Youngkin delivers final State of the Commonwealth address of governor term

RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — Glenn Youngkin delivered the annual State of the Commonwealth on Monday--the last of his term as governor of Virginia.

The speech falls on the same day Virginia's General Assembly convenes in Richmond.

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Early in his speech, Youngkin remembered what the state of Virginia looked like three years ago when he came into office, and how Virginians worked together to improve the Commonwealth.

"Three years ago we began a journey together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but Virginians--a journey to make Virginia the very best place to live, work and raise a family, a journey for Virginia to compete to win, a journey to strengthen the Spirit of Virginia, together," Youngkin said.

As a result of that work, Youngkin said Virginia is looking better than it has in a long time across the board, whether it comes to crime statistics, education job growth, and more.

"What we are doing is working, but we cannot let Virginia stall," he said. "We must push Virginia to soar even higher."

Virginia is a winning state, he said, and he wants to see that trend continue, but he acknowledged what he said is a crisis, one his office has worked to address: cell phones in schools.

"Even with our historic investments in education, there has been an existential crisis inside our classrooms – the use of cell phones and social media in schools," he said. "While these are remarkable innovations, the cold hard truth is, cell phones are damaging the developing minds of our young people."

He said Virginia must focus on what can help students in the present, not in the future. But that future can often lead to jobs in the state, which Youngkin said are on the rise.

"When we started our journey together three years ago, Virginia had lost 140,000 people from the workforce," he said. "Today, jobs are growing like never before, with 257,000 more Virginians working versus January 2022."

He touched on taxes on cars and tips, focusing on how Virginians shouldn't have to pay either of them. Among the other subjects Younkin spoke on was law enforcement and crime, especially around drug abuse. He reaffirmed his position on illegal immigration, condemning "sanctuary cities."

Youngkin spoke proudly of Virginia's response to the ravaging of Hurricane Helene in September.

There were unbelievable stories of heroism – from rescuing patients off a hospital roof to repelling into rushing water to save people in their cars," he said.

Youngkin told a story about a couple who were separated in the floodwaters, one of them barely surviving thanks to the efforts of a first responder rescue team.

"These heroes remind us that we are blessed to be the home to one of the largest military and veteran populations in the nation, and we must continue to remind ourselves of the sacrifices that our military heroes and their families make," he said.

As he drew the State of the Commonwealth to a close, Youngkin turned the focus again to the strength of the state, asking lawmakers to work together.

"That is our opportunity now: to work together this session, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Virginians, to further strengthen those pillars, those great principles, upon which the strong and heroic people of this Commonwealth build their futures and pursue their dreams," he said.