Just months after retaking full control of Virginia state government under Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Democrats in the General Assembly have introduced legislation to more than double their own salaries, from a current base of $18,000 to over $36,000, while simultaneously advancing a sweeping package of new and higher taxes that would make Virginia’s overall tax burden the highest in the nation, surpassing even California. The move has sparked immediate backlash from conservatives, who call it a blatant “con job” after Democrats campaigned heavily in 2025 on affordability and cost-of-living relief.

The pay-raise proposal, quietly tucked into broader budget and compensation legislation, would increase the base salary for Virginia legislators to roughly $36,000–$40,000 annually (exact figures vary by chamber and per diem adjustments), more than doubling compensation for part-time service. The measure comes alongside a slate of tax increases, including:

  • Higher income-tax rates on middle- and upper-income earners
  • New or expanded sales taxes on services and digital goods
  • Increased property and vehicle taxes in multiple localities
  • Carbon and energy levies that would drive up utility and fuel costs

Independent analyses estimate the full package would push Virginia’s effective state and local tax burden past California’s, making it the highest in the nation.

Republican leaders were quick to condemn the move. In a widely circulated X post, the Virginia House GOP Caucus declared: “They ran on ‘affordability,’ but all they’ve done is introduce insane left-wing policies and take from your pocket to line their own!” Critics emphasize the timing: the pay-raise push comes as Spanberger holds unified control of the legislature and executive branch for the first time in more than a decade, giving Democrats a clear path to enact both self-serving and expansive tax policies.

Republicans are framing the combination of tax hikes and salary increases as a classic bait-and-switch: promise affordability on the campaign trail, then raise costs and enrich themselves once in power.

Democrats defend the salary increase as necessary to attract “quality candidates” and align with rising costs in Northern Virginia and Richmond, while framing the tax package as essential funding for schools, healthcare, and infrastructure. However, early polling and social media reactions suggest the messaging is failing outside deep-blue urban areas, with many voters perceiving the moves as tone-deaf and self-serving.