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Youngkin Tried to Slash Healthcare. He Crossed a Constitutional Line. [1]
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Date: 2025-05-22
As a pediatrician and a dad of four, I treat healthcare as a lifeline, not a line item on a budget spreadsheet. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin does not share that view. His most recent—and unconstitutional—vetoes of three healthcare provisions in our state budget hurt the very folks I care for every day. Virginians deserve leaders who follow the law and put families first.
I am Dr. Mark Downey, the Democratic nominee for the House of Delegates in Virginia’s 69th District. I am not a politician. I am a pediatrician. I built my career on earning trust from my patients and now from the community I hope to serve.
Every day, I see what happens when families cannot access affordable care, when politics come between a patient and her doctor, and when veterans and military families are left to fend for themselves. I am running for the House of Delegates to protect and expand access to healthcare for everyday Virginians like my patients.
This session, the General Assembly passed bipartisan measures to expand coverage for weight-loss medications under Medicaid, increase Medicaid reimbursements to nursing homes, and halt a no-bid contract to manage state employee health benefits. The proposals were commonsense and family-first, passing along bi-partisan lines as appropriations to the state budget.
Yet, Governor Youngkin vetoed each with the stroke of a pen, just as Donald Trump proposed deep federal budget cuts targeting healthcare.
With no promises from Virginia Republicans, including my opponent Chad Green, to safeguard Medicaid and other health care services, Governor Youngkin's vetoes threatened to bury working Virginians in red tape. That meant fewer benefits, more paperwork, and thousands in the 69th District without affordable access to doctors, prescriptions, and care.
The good news? Governor Youngkin did not just veto health care. He crossed a constitutional line.
Last Wednesday, House Clerk Paul Nardo struck down Governor Youngkin’s vetoes, explaining that Youngkin tried to reject particular health care provisions without also rejecting the broader budget appropriation. “Based upon legal advice, it is my opinion that the purported vetoes are not properly made upon [entire budget] items as required by Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia,” Nardo explained, “Therefore, it is my duty not to publish these purported vetoes.”
Governor Youngkin insists his vetoes are still in effect, flouting the rule of law and denying healthcare access to the folks he was elected to serve. The legal dispute will likely end in court, but waiting is not an option.
The outcome of this year’s elections for the House of Delegates is the difference between healthcare security and uncertainty.
York County and the 69th District deserve a delegate who protects our care. That is why I am running. Virginia Democrats will safeguard Medicaid, support our nursing homes, and hold Republicans accountable for threats to our healthcare.
In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Tim Kaine came within striking distance of flipping the 69th District. In 2025, we can unseat Republican incumbent Chad Green and keep Virginia blue, but I need your help.
Every dollar helps us fight back. Join our campaign and donate through the link below today.
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