Trump’s illegal dismantling of the federal government threatens the economy of Virginia, the well-being of Virginians, and the critical work that now-dismissed federal workers do for us. Yet Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin supports the firings. He claims that Musk and Trump are just making the government more efficient. Rather than defend his wrongly fired constituents, Youngkin suggests without evidence that the fired workers were the embodiment of “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Youngkin also blithely claims that there are plenty of open jobs, implying that fired workers will be only briefly inconvenienced. The governor has no empathy for workers who, without warning and cause, are losing their careers and livelihoods. Nor does Youngkin acknowledge the extent of the difficulties they face. Youngkin is failing in one of his fundamental responsibilities as governor to “protect the citizens of the commonwealth in the secure enjoyment of their rights, franchises, and privileges, . . .”
In contrast, Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore has vowed to fight the cuts, saying “[w]e we must step up to defend our people.” He promises to respond to the cuts with his own executive orders and policies and will work with the state’s attorney general on lawsuits filed together with other states to block some of Trump’s moves.
The difference in approach shows even in small ways. Governor Moore has introduced a website for federal workers listing, in user-friendly format and language, information about unemployment insurance, job searches, health coverage, legal resources, and federal employment regulations. Virginia has a similar website, but it omits any mention of legal resources or federal employment regulations. In addition to not resisting Trump’s blitzkrieg himself, Governor Youngkin is not interested in informing his constituents about their legal rights or the legal support available to help fired federal workers resist on their own.
Musk has made it clear that the terminations to date are but a fraction of those he plans. Every effort must be made to block this campaign before it inflicts even more harm.
What can you do? Contact Governor Youngkin and say:
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Please fight to reverse the illegal, unjustified, and deeply damaging terminations of Virginia’s federal employees. Your constituents need your help, and your oath of office obligates you to try to help them.