A discussion between Dana Perino and Matt Whitlock centered on conditions in Virginia following reports of a sewage crisis and the prospect of federal intervention after President Trump suggested the federal government may need to step in.
“I know you’re a resident of Virginia, and when President Trump says, Look, I guess we’re going to have to take over, is that welcome news to the citizens, because they think something will happen,” Perino said.
Whitlock responded by expressing frustration over what he described as a lack of visible action from state leadership.
“I think so, because what else is going to happen?” Whitlock said.
“We haven’t seen anything from Spanberger about this in weeks, even though they’re talking about increasing our taxes on literally everything around us, and they can’t protect us from a giant flood of human waste.”
Whitlock framed the situation as an example of what he sees as broader governance problems.
“Is there a better image of Democrat governance in 2026 than a river of human waste flowing through the country while the leaders are pointing at each other, saying it’s their fault, while also trying to raise your taxes?” Whitlock said.
He argued that federal involvement could help resolve the crisis.
“I think it’s a welcome sight that the federal government is going to get involved here,” Whitlock said.
Whitlock also discussed potential challenges facing federal agencies tasked with cleanup efforts, pointing to funding disputes involving the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“It’s going to be tough for them, because Democrats shut down DHS and have cut off funding for FEMA,” Whitlock said.
“If I was a female worker, and I’m not sure if I’m going to get paid, very tough to tell me I need to go up and clean up a river of human waste.”
He added that despite those challenges, public servants would ultimately be responsible for addressing the situation.
“But we appreciate the dedicated public servants who are going to be a part of that,” Whitlock said.
“After President Trump called them out to do it.”
Perino noted that her team sought comment from the governor’s office regarding the matter.
“We did reach out to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s office. We did not get a response,” Perino said. “So Matt, thanks for being here.”