Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a message this week for federal workers in Virginia affected by the Trump administration’s mass layoffs: there are job openings in the Commonwealth.
Speaking at Capital One headquarters in Tysons today (Monday), Youngkin announced the launch of VirginiaHasJobs.com, a new website aimed at connecting job seekers with employment opportunities across the state.
The site will also serve as a resource hub for federal employees displaced by sweeping workforce reductions under the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, which has overseen deep cuts across multiple agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Defense, Department of Education and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, among others.
Youngkin framed the layoffs as a streamlining of government operations, but stressed that Virginia is prepared to help affected workers transition into new roles. He highlighted the state’s growing private sector, which he said has more than 250,000 job openings, as well as public-sector positions and retraining programs designed to help workers shift into high-demand industries.
“Those jobs stretch across every industry imaginable, advanced manufacturing, health care, space… education, law enforcement,” Youngkin told a room full of business leaders, state lawmakers and other stakeholders. “We need folks to take those jobs, and therefore, I stand here today with leaders from across these industries who want to hire people all the way from Capital One to Micron — all across our healthcare institutions, including those that are here in Northern Virginia.”
The website, which Youngkin pitched a one-stop shop for job seekers, will feature listings for positions across sectors like technology, healthcare and manufacturing. It will also provide information on workforce training programs, unemployment benefits and career support services through Virginia Works and the Virginia Community College system.
Pushback from local leaders
The announcement comes as local and state officials ramp up pressure on Youngkin to address the impact of federal workforce reductions on Virginia residents. The state is home to more than 192,000 federal jobs, including 81,139 in Northern Virginia and 28,388 in Fairfax County, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
With one of the highest concentrations of federal workers in the country, Northern Virginia could be particularly hard-hit by the layoffs. Already faced with a tough budget year, Fairfax County leaders have warned that the reductions could deliver a severe blow to the local economy.
Last Tuesday (Feb. 18), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, led by Chairman Jeff McKay, urged Youngkin to take a more active role in supporting displaced federal workers by establishing a central online hub with job postings, legal assistance and other resources, similar to a website launched by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
The county created a webpage sharing its own resources last week.
Youngkin said he has “extraordinary empathy” for those facing job losses, recalling his own family’s experience with unemployment.
“When I was growing up, my father lost a job twice,” he said. “One forced us to move from Richmond down to Virginia Beach, and the second time disrupted a large part of our family’s financial condition. Again, I understand what this does to families, and that’s why today we are very focused on launching an initiative to provide federal workers a support resource bundle that enables them to know that we’re here to support you. We want to help you on your journey to that next great opportunity.”
Still, he defended the cuts as a necessary step toward eliminating inefficiencies in the federal government, asserting that the reductions were part of a broader effort to curb “waste, fraud and abuse.”
“The federal government has $37 trillion in debt,” Youngkin said. “They’ve been running $2 trillion a year deficit, that needs to end. And I would suggest that our federal workforce is not at fault here. But the reality is any CEO who steps into a position where there is an organization that has got such deep financial challenges, it’s going to have to make change.”
State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) didn’t hold back in his criticism of Youngkin’s support of the federal workforce cuts, accusing him of failing to stand up for Virginians.
“I’m glad Governor Youngkin has finally acknowledged the destruction to the Virginia economy caused by Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s recklessness,” Surovell said in a statement. “Virginians didn’t vote for this, and Trump lost our state by 250,000 votes. Virginians want Governor Youngkin to stand up and fight for their jobs instead of taking a knee.”
He continued, saying that “Trump’s chaos, grant 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.”
The General Assembly moved to assess the federal government’s job cuts and funding freezes with an emergency committee that convened for the first time this past Saturday (Feb. 22). With potential impacts ranging from high housing costs to transportation changes, House Speaker Don Scott, who leads the committee, suggested additional legislation may be needed, Virginia Mercury reported.
