MAGA Governor Praises Trump Cuts that Threaten His Signature Innovation, “We Can Break the Status Quo”
Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has been a proponent of “laboratory” schools across his state, including VCU x CodeRVA, a lab school at Virginia Commonwealth University in downtown Richmond which helps teach computer skills to approximately 400 high school students.
In January 2024, Youngkin said in a press release: “Through Virginia’s first lab school, we are unleashing opportunities and giving parents new options for their kids to learn in innovative and creative ways.”
The governor added: “We can break the status quo of a one-size-fits-all education and provide every student in the Commonwealth access to an extraordinary education.”
But Youngkin’s innovations may be in the way of President Trump’s DEI bulldozer, as the new administration — which the Republican Youngkin supports — has cut approximately $9 million federal grants for a teacher residency program at VCU due to DEI initiatives at the university.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that the letter from the U.S. Department of Education squashing the program did not specify how VCU had violated the new no-DEI policies — and that the federal funding cut will not close VCU x CodeRVA. But the move, the Post reports, “raises questions about the university’s participation going forward, as well as the future of the broader teacher residency effort at other schools.”
A spokesperson for Governor Youngkin told the Post: “Governor Youngkin supports President Trump’s efforts to eliminate wasteful spending across the federal government.”
The Governor’s one big accomplishment is now being slashed by the unelected Musk administration…and he’s just standing by.
— Speaker Don Scott (@SpeakerDonScott) February 13, 2025
Where’s the fight? Democrats aren’t afraid. We’ll keep fighting for you.
https://t.co/GT4uqVafLg
Don Scott, Democratic Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, responded today on X: “The Governor’s one big accomplishment is now being slashed by the unelected Musk administration…and he’s just standing by. Where’s the fight?”
In boilerplate campaign-speak that dulled the potency of his point, Scott added: “Democrats aren’t afraid. We’ll keep fighting for you.”
Youngkin is not eligible to run for reelection in 2025 due to term limits. Democratic former Congresswoman and former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger, and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, are considered the front-runners for the job.
Note: While Youngkin has been criticized for sending his children to private schools, Spanberger has been campaigning as a mother of three children in Virginia’s public school system: “As a mom of three kids in Virginia public schools, I know firsthand the challenges parents are facing. Whether it’s addressing Virginia’s teacher shortage or investing more in our schools, I’ll work as Governor to make sure every kid gets the high-quality education they deserve.”
