Youngkin Bets on 250,000 New Jobs Amid Federal Cutbacks

Amid mounting fears of mass layoffs of federal workers in Northern Virginia and around the state spurred by President Donald Trump’s downsizing efforts, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, flanked by executives from Capital One and Micron, on Monday unveiled an initiative promising an estimated 250,000 new jobs across Virginia’s public and private sectors.

Youngkin likened Trump to a new CEO coming in to make changes at a company.

“I don’t believe that the federal government downsizing is wrong,” he told reporters after the event.

“We need to press forward and drive efficiencies in our federal government. As a result of driving those efficiencies, I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs and that’s why it’s so important that we provide alternative opportunities for them.”

In a bid to connect job seekers with these opportunities — and to assist federal workers affected by recent government cuts — Youngkin also announced the launch of a dedicated website. This online hub directs applicants to a range of employers throughout the state, complementing the state’s constituent service website that already features the latest job postings.

Recent listings at the time of publication include a Salem-based traffic operator role with the Virginia Department of Transportation offering between  $43,000 and $70,000, a Leesburg-based office assistant position in the Department of Corrections paying $41,000 to $53,000, and an executive position at Capitol Construction in Blacksburg from $155,000 to $165,000 per year.

Virginia’s economy is deeply intertwined with its proximity to Washington, D.C., with approximately 144,000 federal people working near there and around the entire state — more than any other state aside from the capital itself.

But recent federal budget cuts, affecting roughly 295,000 workers nationwide, have had a particular impact on the commonwealth, with some Richmond-based Internal Revenue Service employees among those laid off.

Other federal workers affected include those at the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency, and even health professionals, such as cancer researchers.

Youngkin expressed empathy for those whose livelihoods have been disrupted, reflecting on his own family’s experience when his father lost a job and the family moved from Richmond to Virginia Beach.

“We have an administration that is taking on the challenge of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse and driving efficiency in our federal government,” Youngkin said.

Asked whether the job cuts were directly related to Trump’s allegations of fraud and waste, Youngkin highlighted ongoing communications between his team and the White House.

“We have gone to work with the administration when we have seen real unintended consequences, and worked with them and said ‘Hey, you know, there was a grant funding that was turned off to this group, and it has nothing to do with what you’re after — Can we turn it back on?’”

Though he said he’d seen “real success there,” Youngkin’s team did not respond by the time of this publication with further details about which grants he was referencing.

Youngkin further unveiled a second resource page, specifically aimed at assisting federal workers impacted by the recent job cuts. The page consolidates helpful links, including information about unemployment filings and special enrollment periods for Virginia’s public health marketplace.

In a call with the media Monday, House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, acknowledged  that “nobody wants government waste,” but criticized the new presidential administration for using “a sledgehammer approach when they could easily use a scalpel.”

Scott, who represents Hampton Roads, a region with a high concentration of federal workers, said he’s been hearing concerns from many constituents. Drawing on his earlier criticism, Scott pointed to cuts made by Trump’s administration that were later reversed.

“It’s saying ‘Oops. We saw where we fired all of the nuclear scientists. Can y’all come back please?’” he said. “‘Oops. We saw where we fired all of the people that are protecting us from bird flu.’”

In response, Scott recently set up a special committee to further investigate the impacts of federal workforce and funding cuts. The bipartisan committee is holding meetings around the state over the next few months and could offer legislative recommendations.

However, Scott expressed skepticism about Youngkin’s new resource page and the governor’s planned tour to promote it.

“The governor is still touting his ‘Get a new resume plan’ or ‘Apply for weekly unemployment compensation,’” Scott said.

According to a presentation by the Virginia Employment Commission, workers who are laid off can receive up to $9,800 over six months — $378 per week while they search for new employment. “That’s not going to be able to protect families,” Scott said.

Still, Youngkin remains optimistic. “Virginia has jobs, and we’ve got a lot of them,” he remarked Monday.

In that spirit, the Virginia Works initiative is holding a statewide virtual hiring event on March 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., an event that Youngkin encouraged people to register for.

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

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