Virginia officials assessing how federal shutdown will impact some state employees
Governor’s office predicts no impact on most state employees, no immediate interruption to services such as SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid
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Virginia officials are assessing state agencies to see if their reliance on federal funding will lead to program or employee schedule disruptions due to the federal government shutdown.
In a letter from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Chief of Staff John Littel to executive branch employees on Oct. 1 obtained by the Mercury, Littel said that state programs that heavily rely on federal funding could be impacted until a new stream of funding is approved in Washington. The statement also predicted minimal effect on state employees.
“For most of our state workforce, the federal government shutdown will have no impact on your responsibilities or work schedule. While we believe that no positions are immediately impacted, we are assessing agencies who have positions funded in part or in whole with federal funds to determine the impact and options available,” the letter read.
The Virginia executive branch includes the Department of Elections, Department of Energy, Department of Education, Department of Labor, and many other agencies. Governor’s office spokesman Peter Finocchio said offices are working to avoid furloughs if the shutdown persists.
“As we continue to work through impacts from the federal shutdown, there is no immediate interruption to services such as SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid within the next couple of weeks,” Finocchio said.
The letter said any employee or department that would potentially be impacted by the shutdown would be contacted “shortly” with guidance.
The shutdown fallout for Virginia’s thousands of federal employees is still unfolding, and the state’s Democratic U.S. senators are pushing for a solution.
About 147,358 federal civilian employees live in Virginia, according to congressional reports. The White House announced an unprecedented move to fire federal workers during the shutdown, which is already being challenged in court. Federal employees will not get paid during the shutdown, and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, told reporters Oct. 2 lawmakers hope to work out a deal that would protect more federal workers from getting fired. Congress made a similar deal during the 2019 shutdown to ensure that once the shutdown was lifted, furloughed workers received back pay for the days they missed work.
The White House has warned of “imminent” federal employee layoffs, States Newsroom reported.
“The president has no enhanced powers during the shutdown so his ability to randomly and arbitrarily fire is not enhanced,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, told States Newsroom.
The commonwealth’s 22 national parks are expected to remain open during the shutdown with potential staffing reductions, according to a National Parks service contingency plan.
The next congressional vote on extending funding is expected on Friday, but it is likely to be blocked in the Senate.
Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
