“Overhanging everything that the Democratic trifecta wants to do is a significant fiscal challenge,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. He warned that cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies could hit rural hospitals especially hard.
Spanberger’s early cabinet appointments suggest a pragmatic approach, Farnsworth said, pulling from both the legislature and prior Democratic administrations.
“The choices suggest a ratification of her campaign’s strategy of being a more moderate Democrat,” he said, adding that could frustrate some progressive activists.
