Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced today that she did not sign dozens of tax bills into law — because the General Assembly never passed them and they never reached her desk.
Monday’s announcement came hours before the 11:59 p.m. deadline for the governor to act on more than 1,000 bills that did pass this session, and two days after President Donald Trump accused Spanberger of imposing a wave of new taxes.
“I can’t believe what this new Governor, Spanberger, has done to the Commonwealth — So sad! She is adding so many Taxes, a Food and Beverage Tax, Digital Services Tax, Utilities Tax, and more,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, ahead of what he described as meetings at his golf club in Loudoun County on Saturday.
Trump further claimed the state “has lost its Energy, Vitality, and Strength” and that companies recruited under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) “are now looking for ways to get out.”
Spanberger pushed back on X, saying Trump and his allies were spreading “fake news about fake taxes.” None of the taxes Trump referenced were signed into law, she noted.
In an unusual press release, Spanberger’s office listed the tax proposals and said the release was necessary to correct “misinformation — spread across social media and repeated in press coverage.”
The tax bills in question were introduced by Democratic lawmakers early in the 2026 General Assembly session but failed to pass — or even come up for a vote — in their chamber of origin, the governor’s office said.
The legislative session ended March 14.
Among the failed legislation listed by the governor’s office, below, are bills proposed by local lawmakers Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and state Sen. Adam Ebbin.
- HB978, HB900, SB730 — proposals to expand the state sales tax to services including gym memberships, dry cleaning, home and vehicle repair, dog grooming, counseling, cosmetic services and digital subscriptions
- HB243 — a tax on large employers
- HB378 — an investment income tax on individuals, trusts and estates
- HB1179, SB638 — a package of regional taxes including levies on ride-hailing companies, retail delivery services and commercial parking
- HB919, SB763 — a tax on firearms and ammunition sales
The political battle over the tax proposals has been brewing since early February, when Republicans launched an aggressive social media campaign portraying Spanberger and legislative Democrats as eager to raise taxes.
Democrats countered that the governor had never endorsed the measures, and individual lawmakers noted they filed the bills based on district priorities, not on direction from the governor.
State Sen. Louise Lucas, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, responded to Trump’s Saturday post by writing that none of those taxes passed her committee.
Meanwhile, Spanberger has spent the weeks since the session ended reviewing and signing the bills that the General Assembly did pass. The governor signed legislation from Arlington lawmakers last week on elections, eviction prevention and tourism districts, among other topics.
Over the session, the General Assembly passed every bill in Spanberger’s “Affordable Virginia Agenda,” a 16-bill package targeting the cost of housing, healthcare and energy that she and Democratic leaders announced in December. An assault weapons ban and other gun control bills also headed to her desk.
Legislators are expected to reconvene in Richmond on April 22 to address the governor’s actions on bills from the session, and the following day for a special session on the still-unresolved state budget.
