Spanberger slams FBI relocation, pushes affordability agenda, weighs in on Trump-Newsom

Spanberger on affordability agenda, weighs in on Trump-Newsom

Democratic candidate for Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger joins The Final 5 to lay out her plan to tackle housing costs, eliminate the car tax, and defend Virginia?s autonomy in the face of federal overreach.

WASHINGTON - Democratic nominee for Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger is speaking out strongly against the Trump administration’s proposal to move the FBI National Academy from Quantico to Alabama—calling the plan "outrageous" and "politically motivated."

"This is an issue where politics shouldn’t be in play," Spanberger told Jim Lokay on "The Final 5."

"Any person who cares about the security of our nation should be concerned."

FBI relocation opposition

The former CIA officer and congresswoman, who clinched the Democratic nomination earlier this spring and therefore won't be on the ballot in next week's primary, said the decades of training infrastructure and expertise at Quantico can't be easily uprooted. "The FBI needs to have the strength of the training facility and the program that has taken decades to develop and build out," she said. "To up and move it on a whim—it’s a terrible idea."

Spanberger accused former President Trump of using federal institutions as pawns. "We need the FBI Academy to not be a political pawn, and something that President Trump is just choosing to upend," she said. "To play games with the FBI like this—especially the training of new agents—is just outrageous."

The move, she warned, would not only harm Virginia but undermine national security. "When there are terrorist attacks at home, it is the FBI that comes out to investigate—and often thwarts threats before they happen," she added.

READ MORE: Virginia governor candidates eye end to Virginia car tax

Tackling affordability issues

Shifting to her platform, Spanberger outlined a comprehensive affordability agenda for Virginians, including housing, energy, and health care. "In every corner of the Commonwealth, housing costs are pricing people out of the market," she said. "It’s impacting where people work, the jobs they can take, and the communities they can afford to live in."

Her recently unveiled housing plan seeks to address rising costs statewide, particularly in Northern Virginia. "We need a governor who understands the breadth and scope of the problem and lays out a plan to build more housing and address affordability head-on," she said.

When asked about Virginia’s No. 1 ranking from CNBC as a state for business under Governor Glenn Youngkin, Spanberger credited both parties. "It’s a bipartisan priority," she said. "Governor Youngkin carried on some of the policies of Governor Northam, and I’d continue to build on them too."

On the campaign trail, one issue keeps coming up: the car tax. Efforts to repeal it have failed in the past, but both candidates have made proclamations about their intent to carry through with the effort.

Spanberger called it "the most hated tax in all of Virginia" and said she’s committed to working with lawmakers to eliminate it.

She acknowledged that doing so would be complicated. "The devil’s in the details," she said, pointing to the need for a constitutional amendment and its role in funding local governments.

Spanberger also weighed in on the escalating fight between California and the Trump administration over National Guard deployments. If faced with a similar situation in Virginia, she said she would prioritize working with local officials rather than being dictated to by Washington.

"When local and state law enforcement say they don’t need additional resources, it calls into question the state's autonomy," she said. "It should not be the case that the president is dictating or mandating deployments."

What they're saying:

Spanberger warned against the politicization of security responses. "What we’re seeing in California is violence being used as a political tool," she said. "The president’s efforts to politicize it are fanning the flames—and that’s not what law enforcement is asking for."

We have placed several requests to speak with Republican nominee Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and we hope to speak with her during the campaign.