Local leaders meet with Sen. Kaine over impacts of federal cuts

A panel of mayors, city managers, and nonprofit leaders shed light on concerns surrounding the Trump administration's federal funding cuts at a roundtable hosted by Sen. Tim Kaine Monday.

Leaders at the roundtable included representatives from Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Isle of Wight County, Franklin, Suffolk, and Portsmouth.

Kaine's appearance in Chesapeake comes days after a federal jobs report that highlighted a slower-than-expected growth of 73,000 jobs for the month of July.

Monday, city and local leaders echoed concerns of cancelled projects and funding as a result of the Trump administration's effort to reduce the national debt.

In its wake, though, include the uncertain futures of much-needed infrastructure projects like the Lake Meade Dam, which impacts the cities of both Suffolk and Portsmouth.

"It's very concerning that this money has been eliminated," said Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman.

Other concerns raised include cooling assistance payments for the summer, dollars put aside to train teachers that has since been pulled in areas like Isle of Wight County, and impacts to local food banks.

"There's some pretty significant effects around Virginia. There's been cancellations of some economic development projects, and some significant projects," Sen. Kaine said. "The cost of the offshore wind project off the shore of Hampton Roads is up $500 million, specifically because of tariffs. Just the tariffs. 76% of that gets passed down to rate payers."

On the business sector front, Bryan Stephens of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce told 13News Now the region is still strong economically. However, he acknowledged the concern surrounding the region's federal workforce as well as the uncertainty of potential tariff impacts.

"I don’t think we’ve had an impact here in Hampton Roads yet, but I think one of the concerns is the uncertainty. Businesses make decisions based on trends, so they’re unwilling to make big strategic decisions until they find out the impacts of these tariffs," he said.