Virginia Democrats are "focusing on the wrong issue" amid backlash over DOGE federal workforce reductions, says GOP leader.
Virginia's top legislative Democrat has raised concerns about President-elect Trump's Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) plan, which aims to streamline operations by cutting a segment of the federal workforce, effectively telling them "you're fired" for efficiency purposes.
On Thursday, the state Senate's leading Republican pushed back, arguing that Democrats are "asking the wrong question."
Earlier in the week, House Speaker Don Scott Jr. sent a letter to Virginia's unemployment agency, cautioning about the potential repercussions of the plan, including a possible surge in unemployment claims.
"We should all be deeply concerned about the impact these changes will have on employees who are raising their families in Virginia, paying taxes here, and calling this state their home," Scott wrote to Virginia Employment Commissioner Demetrios Melis in a letter reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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"Taking President-elect Trump at his word that he intends to swiftly downsize the workforce and relocate agencies, it’s reasonable to conclude that a significant portion of our workforce in the commonwealth will be adversely impacted," said Scott, D-Portsmouth.
Scott expressed concern that Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area, which he represents, would bear the brunt of these changes.
"In the months ahead, I worry that not only will our nation face a sharp rise in unemployment due to the proposed government changes, but more critically, those changes will harm Virginians, increase our commonwealth’s unemployment rate, and weaken our economy overall," he told the Times-Dispatch.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-New Kent, emphasized that the concept of DOGE focuses on a broader issue of importance to Virginians and U.S. taxpayers: the need for fiscally responsible governance.
"That’s the wrong question," McDougle said in an interview Thursday.
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The key question is whether Virginians’ tax dollars, sent to the federal government, are being spent wisely.
“If the federal government is paying people to perform jobs they shouldn’t be doing, that’s an example of taxpayer dollars being used unwisely,” said one critic.
Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of Trump’s DOGE initiative, told hawk Business: “We expect significant reductions... and certain agencies to be eliminated entirely.”
Ramaswamy’s counterpart, Elon Musk, echoed similar views, including a tweet that simply stated, “Delete CFPB,” referring to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Meanwhile, Senator Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican and leading DOGE advocate in the Senate, is championing a bill to move roughly one-third of federal workers out of the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. The legislation, titled the DRAIN THE SWAMP Act, carries a pointed acronym to underscore its mission.
Ernst has pressed Biden administration officials for answers about work-from-home policies benefiting their staff. During his remarks on Thursday, McDougle criticized Democrats for not opposing plans to allocate Virginia taxpayer funds to the Washington-area Metro system, which he argued subsidizes reduced ridership stemming from telework policies highlighted by Ernst.
"I didn’t sense the same concern from our Democratic colleagues when millions of dollars were directed to fund Metro, even as federal workers weren’t required to return to the office," McDougle said.
Virginia’s 2024 budget included approximately $144 million in funding for Metro. In June, Metro CEO Randy Clarke announced the transit agency had identified $50 million in cost efficiencies within its nearly $5 billion budget, according to multiple reports. Earlier this month, a senior Democrat on the state House Labor Committee expressed frustration with Governor Glenn Youngkin's representatives over their handling of concerns about potential federal workforce cuts.
State Delegate Candi Mundon King, D-Dumfries, criticized the Virginia GOP’s plan to streamline government bureaucracy, calling it "disastrous" for her constituents, many of whom are federal workers. She noted the reliance of her district in Prince William County on federal jobs and expressed disappointment in what she perceived as a lack of support from Youngkin’s administration. "No wonder Northern Virginia has lost faith in Virginia Republicans," Mundon King said.
Governor Youngkin, a former business executive, has advocated for significant changes to government operations. In an interview with The Daily Progress, he likened inefficiencies in government to those he encountered upon entering state office, stating that both state and federal governments require major reforms.
"Government efficiency plans may lead to some federal job losses, but Virginia has nearly 300,000 open positions ready to absorb those affected," Youngkin said. He also invited members of Trump’s potential administration to consider relocating to Virginia, touting the state’s lower taxes and high-ranking schools compared to Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez underscored the governor's economic progress since taking office, emphasizing improved efficiency and job creation. "When Governor Youngkin took office, Virginia's economy was stagnant, and the unemployment system was broken after eight years of Democratic leadership," Martinez said. "Commonsense policies to lower costs and implement business-like efficiency have turned things around."
Martinez also highlighted Speaker Scott’s recent support for further tax relief, which he said positions Virginia strongly as the federal government considers workforce reductions.
