Virginia governor pressed to support federal workers and contractors

Fairfax County, Virginia is home to tens of thousands of people who work for federal agencies and government contractors given its proximity to Washington, D.C.

Now county officials are raising the alarm about the potential economic impact of Trump administration actions targeting agencies and contractors.

“The Trump Administration’s goal of reducing the federal workforce (30 percent of which are veterans) and shrinking the budget through indiscriminate cuts, and without Congressional oversight, threatens our local, regional and statewide economies,” Jeffrey McKay, chairman for Fairfax County's board of supervisors, wrote in a motion asking Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to act in support of workers in the state.

“I am extremely disappointed that Gov. Youngkin has stated he supports these reckless cuts that undermine our entire Virginia economy,” McKay wrote in the motion. “It is time for Gov. Youngkin to show his support for the thousands of Virginians that are having their livelihoods stripped away, or whose careers are hanging in the balance every day, because of the drastic steps being taken by the Trump Administration.”

In the letter to Youngkin, the board is asking that he create a centralized hub where workers can gain access to information on financial assistance, unemployment benefits, food security and other support services.

“Virginia needs leadership from the top now while so many are being threatened,” McKay wrote.

Eight of the nine members of the board, all Democrats, supported the motion. The lone holdout was Republican Pat Herrity, who abstained, after his motion to amend the letter failed.

Youngkin, a Republican, has been a Trump supporter.

We’ve reached out to Youngkin’s office for comment, but have not received a response.

The Fairfax County board also voiced support for the Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions created by Virginia General Assembly Speaker Don Scott, who also is a Democrat.

The committee will study the cuts and recommend actions the General Assembly can take to mitigate the impact.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) created a resource hub last week to help residents connect to state services.

The economic impact could be significant for Fairfax County and the rest of Virginia.

Some statistics from McKay’s motion include:

• The federal government spent $108 billion in Virginia during fiscal year 2024, with $41.3 billion spent in Fairfax County.
• 27% of federal contracts go to Virginia small businesses.
• 150,000 federal retirees live in Virginia.

Fairfax County is home to the corporate headquarters of some of the largest federal contractors, including a dozen of the 25 highest-ranked companies on the 2024 WT Top 100.

Reston has CACI International, General Dynamics, Leidos, Maximus, Science Applications International Corp. and V2X.

Falls Church has BAE Systems' U.S. subsidiary and Northrop Grumman. Herndon has ManTech and Peraton. Chantilly has Amentum and Parsons. McLean has Booz Allen Hamilton.