It’s rare when receiving a letter from the government elicits joy rather than resignation or foreboding. Yet, in recent weeks, millions of Virginia taxpayers welcomed envelopes from Richmond landing in their mailboxes, as each included a rebate check from the commonwealth Department of Taxation.

The payments came as a result of a budget agreement passed earlier this year by the Democratic-led General Assembly and signed into law by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Amid rising prices and creeping unemployment, these modest payments could well be a lifeline for struggling families, and Virginia should be proud to see officials from both parties come together to deliver this relief.

When lawmakers convened in Richmond this year, expectations were that the state budget would be a divisive

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