On Monday, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the mass firing of thousands of federal workers—many of them residents of his own state—is a good thing.
"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 said at a news conference in which he announced an effort to help the thousands of federal employees who were unceremoniously fired by President Donald Trump and co-President Elon Musk find jobs in Virginia. "And as a result of driving those efficiencies, I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs."
Virginia is home to more than 152,000 federal workers, or 7.4% of the state's workforce, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
The state has been hit particularly hard by the cuts, which were spearheaded by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and cheered on by Trump, who demanded that Musk be even more vicious in his effort to cut costs.
“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 Truth Social screed on Saturday.
Youngkin announced on Monday that Virginia launched a new website, virginiahasjobs.com, to help connect unemployed Virginians with opportunities.
“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 said.
However, many of the job listings the website connects to are for jobs like stockers at Walmart, warehouse workers, and baristas—which pay much less and are less skilled jobs than the medical researchers, accountants, aviation experts, nuclear weapons specialists, and more who were unceremoniously fired by Trump and Musk.
Abigail Spanberger
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 is running for the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor in 2025, said in response to Youngkin’s statement. “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 post on X.
And state Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell issued a blistering statement about Youngkin’s refusal to stand up to 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.”
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