Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia's general fund ran in the red last year, report shows

VIRGINIA  – As Winsome Earle-Sears lies about using Virginia’s rainy day fund to cover the devastating healthcare cuts she backed, new reporting reveals that the Youngkin-Sears Administration oversaw a budget that was in the red in the most recent fiscal year — after the same happened the previous year. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the report raises concerns, saying “these numbers underscore the recklessness of the governor’s repeated attempts to use one-time monies to fund ongoing programs.” 
 
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia's general fund ran in the red last year, report shows

• Publicly, state officials boast of financial surpluses, but the first report of state spending and revenue collection shows the general fund – basically, the money raised through taxes – ran in the red last year.
• The unaudited annual financial report for the fiscal year that ended June 30 shows the state general fund received $33.16 billion that year while state officials spent $34.03 billion.
• It was the second year in a row that officials spent more than the general fund took in.
• But Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said the report raises concerns.
• “We have not been able to trust this governor since the moment he took office and started revealing his real position on everything. It is almost like he’s trying to hide the real numbers by hiding them in an inoffensive red sweater vest,” Surovell said.
• “These numbers underscore the recklessness of the governor’s repeated attempts to use one-time monies to fund ongoing programs,” he said.
• The General Assembly has been making a point of directing any excess revenue above the budget’s forecast for one-time expenditures such as tax rebates and maintaining aging capital assets, Surovell said.

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