Edward Holub
NEW ORLEANS - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, both blamed Washington for a failure to find solutions to the nation's problems. Officials in Washington "can't come to agreement on anything," McAuliffe told Axios' Mike Allen at a U.S. Conference of Mayors discussion on "City & State Partnerships."
- Getting things done "requires we drag our federal officials" along the way, Benjamin said.
- Benjamin also said local officials need "a seat at the table" in Trump's opioid response, which they don't currently have.
- McAuliffe blamed gerrymandering for leading to Washington hyperpartisanship.
Why it matters: "Almost 86% of people live in cities," McAuliffe said, and Benjamin said his constituents "don't have the luxury of me just getting frustrated."