Virginia Legislature disputes the veto.
Does Gov. McAuliffe Budget Line Veto Mean Medicaid Expansion?
When Gov. Terry McAuliffe was elected in 2013,
one of his major campaign promises was to expand Medicaid in Virginia. So far,
the Legislature has blocked all attempts to do so, but the governor’s recent
line item veto in the state budget indicates he may again be evaluating how to
achieve the program’s expansion, reported The Washington Post.
Earlier this year, the Legislature added
language to the budget that would prevent Gov. McAuliffe from expanding
Medicaid without legislative approval. The governor vetoed that provision on
May 20, saying that it unconstitutionally tied all state spending in the $105
billion budget document to a ban on accepting federal funding for Medicaid
expansion. Republican legislators responded that the governor could not veto
conditions within appropriations without vetoing the entire appropriation, to
which Gov. McAuliffe said was an unconstitutional overreach to eliminate his
line veto power. In light of this dispute, it remains to be seen whether the
governor will move to enforce his veto.
A spokesman for the governor said there was no
imminent plan to expand the program on his own, but that the veto preserves his
constitutional prerogatives and that the administration would continue to
explore the options to bring federal financial assistance to Virginia for
Medicaid.
