Youngkin walks political tightrope, balancing support for DOGE workforce cuts with mega-job fair

"Virginia is open for business and ready to help you succeed: offering opportunities for anyone navigating a career transition," Youngkin said of the initiative.

"Your experience is invaluable, your skills are transferable, and you have access to a broad range of job opportunities in America's Top State for Business. With our resources and support, we're here to help you thrive in Virginia's robust job market." 

Youngkin has long touted Virginia's improved business environment over the three years since Democratic predecessor Ralph Northam left office.

VirginiaWorks, which doubles as the Virginia Department of Workforce Development, said the fair featured virtual "booths" to meet with prospective employers, job search resources and live video interview opportunities.

Major participants included CACI, a California-founded information technology company now based in Reston, Virginia - as well as Newport News shipbuilders at the other end of the state.

Virginia's efforts to recruit workers both affected by DOGE's job cuts and from throughout the other parts of the Old Dominion will continue in earnest, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

Youngkin said last week he has "extraordinary empathy for the fact that there are many workers in Virginia from our federal workforce who are experiencing real concerns." 

With at least 140,000 federal employees in his state, Youngkin said there are a quarter million openings across the Potomac in Virginia, and 100,000 in the DC Metro region of the commonwealth.

Defending DOGE last week in McLean, Youngkin said we "have a federal government that is inefficient, and we have an administration that is taking on that challenge of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse."

Youngkin hails from neighboring Falls Church, where he previously worked as a business executive for the Carlyle Group and has influenced his work in Richmond with his experience in the private sector.

Youngkin's virtual hiring event and position toward hiring ousted bureaucrats does have its vocal critics, including former top Jeb Bush aide Tim Miller.

Virginia Democratic Party chairwoman Susan Swecker added in a statement that Youngkin's support for DOGE shows a "gross misunderstanding of what it means to be jobless and without a paycheck, but he is shamelessly trying to play both sides by pretending to support federal workers while kissing the rings of Donald Trump and Elon Musk."