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Republican leaders in Virginia are blasting state Democrats for playing politics and usurping the courts after they blocked 14 of GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s university board appointments last week, bringing the total to 22 blocked appointments since June.
The latest blockade comes just months before the state will elect a new governor and amid a push by the Trump administration to get Virginia universities to dismantle their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Just last month, George Mason University’s (GMU) board voted to both retain and give a raise to its president, who has defended the university’s DEI policies against the Trump administration.
“Last week, eight Democrat Senators continued their partisan campaign to irreparably harm higher education in Virginia by voting to remove highly qualified Virginians who have been productively serving on the Boards of Visitors for UVA, VMI and George Mason,” Youngkin said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“In my view, a single Senate committee does not have the legal authority to perform duties that the Constitution and Code explicitly assign to the full General Assembly … I am confident in our position.”
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Youngkin added that “even more concerning” was that the Democrats blocking his appointments apparently provided no explanation for their actions. However, Democrats have signaled that they believe Youngkin’s nominees hold views that are too extreme.
Fox News Digital reached out to numerous Virginia Democrats, including the Democratic chairman of the committee that voted to block Youngkin’s appointments, Aaron Rouse, and a Democratic candidate for governor, Abigail Spanberger, but did not hear back.
The blockade was initiated and approved by the Democrat-led Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections, chaired by Rouse. Youngkin and other Virginia Republicans argue the committee’s unilateral move to block the board appointees violated state law requiring the full legislative body to approve the removal of gubernatorial appointees, as opposed to a single committee.
A circuit court judge ultimately sided with Democrats, allowing the appointees to be temporarily blocked by the committee. But Republicans subsequently appealed the matter, and it is currently awaiting a ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court.
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“We have a job to do as this committee, not only to protect our colleges and universities, but make sure that appointees and potential appointees are upholding the values and principles set forth by the Commonwealth,” Rouse said during last week’s hearing where 14 more Youngkin appointees were blocked.
Meanwhile, in a letter sent to Youngkin last week, Democratic leaders in Virginia acknowledged that the rejections were “unprecedented” but denied that they were at all “partisan.”
“This unprecedented level of rejection reflects not partisan obstruction, but genuine concerns about the qualifications, backgrounds, and intentions of your appointees,” the letter stated, according to the Virginia Mercury. “The pattern of inappropriate nominations and acquiescence to outside political influence has created significant uncertainty and instability within our higher education system at a time when these institutions need steady, qualified leadership.”
Democrats stated that the governor should suspend further appointments until they can confer with him further on the matter.
But Republicans fear that Democrats are throwing away talent and setting a precedent that will prevent the best and brightest from wanting to serve the state’s higher education institutions. Some of the members that were blocked by Democrats include the former president of Mastercard, who served under both Republican and Democratic governors, and the former president of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, according to state Sen. Glen Sturtevant.
Ken Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general and deputy secretary of Homeland Security under Donald Trump, was also one of the appointees blocked.
“What is the intent to make such broad strokes, and to remove so many?” Virginia state Sen. Tara Durant asked during last week’s roughly 10-minute meeting that resulted in 14 of Youngkin’s appointees getting rejected. “This is really kind of unprecedented. We have a long list of people who have a wealth of experience, and I think the broader question it begs is what will happen in the future to dissuade those who are willing to serve the Commonwealth in this capacity.”
Republicans, like state Sen. Bill DeSteph, also pointed out the state Supreme Court was adjudicating whether gubernatorial appointments to university boards can be blocked by legislative committees, as opposed to needing approval from the whole General Assembly.
“Calling this meeting while the Supreme Court of Virginia is actively considering this very matter was inappropriate and irresponsible,” DeSteph said.
During the committee vote to block 14 more appointees, the Virginia Republican said, Democrats appeared to either be trying to influence the Supreme Court or usurp the court’s authority.
“Before we vote on this, we should allow the Supreme Court the opportunity to rule on this. This is actively in front of them,” he said.
Democrats’ blockade has reportedly led to disruptions for at least one of the universities involved.
At GMU, the Board of Visitors lacks enough members required to constitute a quorum to conduct official business, The Washington Post reported.
Meanwhile, the school is facing multiple federal civil rights investigations related to alleged racial hiring quotas and the implementation of other DEI initiatives.
Additionally, last month, GMU’s board voted to both retain and give a 1.5% raise to President Gregory Washington, who has reportedly refused to comply with Trump administration directives pertaining to DEI.
The University of Virginia has also faced federal scrutiny under the Trump administration for its implementation of DEI initiatives.
Fox News Digital reached out to the UVA, GMU and VMI boards for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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