said that Virginia needs to do a better job of supporting pregnant mothers and babies. He said that 80 percent of pregnancy related deaths are preventable. He believes this year’s budget will allow for more medical interventions on behalf of mothers and babies.

“To keep Virginia soaring we need to keep Virginia healthy,” he said. “We must continue to support the health and well being of all Virginians. Critically, that includes moms and babies.”

Youngkin said that healthier communities would decrease drug use. He said that 45 days of “the most aggressive drug interdiction campaign in the history of the commonwealth” resulted in the seizure of 16,000 pounds of illicit opioids, 1000 arrests, and the seizure of 275 guns.

“And we are starting to see a decline in overdose deaths from illicit drugs, declining 23% in Virginia,” Youngkin said.

Though Youngkin is optimistic about Virginia’s future, he encouraged Virginians to keep pushing forward to keep up with their neighbors.

“As you have heard me say before, our neighbors in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida have been growing rapidly,” he said. “They are going to keep pushing forward, just as we must … in quality education and healthcare, lowering the cost of living by providing tax relief, building strong economies, and providing safe communities.”