Gov. Bob McDonnell met privately with members of Virginia’s congressional delegation this afternoon in Washington to discuss a range of issues, including sequestration, Medicaid reform and transportation.

The Capitol Hill meeting last about an hour, McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said in an email.

“It was a wide-ranging and positive meeting,” Martin said. “The governor appreciated the opportunity to meet directly with Virginia’s congressional delegation as he does several times a year.”

McDonnell talked with the delegation about the transportation funding bill that passed the General Assembly last month and about proposed federal legislation that will be a factor in how the package in financed. McDonnell and the General Assembly are counting on revenue the state could reap if Congress passed legislation enabling states to collect sales taxes from online transactions. Without that revenue, a proposed 3.5 percent tax on the wholesale price of gasoline would increase to 5.1 percent in 2015.

McDonnell also talked about the need for “major and far-reaching Medicaid reforms at the federal level,” according to Martin. The Republican governor is adamantly opposed to expanding eligibility for the state-federal Medicaid program in Virginia without cost-cutting reforms.

The governor also voiced support for pending legislation that would consolidate federal workforce development programs, and asked about the prospects for legislation that would allow for oil and natural gas drilling off the Virginia coast.

– Michael Sluss