NORFOLK Va. - Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) called on President Joe Biden to "listen" ahead of Tuesday night's State of the Union address.
"I hope this evening the president will demonstrate that he's listening to Americans, and I also hope he will lead," Youngkin said in an interview with News 3 on Tuesday afternoon.
Youngkin, who is on the other side of the political aisle from President Biden, turned to campaign-style rhetoric about his expectations of the speech.
"Across Virginia in the last year, what I heard over and over from Virginians when I listened to them was that they were concerned about inflation and the cost of living," Youngkin said.
News 3 caught up with Youngkin after now about six weeks of his administration. Among his biggest priorities was to cut taxes in Virginia, including eliminating Virginia's grocery tax.
The General Assembly session is scheduled to end on March 12, making this crunch time for those proposals to pass.
On the grocery tax, lawmakers continue to debate whether to completely eliminate it or to keep a component that goes to local governments in it.
Youngkin has said he wants to completely eliminate it and said he's confident it will get to final passage.
"I see big momentum in the entire agenda, and when it comes to our tax package, I'm very confident that we're going to make great progress," he said.
News 3 also asked Youngkin about his plan to help create jobs in the Commonwealth. Youngkin has pledged to help create 400,000 jobs over the next four years.
This week, he announced a company is expanding to the Eastern Shore to create 250 jobs.
"Virginia is open for business, and we're clearly communicating that. In fact, reducing taxes, improving schools, cutting regulations and investing to make our communities safe are critical components to making Virginia the best place for employers to grow their companies," he said.
