The fast-moving effort by Republican President Donald Trump to overhaul the federal workforce could have a sweeping impact in the state, home to some , federal employees and many more government contractors. Virginia, which along with New Jersey is picking a new governor in , is already regarded as something of an early indicator of voter attitudes between presidential elections and seems certain to attract closer attention as the contest takes shape.
Whether that view is widely shared will be tested in Virginia, where a former Democratic congresswoman, Abigail Spanberger, and the Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, are the leading contenders for governor. The primaries are in June. Earle-Sears said taxpayers do not want to pay more than is needed for their government, and that what Trump is doing should come as no surprise.
The new administration has offered financial incentives to federal workers as part of a deferred resignation program orchestrated by Trump adviser Elon Musk. It has begun layoffs around the world and, only after court intervention, rescinded a plan for a broad pause on federal grants and loans.
Legal challenges continue to changes that have affected community health centers and other essential services in Virginia. Washington, D. In Richmond, Democrat Don Scott, the state House of Delegates speaker, said a new bipartisan House committee will size up the impact on the federal workforce. Is it according to the law? Can we make some savings? That aligns with a recent comment by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that voters had backed Trump's campaign promises and he was now working to fulfill them.
Democrats are quick to point out that Trump has never carried Virginia in his three runs for the White House. And dating to , every time a new president has been elected, the following year Virginia has voted in a governor from the opposite party. Spanberger, who left Congress to run for governor and has built up a fundraising advantage, said Trump had contempt for federal jobs and that will cause damage across the state.
