NORFOLK, Va. — The Trump administration is contemplating further cuts to the federal government, which could impact workers in Hampton Roads.
In Hampton Roads, approximately 60,000 federal workers live in the region, not to mention the more than 80,000 military service members.
"Right now, a lot of us are just flailing in the wind," said Lashavia Prather, one of about a dozen employees who learned this week that their jobs were terminated at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
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Nationwide, the Trump administration has already let go of tens of thousands of federal employees, and it appears that the reductions are far from over.
Federal agencies now have until March 13 to outline their plans to decrease the federal workforce. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine expressed concern about the uncertainty surrounding the cuts.
"I have concerns. Here's the challenge: it's not like the administration is sharing with us what they’re doing. They’re just doing stuff and then we find out about it when someone complains," Kaine said.
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Given the area’s heavy reliance on the federal government, Hampton Roads could be particularly vulnerable to the staffing cuts.
"The federal investment level in Hampton Roads is massive," Kaine said. "It’s not just the Department of Defense, that's the big one. We have NOAA, we have the Coast Guard, we have the National Weather Service, we have NASA."
The Trump administration and entrepreneur Elon Musk have defended the cuts as necessary steps to reduce the size of the federal government.
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"We wish to keep everyone who is doing a job that is essential and doing that job well," Musk stated.
Meanwhile, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) has labeled the efforts as appropriate and necessary.
He has directed laid-off employees to state websites for information on available job openings, noting that there are 250,000 openings in the private and public sectors statewide.
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"The waste, fraud, and abuse is stunning and shocking, and everybody sees it. But on top of that, we know that it needs to get more efficient, and therefore there will be some job dislocation, and that’s where we come in," Youngkin said.
Workers impacted by the cuts expressed hope for reinstatement but recognize the possibility of needing to seek new employment. "I’m hoping that it does happen, but in the event that it doesn’t, it’s back to the drawing board," said Prather.
As the deadline for federal agencies approaches, more workers may find themselves facing uncertainty in the weeks ahead.
