Governor Glenn Youngkin traveled to Northern Virginia Monday to announce a new state-run initiative meant to get federal workers fired by the Trump administration jobs in the Commonwealth.
Federal workers make up hundreds of thousands of jobs in Virginia, about 10% of the state’s workforce — according to a presentation from the House Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions over the weekend.
And as President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk look to cut many of them, Governor Glenn Youngkin said he supported the idea, but is opening a new website to help those laid off.
“The waste, fraud and abuse is stunning and shocking, and everybody sees it. And therefore, there, understandably, will be some job dislocation," Youngkin told reporters. "That’s where we come in.”
The website, Virginiahasjobs.com, opened Monday morning. It has information about upcoming virtual job fairs, can help folks apply for unemployment and includes a “Job Seeker Toolkit,” which has additional information about Virginia’s workforce openings.
Bryan Slater is Youngkin’s Secretary of Labor. He recently told reporters the governor’s administration felt for those losing their jobs, but there are hundreds of thousands of jobs for Virginians who are looking for it.
“There’s good jobs in county government, in state government, in the private sector," Slater told reporters after the emergency committee meeting. "If they're Virginians who are laid off, we want to help them find a job.”
But Virginia’s Democratic Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said he’s heard from those who’ve lost federal jobs in his district, and they are angry.
“The workers I represent are looking for the governor to stand up and fight for them instead of taking a knee and putting up a website," Surovell told Radio IQ. "People elect us to go to battle and fight when these things happen, and not just capitulate.”
Surovell added the blitz of firings have led to confusion that he fears could lead to a recession. Over in the House, the emergency committee has more meetings scheduled in the coming months.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
