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.
A majority of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors criticized Gov. Glenn Youngkin yesterday (Tuesday) for backing the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce, warning that the sweeping cuts could undermine the economy of Fairfax County and, by extension, Virginia.
Led by Chairman Jeff McKay, the mostly Democratic board suggested that Youngkin, a Republican, could support President Donald Trump’s goals or the people in Virginia he was elected to represent, including thousands of federal workers and contractors, but not both.
Several Northern Virginia school districts, including Fairfax County Public Schools, are in the crosshairs of the U.S. Department of Education after a conservative legal group filed a complaint challenging their transgender-inclusive bathroom and locker room policies.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation this week into Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun and Prince William schools in response to the complaint from America First Legal, a nonprofit founded by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller.
For Fairfax County Public Schools officials, an already daunting budget season has been complicated by a new financial risk: the possibility of losing federal funding.
Last month, the federal Office of Management and Budget issued a memo directing federal agencies to halt spending so it can review financial assistance programs to ensure they align with administration priorities — which include eliminating diversity initiatives, rolling back environmental regulations, and restricting immigration.
The Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to whittle down the federal workforce have found favor with at least one Fairfax County elected official.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, the only Republican on the county board, revealed earlier this week that he “fully” agrees that the federal government’s “size and scope” needs to be reduced, claiming that there’s a “broad consensus across America” in support of a downsizing.
With the federal government slashing its workforce and attempting to freeze billions in funding, Virginia lawmakers are bracing for impact. House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) on Tuesday evening announced the formation of an Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions, a bipartisan panel tasked with assessing the economic fallout and crafting solutions to protect the commonwealth.
“This is not about politics — it’s about protecting Virginia’s workforce, economy, and essential services,” Scott said in a statement. “With nearly 145,000 federal civilian employees and even more federal contractors calling Virginia home, we depend on a strong partnership with the federal government to provide critical services. The federal administration’s announced plans to ‘drain’ the federal workforce and the pause in federal funding raise serious concerns for Virginia’s economy and the ability to maintain essential services.”
The federal agency that led the search for a new FBI headquarters site provided some inaccurate estimates of the costs associated with a Springfield relocation, possibly hampering Fairfax County’s bid for the project, a new report found.
The inaccurate cost information was one of a few issues with the site selection process identified by the inspector general for the General Services Administration (GSA), which began a review in late 2023 in response to complaints from Northern Virginia’s Congressional delegation and concerns raised by the FBI.
The Trump administration’s plan to freeze federal spending could’ve disrupted free and reduced-price meals for thousands of students if it had taken effect, according to Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid.
The directive, issued Monday (Jan. 27), ordered federal agencies to halt grants, loans, and other aid and review federal financial assistance programs to ensure they align with President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, which has prioritized cutting government spending and scaling back diversity and equity efforts, among other goals.
Update: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s order freezing federal grants and loans minutes before it was set to take effect at 5 p.m.
Earlier: Fairfax County officials are scrambling to assess how a new federal directive halting financial aid programs might impact local services and capital projects.
Metro has the capacity to accommodate federal workers ordered back to the office by the Trump administration, one top transit leader says.
President Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders after his inauguration yesterday (Monday), including ones to eliminate telework options for all federal government employees, freeze hiring and terminate diversity initiatives.
