RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers are working to assess the effects of cuts to the federal workforce and funding reductions in the Commonwealth.
An emergency committee meeting was held Saturday to review the situation, just hours before the Virginia General Assembly adjourned.
House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) formed the emergency committee to study the fallout from federal cuts and funding reductions, which are part of President Trump’s nationwide efforts to decrease government spending and restructure priorities.
The bipartisan committee, representing regions across the Commonwealth, received several presentations.
The Virginia Employment Commission reported fewer than 300 federal unemployment claims had been filed this month. They noted that while each case is reviewed individually, federal workers laid off for performance reasons should qualify for unemployment benefits.
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Del. Michael Feggans (D-Virginia Beach) expressed a desire to explore immediate tools to expedite hiring.
“I want for us to be able to look at what can we use with the tools we have available right now to speed up the hiring," Feggans said.
Del .Anne Ferrell Tata (R-Virginia Beach) said she wanted to hear from "CEOs and agency heads about their job openings" and encourage them to engage with lawmakers.
Additional presentations were made by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, the Virginia Municipal League and Legislative Fiscal Analysts.
They shared predictions based on trends and data regarding jobs and the economy, with varying estimates on how many Virginians would be affected, the overall federal funding loss, and its impact on Virginia agencies and departments.
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Some lawmakers acknowledged discrepancies due to real-time developments, emphasizing the need for concrete data in future meetings.
“I think we need to establish a set of scenarios for clear comparisons to maintain consistency,” Del. Josh Thomas (D-Prince William) said.
Del. Tony Wilt (R-Rockingham) acknowledged that lawmakers "don’t know what we don’t know."
"The testimonies we heard today were filled with assumptions and estimates, highlighting our lack of clarity,” Wilt said.
Experts noted that laid-off probationary federal workers possess a range of experience levels—from new hires to mid-career employees recently promoted to probationary status. Lawmakers have requested a clearer breakdown of the skills and experience of those laid off.
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The committee plans to meet four more times in the coming weeks to develop recommendations for a special session on this matter.
Del. Marcus Simon (D-Fairfax) emphasized the need to convey not just the difficulties but also the outlook for the future.
“It’s not just to tell people how bad things are, but to tell them what the future looks like,” Simon said.
“If the federal government changes the rules, we will have to adjust,”
Del. Robert Bloxom (R-Accomack) said lawmakers will have to adjust "if the federal government changes the rules."
In response to these issues, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has established a resource portal for those impacted by the federal workforce cuts. More details can be found at Youngkin's Federal Employee Resources.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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