WASHINGTON, DC – Over the weekend, The Virginian-Pilot published an op-ed from former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, which called out the lack of action from Virginia GOP AG Jason Miyares and described how Virginians are suffering due to his silence and complacency.

“At the center of this is Attorney General Jason Miyares, who has stayed silent not only as Virginia lost its ranking, but also through every assault the Trump administration has made against Virginians and our economy,” Gov. Northam wrote, “including failing to defend the 300,000 Virginia workers actively at risk of losing their jobs due to Trump’s ongoing federal workforce cuts.”

Key highlights:

• “Last month’s news that Virginia was the only state to see unemployment rise in June just days after ratings dropped us from the No. 1 to No. 4 best state for business for the first time in six years presented us with a sobering reality: Our leadership’s inaction and deference to President Donald Trump has ‘disproportionately’ worsened our economy and made life more expensive for working families.”
• “Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Miyares are cheering on Trump as he takes the hammer to our workforce, creating a level of destruction that economists say will have a ‘ripple effect’ through every aspect of our economy.”
• “Our leaders know that when federal job cuts hit, they hit Virginia harder than anywhere else. That means our attorney general has an even greater responsibility to protect Virginians from harmful federal overreach. Yet, when a coalition of attorneys general sued the Trump administration seeking relief for tens of thousands of fired workers, Miyares chose his allegiance to Trump over safeguarding Virginians being indiscriminately fired.”
• “Now, Virginia families are paying the price. Public servants are losing their livelihoods, parents are struggling to pay for child care, and families are forced to make impossible decisions as their incomes vanish overnight.
• But our attorney general — emboldened by MAGA extremism — has refused to challenge unlawful executive orders, opted out of multiple bipartisan lawsuits, and stayed quiet behind Trump.”
• “In April, Miyares refused to join a lawsuit over Trump’s illegal tariffs, which skyrocketed costs for Virginia consumers, especially those in our rural communities, and sent the U.S. stock market into a spiral.”
• “Whether Miyares is beholden to Trump’s political agenda and his MAGA donors or just too weak to stand up to Trump, the fact remains: He has abandoned his responsibility to protect and defend Virginia families and the economy they have worked so hard to build.”
• “Virginia didn’t become a top state for business by chance. It’s a title we earned through smart governance and an independent legal system that protected workers and fought corporate greed. We lost that title because Miyares has willingly allowed Trump to risk thousands of Virginia’s small businesses, law enforcement jobs and public servants without reason or remorse.” 
• “This November, voters have a choice: Keep sliding backward with Miyares’ MAGA politics, or fight to restore principled, forward-looking leadership that puts Virginians first.”

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