Democratic U.S. Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and U.S. Reps. Jim Moran (D-VA-8), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) issued the following statement on the Governor’s scheduled meeting yesterday with the Virginia congressional delegation. The Democratic members opted not to attend after the Governor’s Office scheduled a Republican-only news conference at the conclusion of the meeting.

“Today’s approach to what has always been a bipartisan discussion simply is not the Virginia way. For decades, the Virginia congressional delegation has had a tradition of productive, bipartisan meetings with a long line of recent governors, Republican and Democrat. At these meetings and thereafter, partisan politics always took a backseat to our combined efforts to move Virginia forward.Today’s delegation meeting was derailed by Republican efforts to apply a partisan spin to the discussion and to the issues that face us. We reject this approach and find it to be contrary to Virginia’s long traditions in such matters. Democrats in the Virginia congressional delegation understand and take seriously the potential impact of sequestration on Virginia’s defense industry and overall economy. We are working hard to avoid spending reductions which would harm our national security. We had hoped to have a substantive conversation with Governor McDonnell and our Republican colleagues about how to do just that.”