by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury
April 4, 2025

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide.

A newly surfaced recording of Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is drawing sharp criticism from Democrats and federal employee unions, who say her remarks downplaying the impact of recent federal layoffs show a disregard for the thousands of Virginians — many of them veterans — who have lost their jobs under President Donald Trump’s administration’s workforce cuts.

In the clip, released last week by the progressive media outlet Meidas Touch, Earle-Sears is heard downplaying concerns from federal workers about job losses tied to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has already axed more than 6,000 veterans and is on track to cut at least 80,000 VA employees nationwide, according to the Associated Press.

In the recording, which appears to be from a March 13 gathering, Earle-Sears addresses the recent federal layoffs tied to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

“Now I’m hearing about DOGE and all of that,” she begins, before quickly shifting to a broader defense of Virginia’s job market. She insists that “we don’t want folks to lose their jobs,” but points to what she says are “over 250,000 jobs that we’ve created since we’ve been in office” as evidence of economic strength.

Earle-Sears then pivots to suggest that job loss is a common experience, asking the crowd, “How many here have ever lost a job?” When some respond affirmatively, she continues: “Oh, you mean it’s not unusual? It happens to everybody all the time? Okay.” She concludes by criticizing the media coverage surrounding the layoffs, saying, “The media is making it out to be this huge, huge thing. And I don’t understand why.”

The reaction from union officials and political opponents was swift.

“She was caught on tape saying she doesn’t know why this is a huge deal,” said Christine Surrette, national vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 4 and a former VA employee. 

“I’ve had to console employees who were laid off, who don’t know how they’ll make rent. Some have taken their own lives. Sears isn’t on the side of Virginians,” Surette said on a Zoom call set up by the Democratic Party of Virginia Thursday. 

Earle-Sears, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran herself, is currently leading the pack in the Republican gubernatorial primary and has leaned heavily into her alignment with Gov. Glenn Youngkin and, despite disavowing him more than two years ago, Trump. 

The layoffs, which have significantly affected Virginia’s large population of veteran federal employees, are part of a broader federal workforce reduction effort launched under Trump’s second-term agenda of fiscal reset.

A spokeswoman for Earle-Sears’ campaign declined to comment, but pointed to a video the lieutenant governor posted on X, formerly Twitter, in February, where she expressed empathy for federal workers facing layoffs.

“I have been in your shoes and I totally understand what it is to not know how the next paycheck is coming,” Earle-Sears said in the video. “I know it from being an employee and I also know it from being a small business owner, and so I want to say this to you that we see you.”

At the same time, she reaffirmed her support for Trump’s efforts to cut federal spending — even if it results in job losses. 

“Our government, without question, owes us answers to how the money is being spent,” she said. “We work very hard for those dollars in order for the government to tax us, and so the government must be accountable to us and tell us how it is spending our hard earned dollars.”

Earle-Sears added that it’s also important to ensure support is available for those who lose their jobs and want to pursue new opportunities. 

“It is also a given that we want to make sure that you have the money that you need to find a job or if you want to start a new career or even to go into business and how to do that,” she said.

Earle-Sears went on to promote Youngkin’s plan to connect laid-off federal employees with new job opportunities in Virginia.

But her critics say the damage is done.

“She’s talking about someone’s life being turned upside down,” said Monique Samuels, president of AFGE Local 1992, which represents Defense Logistics Agency workers in Richmond. “Losing a job in any situation is devastating. With thousands of Virginians facing layoffs, there will be a larger economic impact that will hurt every Virginian, but Sears doesn’t care.”

The layoffs have already disrupted essential services at facilities like the Hampton VA Medical Center, where 12 employees initially lost their jobs although one later was allowed to return, and the soon-to-open clinic in Chesapeake, where local lawmakers are already raising concerns about staffing levels. 

“We were struggling before,” said Sheila Elliott, president of AFGE Local 2328. “We’re already seeing appointments being rescheduled because doctors and nurses can’t do their jobs because they don’t have the tools that they need to get that job done. Yesterday we received 50 messages, people are worried about what’s happening next.”

Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, also weighed in.

“Virginia’s federal employees are real people with real bills to pay,” she said in a statement. “Now is not the time for the lieutenant governor to put blind ideology and allegiance to a political party ahead of the livelihoods of our neighbors and the strength of Virginia’s economy.”

Virginia is home to the Pentagon, multiple military bases and one of the highest veteran populations nationwide. Many of those veterans transition into federal civilian roles after their service — jobs that have become increasingly precarious as DOGE enacts mass terminations in the name of “efficiency.”

“I understand firsthand the importance of ensuring that our VAs are fully staffed and prepared to care for and support the men and women who have served our country. And right now, that’s all at risk,” said Ottis Johnson, AFGE District 14 vice president and a veteran himself. 

“As VA and employees are facing layoffs, our veterans earned their benefits, and they deserve better than threats to their care. But it is not just veterans who are at risk because of these attacks on federal jobs. Virginia’s economy depends on federal jobs. People are going to feel this in every corner of the commonwealth.”

Less than a week after the leaked remarks were recorded, Earle-Sears appeared alongside Youngkin at a March 19 event in Richmond where both officials defended the job cuts as part of a larger plan for national economic health.

“Today, we know we have a federal government that is facing huge fiscal issues with $37 trillion in debt, with $2 trillion being added every year,” Youngkin said. “What that requires is real action quickly.”

Earle-Sears echoed the message, calling Virginia “resilient” and citing CNBC’s ranking of the commonwealth as the top state for business in 2024. Both touted the state’s Virginia Has Jobs platform, which they say lists over 250,000 available positions for displaced workers.

But union leaders say those promises don’t match reality.

“These workers can’t just walk into another job next week,” said Surrette. “Many are specialized professionals. Some are still waiting on severance. And in the meantime, veterans are waiting on appointments, prescriptions, and essential services.”

Surrette added that the disruption goes far beyond temporary economic turbulence, but that it strikes at the heart of the values many federal employees hold. 

“These are people who dedicated their lives to serving others … many of them twice, first in uniform and then in federal agencies. They deserve more than lip service. They deserve respect, support, and stability.”

If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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