Wow, the state of Virginia is enough to make your head spin. It was just in 2021 that they chose Republican private equity CEO Glenn Youngkin as their governor, defying early polls that showed longtime Democrat operative Terry McAuliffe, who had served as governor from 2014-2018, would win easily.
Youngkin did a great job, so after he was termed out, schizophrenic voters next voted in Abigail Spanberger in November 2024, and despite campaigning as somewhat of a moderate, she’s turned out to be so far left that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are taking notes.
Now, a bill that brazenly codifies discrimination has passed the VA legislature and is headed for Spanberger’s signature.
Legislators made no attempt to hide what they’re doing, which is to reward some people based on their skin color and gender while punishing the unfavored classes (white males):
House Bill 61, sponsored by Delegate Jeion Ward, establishes the Small SWaM Business Procurement Enhancement Program, setting an aggregate goal of 42% of state procurement contracts to be awarded to Small, Women-owned, Minority-owned, and Service Disabled Veteran-owned businesses. State agencies would be required to increase their share of contracts to SWaM businesses by no less than 3% annually until the 42% aggregate is reached.
The bill also creates a set-aside program reserving all procurement contracts valued up to $100,000 exclusively for SWaM businesses. For new capital outlay construction contracts awarded to non-SWaM businesses, the contract holder must hit a 50% subcontracting target with SWaM businesses.
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Spanberger has not indicated whether she’ll sign the bill or not, but I see no reason based on her recent history to conclude that she would stand up to more far-left socialist nonsense.
Oh, wait, there is one possible reason: the DOJ’s Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, saw the bill when it was introduced in January and said that piece of garbage is a non-starter:
This DEI is DOA. It is illegal
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) January 21, 2026
and will not survive court challenge. https://t.co/IxzwxBZxzx
She’s not the only one who is calling out this bill for what it is: outrageous.
As the bill approaches Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk, Oversight Project Vice President of Legal Kyle Brosnan told Fox News Digital it appears par for the course for the way Richmond is moving.
Brosnan said the bill constitutes "clearly intentional discrimination against White men."
"Since reclaiming total control of state government, Virginia Democrats have shown their true colors as nothing short of radical ideologues," Brosnan said.
Here’s a shining symbol of progressives' policies run amok: the bill could require the state, using taxpayer funds, to pay more for a project than it needs to:
The program also sets aside $10,000–$200,000 procurements for small SWaM businesses who enjoy a "price preference" over non-SWaM businesses of up to 5 percent. Meaning, if a non-SWaM business offers to repair potholes on Route 58 for $190,500 and a SWaM business offers to render the exact same service for $200,000, the more expensive offer must be accepted.
President Trump has done an admirable job of rooting out the scourge of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), i.e., legalized discrimination, from government, but bills like this show Democrats and socialists won’t give up easily.
I almost hope Spanberger signs the bill just so we can watch Dhillon rip it into a million little pieces in court.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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