McDonnell: Virginia Budget Standoff Imperils State Services

DIVIDED BY DC -- April 18, 2012 at 11:41 AM EDT

McDonnell: Virginia Budget Standoff Imperils State Services

This report is part of our ongoing Divided by D.C. project, exploring two Governors, two visions, one election year.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Virginia inched closer to a government shutdown Tuesday when Senate Democrats opposed an $85 million budget bill.

The Senate needed a 21-vote majority to pass the proposed spending bill. Early in the day, hope remained that the bill would push through. But the Democrats stuck together and voted "no," causing a 20-19 split. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, cannot break tie votes on budget matters.

The Democrats' sticking point: not enough money to fully support a Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia.

Senate Democratic Leader Richard Saslaw, who represents Falls Church and parts of Alexandria and Fairfax County, defended his party after the vote.

"Northern Virginia is the economic engine that drives this state. We contribute 40 percent of the revenue that keeps this state going," Saslaw said, according to the Associated Press. "I didn't feel one bit embarrassed about going into his office and asking for additional funds for rail to Dulles."

Republicans have accused the Democrats of blocking any budget proposals and refusing to compromise.

Gov. Bob McDonnell blamed the Democrats in a statement Tuesday night:

"They brought their political agendas to the Senate floor, and in the process have put at risk a Bristol teacher's paycheck, a Chesterfield sheriff's salary, healthcare for a senior citizen in Hampton, road projects in Richmond, and the fiscal soundness of the entire Commonwealth," he said. "This will have serious consequences for all Virginians. Budgets are a tapestry of compromises. No legislator ever gets everything he or she wants in a governing fiscal document."

The state must pass a budget by the end of June, when the current budget expires, or face a suspension of government operations and construction projects. Local governments and school districts also wait for signals from Richmond so they may finalize next year's spending.

Beginning October 24, 2012, PBS NewsHour will allow open commenting for all registered users. We hope that the elimination of our moderation process will enable a more organic discussion amongst you, our audience. However, if a commenter violates our terms of use or abuses the commenting forum, their comment will be removed. We reserve the right to remove posts that do not follow these basic guidelines: comments must be relevant to the topic of the post; may not include profanity, personal attacks or hate speech; may not promote a business or raise money; may not be spam. Anything you post should be your own work. The PBS NewsHour reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the comments or emails that we receive. By submitting comments, you agree to the PBS Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which include more details.