Federal Workers Hurt By Trump Cuts Need Online Tools: Fairfax Board

FAIRFAX, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), asking that he establish a central resource center for federal employees in Virginia who have been harmed by the job cuts made by the Trump Administration to reduce government spending.

“Fairfax County is home to 80,000 federal employees and over 3,800 federal contractors,” said Board Chairman Jeff McKay (D-At-Large). “Those are not contractor employers. Those are contractors the federal government has invested over $108 billion in Virginia, making us the largest recipient of congressionally designated federal contracts in the United States of America.”

In total, 27 percent of federal contracts go to Virginia small businesses, according to the letter. During Fiscal Year 2024, the federal government invested $41.3 billion in Fairfax County.

“Understand that these people are suffering in many different ways,” McKay said. “Some of these have worked for the federal government for many, many years. Some of them go day-to-day, not knowing if they're going to have a job the next day. Some of them are fearful that their personal information has been shared in a reckless way. Some of them don't know what their next steps are going to be, because they don't even know what the status and the least we can do in Virginia.”

The letter was part of a board matter that McKay introduced during Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting. As part of the measure, he directed the county’s office of public affairs to highlight similar efforts by Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to help federal employees, including its workforce employment action plan.

“These cuts are being implemented in a way that's causing great uncertainty and fear in our community,” McKay said. “All of us have no doubt heard from our constituents, friends and family, about the impact this is having on the people in Fairfax County. Many federal retirees, 150,000 of which live in Virginia, are expressing their uncertainty of how these changes will impact their retirement benefits.”

Recently, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore launched the Maryland Public Servants Resource Website, which provides information and resources for federal employees affected by the Trump Administration’s cuts.

On Tuesday, Youngkin said he empathized with federal workers who are anxious about the cuts being made by the Trump administration, according to the Associated Press.

“This workforce, which is talented and deep and experienced, is part of Virginia,” he said, according to AP. “And so we want to make sure that first, they know that we understand. And second of all, we’re here to help them.”

However, the governor also defended Trump’s actions, the AP reported, saying the issue was being sensationalized by the media.

“This is about stepping back and making sure that tax dollars are being appropriately managed and deployed,” Youngkin said, according to AP.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, McKay said he was disappointed in the governor’s support for the Trump administration’s actions.

“Governor Youngkin has stated he supports these reckless cuts that undermine our entire Virginia economy,” McKay said. “It's time for Governor Youngkin and others to show his support for the thousands of Virginians that are having their livelihood stripped away, and whose careers are hanging in the balance every day because of the drastic, reckless steps of the Trump Administration and the manner in which they are being taken. The least that can be done is to ease the transition by helping Virginians who were impacted by state services that they sadly now need.”

The board voted 9-0 to send the letter to Governor Yougkin, with Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) abstaining.

The following is the full text of the letter sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

February 18, 2025

The Honorable Glenn Youngkin

Governor of Virginia

P.O. Box 1475

Richmond, VA 23218

Subject: Request for a Dedicated Resource Hub for Federal Employees in Virginia

Dear Governor Youngkin:

On behalf of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to urge the Commonwealth to establish a dedicated resource hub for federal employees and contractors who have been terminated or are uncertain about their future due to drastic actions being taken to reduce the size of the federal government.

As you know, Virginia is home to a large number of federal employees, and up to 80,000 live here in Fairfax County. The federal government has invested over $108 billion in Virginia, making us the largest recipient of Congressionally designated federal contracts in the country. In total, 27 percent of federal contracts go to Virginia small businesses. The federal government invested $41.3 billion in Fairfax County in FY2024. These workers – federal employees and retirees, and private sector contractors – and their families are facing significant uncertainty, the likes of which most have never experienced. Across the government, 30 percent of federal workers are veterans, too. It is up to us as leaders to provide them with whatever resources we can, now.

Many efforts to support federal employees are happening now. The General Assembly recently formed the Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions which will provide recommendations for consideration in the 2026 session. Northern Virginia localities including Fairfax County have offered our support to the Emergency Committee (see attached). Last week, Maryland launched its Federal Public Servants Resources website which can serve as an example for Virginia. Fairfax County agencies and many individual supervisors are using our communication channels to connect our residents with County services.

But more can and needs to be done statewide. We are calling on you to create a centralized hub for federal workers to access vital information on financial assistance, unemployment benefits, food security, and other critical support services. This would ensure that our residents have clear and immediate access to state and local programs that can assist them in times of need. Now is the time to put politics aside in the name of Virginians all across the Commonwealth. Their future, and Virginia's economic future, is under threat.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey C. McKay

The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.