On Monday, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin mentioned the mass firing of 1000’s of federal staff—lots of them residents of his personal state—is an effective factor.
“I don’t believe that the federal government downsizing is wrong, and in fact, we need to press forward and drive efficiencies in our federal government,” Youngkin mentioned at a information convention during which he introduced an effort to assist the 1000’s of federal staff who have been unceremoniously fired by President Donald Trump and co-President Elon Musk discover jobs in Virginia. “And as a result of driving those efficiencies, I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs.”
Virginia is dwelling to greater than 152,000 federal staff, or 7.4% of the state’s workforce, in accordance to the Workplace of Personnel Administration.
The state has been hit significantly arduous by the cuts, which have been spearheaded by Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity and cheered on by Trump, who demanded that Musk be much more vicious in his effort to chop prices.
“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE. REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!” Trump wrote in an all-caps Reality Social screed on Saturday.
Youngkin introduced on Monday that Virginia launched a brand new web site, virginiahasjobs.com, to assist join unemployed Virginians with alternatives.
“I understand the fact that there will be Virginians who are impacted by this and I want to make sure that they understand very, very clearly that there is opportunity here in the state and that there is a support infrastructure that’s in place to help folks that might be impacted find the next great opportunity here in Virginia,” Youngkin mentioned.
Nonetheless, most of the job listings the web site connects to are for jobs like stockers at Walmart, warehouse staff, and baristas—which pay a lot much less and are much less expert jobs than the medical researchers, accountants, aviation consultants, nuclear weapons specialists, and extra who have been unceremoniously fired by Trump and Musk.
Democratic lawmakers in Virginia trashed Youngkin for his remarks.
“The job of Virginia’s Governor is to always stand up for Virginians—even if that means standing up to your own party,” former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who’s working for the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor in 2025, mentioned in response to Youngkin’s assertion. “Here’s my promise to Virginia’s workers: as your next Governor, I will always stand up for you.”
“Our governor sees nothing ‘wrong’ with the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who work in public service to our nation losing their jobs. We need new statewide leadership who sides with us, not Trump and Musk,” Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi wrote in a submit on X.
And state Senate Majority Chief Scott Surovell issued a blistering assertion about Youngkin’s refusal to face as much as Trump and Musk.
“Virginians want Governor Youngkin to stand up and fight for their jobs instead of taking a knee,” Surovell wrote. “Trump’s chaos, grand freezes and federal job cuts will devastate Virginia’s economy more than any other state. Glossy websites and slogans can’t cover up his political capitulation and a Governor who has turned his back on his constituents when they need it most.”
