Gov. Glenn Youngkin was asked Wednesday morning about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s plan to move 100,000 federal employees out of the D.C. area. Youngkin says the plan is speculative, but Trump’s campaign website clearly states that he plans to implement it if elected.
For context, last week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-VA07, called attention to Trump’s plan.
“As many as 100,000 government positions could be moved out, and I mean immediately, of Washington to places filled with patriots,” Trump says in a video on his website.
Spanberger called the plan reckless. “That would put the livelihoods of thousands of Virginians at risk,” she wrote in a statement on social media.
After his presentation to the General Assembly’s money committees Wednesday morning, Youngkin was asked about Trump’s plan.
“I think that’s a complete mischaracterization,” he said. “First of all, we can sit around and play what-if games on both sides, on what they’re going to propose and what they’re not going to propose, and the reality, of course, is… speculative.”
While Youngkin believes it is speculative to assume Trump will move that many federal jobs out of the region, the presidential candidate is not being coy or backing off from his plan, as it is still on his campaign website.
Youngkin also reiterated what he had previously said: If a large number of jobs leave the commonwealth, the private sector will be there to provide them.
“To think that should there be any movement in the workforce, that there aren’t enough jobs in Virginia to absorb that supply of talented workers, is a complete mischaracterization. We have 300,000 jobs in Virginia that are available and unmet. We have a hugely talented workforce. And my biggest challenge, of course, is keeping… people in Virginia, as opposed to moving away because of lower taxes in other states and lower cost of living.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said the governor should stick up for Virginians and push back on Trump’s plan.
“The Governor can’t continue to have it both ways on MAGA and failing to criticize Trump’s attacks on the Commonwealth of Virginia – The Governor should take the side of his constituents and tell Trump to dump his plan to move/fire 150,000 federal workers,” he posted on social media.
View Youngkin’s full statement here.
