RICHMOND, Va. — Monday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced two websites his administration has launched to support Virginians who have lost their jobs as a result of President Donald Trump's sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.
The first website has explanations and links for laid off federal workers on how to get unemployment, health insurance, and improve or get new job skills.
The second website, Virginia Has Jobs, is a job listing portal broken up into regions and private and public sector with direct links to major employers.
For Central Virginia, those include healthcare companies and school systems. The site also has links to job posting sites for different industries.
The governor says Virginia has 250,000 open jobs and said while he feels for those impacted, he supports what is being done.
"We need to press forward and drive efficiencies in our federal government. And as a result of driving those efficiencies, I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs and that's why it's so important that we provide alternative opportunities for them," Youngkin said. "We have got a pathway to a great career right here in the Commonwealth and we are ready to help you along that path."
Democratic House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) says the governor's plan lacks empathy and this is a preventable crisis.
"I think we're basically, you know, rearranging the chairs on the Titanic. We're asking people to accept this and deal with the aftermath of this damage," Scott said. "Nobody wants government waste. Freeze it, as opposed to coming through with this sledgehammer approach when they could easily use a scalpel."
Scott said instead of telling Virginians to brush up their resumes, Youngkin should be telling Trump to stop the cuts.
"If he won't do it, I think we all have a responsibility to do that."
CBS 6 also spoke to Shawn Hartley, an IRS worker who lost her job as a result of the cuts.
She said in the past few days since that has happened, friends and family have been reaching out in support, but she has felt "pretty close to devastated".
"That position that I lost meant so much to me," Hartley said. "It made a great deal to me personally, but it also means a great deal to me that so many others are in the same position."
Hartley said she agrees that there are savings to be made and inefficiencies to be addressed in the federal workforce, but the current process is not accomplishing either.
"The people who are being fired are the people on the bottom rungs of the ladders all across government services. Not just people like me at the IRS, but it's people who keep our food and our drinking water safe, people who keep planes in the air, people who manage our infrastructure," said Hartley. "Getting rid of people on the bottom rungs of the ladders of any government organization is not a great cost savings, because we're the people who are making the least amount of money in the government."
She said she's already filled out the information on the websites but is waiting to see how many people it can truly help.
"Until I see that there are enough good paying jobs for all of the people who have lost their jobs, I'm going to remain skeptical," Hartley said.
As for what other support she would like to see from the state government, she said she would like to see better unemployment insurance — adding that even if she qualifies for the maximum benefit of $378 per week, it will not cover much.
"I will have enough at the end of the month just to pay my rent. Period. I can't eat, can't drive to a job interview, can't do anything else. That just pays the rent," Hartley added. "I don't think people should live forever on unemployment benefits. I don't think it should put people in the lap of luxury. But, if people who have lost their jobs while they're searching for other work can't even afford to keep a roof over their head, then it's really not a benefit."
Lawmakers passed several pieces of legislation to expand unemployment benefits this session -- and currently awaits action from Youngkin.
Meanwhile, Scott reiterated his comments that lawmakers could come back to Richmond in a few months for a Special Session to look at ways to mitigate the impact these cuts have on Virginians and the state's economy. He said first he is awaiting more information on what the impact could look like that, something a bipartisan committee he created is investigating.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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