On Saturday, January 17, Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as Virginia’s 75th governor, making history as the first woman to serve in the role.
In her inauguration speech, Spanberger acknowledged the “history and gravity of the moment.” She expressed gratitude for “those who worked generation after generation to ensure women could be among those casting ballots, but who could only dream of a day like today.”
She also looked to the future of Virginia, declaring her intent to make housing, energy, and health care more affordable. She also said she’d prioritize Virginia’s schools and growing the state’s economy.
Spanberger immediately got to work by signing several executive orders. She said in a news release that these orders “[set] the tone for what Virginians can expect over the next four years: pragmatic leadership focused on lowering costs and delivering results.”
“These executive orders represent the first steps in our work to create a stronger, safer, and — critically — more affordable future for our Commonwealth,” Spanberger said.
Day One Executive Orders
Statewide Affordability Directive
This directive orders the governor’s secretaries and executive branches to submit reports identifying “immediate, actionable” changes that could reduce costs for Virginians in areas like housing health care, energy, education, child care, and everyday living expenses.
Interagency Health Financing Task Force
This establishes a task force within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. The task force will focus on creating a financing strategy to “maximize federal funding, reduce duplicative spending, and strengthen Virginia’s long-term healthcare infrastructure.”
Housing Development Regulation Review
This order calls for a review of regulations and permitting processes that affect housing development. Its goal is to eliminate unnecessary requirements, streamline approvals, and reduce barriers to housing production.
High-Quality Public Education Directive
This directs the Department of Education to “strengthen core instructional systems in literacy, mathematics, school accountability, and assessment.” That includes creating work groups to improve the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act and expand access to advanced math instruction. It also directs the Secretary of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to run a listening tour to hear from students, parents, educators, and more.
Federal Impacts Assessment
This creates an Economic Resiliency Task Force to respond to federal workforce reductions, funding cuts, tariffs, and immigration impacts. It also directs agencies to manage changes to Medicaid and SNAP.
Board of Visitors Appointment Process Review
The Department of Education and the Secretary of the Commonwealth are directed to review the process of appointing members to public higher education governing boards.
State of Emergency Authority
This establishes a line of authority to allow the chief of staff and designated cabinet officials to — if necessary — declare a state of emergency and activate the Virginia National Guard if the governor is unable to serve.
Chief of Staff Authority and Responsibility
This formally delegates “planning, budgetary, personnel, and administrative authority” to the chief of staff. It also allows the chief of staff to act on major policy, budget, and personnel issues when the governor is unavailable.
Equal Opportunity Policy
This creates a non-discrimination policy across the state government. It tells agencies to take affirmative recruitment measures without lowering standards, creates enforcement and anti-retaliation mechanisms, and requires ongoing review and updates of state policies to ensure compliance, with disciplinary consequences for violations.
Law Enforcement
This rescinds Executive Order 47, signed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, which had required and encouraged local law enforcement to assist in enforcing federal civil immigration laws.
Feature image courtesy Abigail Spanberger
