A top Democrat in the Virginia House of Representatives has sounded the alarm over President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plan to tell some federal employees, “You’re fired,” on the grounds of efficiency.
The state’s top Senate Republican countered Thursday that the majority party is “asking the wrong questions.”
Earlier this week, House Speaker Don Scott Jr. sent a letter to the federal unemployment agency warning of the impact of such a plan and the potential for an increase in unemployment claims.
“I want to raise my family in Virginia, pay my taxes in Virginia, and call Virginia my home,” Scott wrote in a letter to Virginia Employment Commissioner Demetrios Melis, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. “We should all be concerned about what these changes will mean for the workers we call.”
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Washington DC skyline (Saul Loeb/Getty)
“If we take President-elect Trump at his word that he will immediately move to cut jobs and move government agencies, it is safe to say that a significant portion of our federal workforce will be adversely affected,” said Scott, a Portsmouth Democrat. he added. .
Scott reportedly said he believed northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads region, which he represents, would be the hardest hit.
“I am concerned that in the coming months, not only will our proposed government changes result in a significant increase in unemployment, but that the changes will also have a negative impact on Virginia and the commonwealth’s unemployment rate. And throughout our economy,” he told the Times-Dispatch.
However, Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle (R-New Kent) said the DOGE concept addresses significant concerns of Virginia and U.S. taxpayers regarding fiscally responsible governance.
“That’s the wrong question,” McDougle said in an interview Thursday.
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“The question is: Are we receiving the money that Virginians earn and pay to the federal government, and is that money being spent wisely?
“If the federal government is paying people to do work they’re not supposed to do, that’s a waste of taxpayer money.”
President Trump’s DOGE co-leader, Vivek Ramaswamy, previously told Fox Business, “We expect massive cuts…” [and] Certain agencies should be removed completely. ”
Ramaswamy’s counterpart Elon Musk has expressed similar sentiments, tweeting, “Delete the CFPB,” referring to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In addition, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is considered the top DOGE member in the Senate, has proposed a bill that would move about one-third of federal employees out of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. is at the forefront of The bill Ernst proposed has a long acronym: “DRAIN THE SWAMP Act.”
Virginia State Sen. Ryan McDougle, Republican, Hanover/New Kent (Virginia State Senate)
Ernst also asked Biden agency leaders for answers about the work-from-home policies their employees are enjoying.
In his remarks Thursday, McDougle said that if Democrats were so concerned about the issue, they could use Virginia taxpayer money to “subsidize” ridership shortfalls due to telework policies criticized by Ernst. He added that he should have thought twice about plans to funnel more of the money into the Washington area subway system.
“I didn’t think our Democratic friends were that concerned about the millions of dollars being funded to Metro in this midst of this.” [federal workers not being required to] You have to go into the office and subsidize them,” McDougle said.
Virginia’s fiscal year 2024 budget included approximately $144 million in Metro funding. Metro CEO Randy Clark said in June that the transit agency expects to make an additional $50 million in efficiencies on its nearly $5 billion budget, according to multiple reports.
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Earlier this month, the top Democrat on the state House Labor Committee said he was “extremely disappointed” in the response from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s representatives who expressed concerns about potential federal workforce cuts.
In November, Dumfries state representative Candy Mandon King criticized Virginia Republicans for touting “streamlining,” noting that thousands of federal employees live in the state and in her district. In response, he called DOGE’s plan “disastrous.”[ing of] “Government bureaucracy” is “good for all Americans, including Virginians.”
Mandon King’s district is located in suburban Prince William County, Washington, which has long been led by prominent conservative Corey Stewart but has tilted heavily toward the Democratic Party in recent years.
Virginia welcome sign (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group/Getty)
“No wonder Northern Virginians have lost faith in the Virginia Republican Party,” Mandon King said.
Yonkin, who was a successful business executive before entering politics, has previously said that anyone who leaves the private sector to work in government quickly realizes that a fundamental adjustment is needed.
“Regardless of whether I take office in Virginia or President Trump returns to the federal government. [we] I know it’s inefficient. It doesn’t work with the efficiency that you would expect a business to have,” he told the Daily Progress in Charlottesville.
Government efficiency plans “could lead to some job losses in the federal government. … The great thing about Virginia is that we have nearly 300,000 unfilled jobs,” he added.
According to the Roanoke Times, Mellis similarly said Scott Virginia is “well prepared” to adapt to changing employment statistics, echoing concerns expressed by Mandon King earlier this month. Some reassured it was too early.
Earlier this month, Youngkin urged incoming Trump administration officials to choose Virginia as their home over Maryland or the District of Columbia, citing lower taxes and better-ranked schools.
Christian Martinez, a spokesman for Youngkin, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that when the Republican took office after eight years as Democratic governor, Virginia’s economy was “stagnant” and the unemployment system “in disarray.” He said he was in a “state”.
“Common sense policies that lower the cost of living and bring real business-like efficiency to government are helping to solve both,” Martinez said.
“The Governor appreciates Speaker Scott’s recent efforts to support further tax cuts. That means Virginia is well-positioned as the president works on this.”
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a native of Pennsylvania and graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
