At Henrico campaign stop, Wittman touts ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ as win for working families

At a 7-Eleven gas station on Cox Road in Innsbrook Sept. 12, U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) pumped gas for customers and praised the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” as the “largest tax cut in history.”

Joined by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI-09), Wittman – who represents parts of Western Henrico and Virginia’s Northern Neck – told local residents and press that the bill, which is also referred to as the ‘Working Families Tax Cuts’ by some lawmakers, would help the First District’s 60,000 small businesses avoid significant tax increases.

Wittman and McClain also said that Virginia’s working families will see notable benefits from specific provisions in the bill – such as no tax on tips up to $25,000 on federal income tax and individual deductions of up to $12,500 in overtime pay annually – and will see everyday prices drop due to Trump administration policies. 

“You have to get back into the districts and talk to the American people who are really benefiting from the ‘Working Families Tax Cuts,” said McClain. “This is the policies coming to life. Gas prices going down, groceries going down – when’s the last time we heard about $8 egg prices? Nobody talks about it anymore, right?”

“This is really about, how do we fundamentally do things that are important to working families?” said Wittman. “What’s important to working families are their everyday costs. . . that has a big impact.”

Wittman also emphasized that new energy projects based in Virginia – offshore wind farms, offshore drilling, small modular nuclear reactors, and AI data centers – will have big economic benefits for residents, as long as projects are done “responsibly.”

“We want to do it smartly. I want to make sure that we're not having data centers in remote areas and having to go a long ways with high power transmission lines across very environmentally sensitive areas,” he said. “Those are just common sense ways to make sure that we as Virginians have what we need. That's going to be the foundation of a strong economy.”

Following Friday’s event, Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, who launched her campaign to challenge Wittman just last week, released a statement criticizing Wittman’s praise of the Big, Beautiful Bill. On Sept. 4, Augusta Medical Group announced the consolidation of three of its locations in Virginia, citing the bill as one of the reasons for the consolidation.

“It’s incredibly telling that Rob Wittman would choose to celebrate his harmful budget bill just days after Augusta Health announced they are forced to shutter three health clinics in Virginia as a direct result of his vote,” said Taylor. “Wittman is responsible for these closures.”

Taylor is among a total of nine democrats who are campaigning for the First District seat. Wittman’s district is one of 33 Congressional districts across the country that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is seeking to flip in 2026.

During the past few months, Wittman has faced criticism from some Henrico residents and lawmakers on his support for the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which Virginia Democrat leaders say could lead to more than 300,000 Virginians losing healthcare coverage.

In response to concerns about the bill’s impacts on healthcare coverage and local hospitals, Wittman has said that tighter restrictions on Medicaid eligibility will not impact the population the program is “intended for.” He also has cited a $50-billion fund in the bill that aims to boost rural hospital services.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.