Fired Federal Worker Blasts Sears for Dismissing and Downplaying the Attacks on Virginia Jobs

Inside NOVA: Letter: Earle-Sears fails to stand up for Virginia workers

VIRGINIA - Following new reporting that exposed Winsome Earle-Sears for complaining that Donald Trump’s attacks on federal jobs were hurting her campaign while refusing to stand up for Virginians, a fired federal worker called Sears out in a letter to Inside NOVA, writing:

“After 20 years in the federal government and service in the U.S. Coast Guard, I was laid off when the Trump administration and DOGE targeted federal workers, many of whom are Virginians. These weren’t just job cuts; they were gut punches to families like mine. When Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears downplayed these attacks, saying she would help Trump ‘get the job done’ and that laid-off workers would be ‘all right,’ it was both shocking and deeply insulting.”

Sears previously was caught on tape downplaying and dismissing the attacks on Virginia jobs: “the media is making it out to be a huge, huge thing… and I don’t understand why.” 

Sears also said she would help Trump “get the job done” and that she’s “supporting what the President is doing.” 

Inside NOVA: Letter: Earle-Sears fails to stand up for Virginia workers

• After 20 years in the federal government and service in the U.S. Coast Guard, I was laid off when the Trump administration and DOGE targeted federal workers, many of whom are Virginians. These weren’t just job cuts; they were gut punches to families like mine.

• When Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears downplayed these attacks, saying she would help Trump “get the job done” and that laid-off workers would be “all right,” it was both shocking and deeply insulting. At one event, she even said, “I don’t understand why people are treating the layoffs as a big deal.”

• Let me explain: Losing a job means losing stability, health care and the ability to support our families. For us, it meant scrambling to replace the income we relied on and worrying about insurance that would cover the care for our son with autism.

• Earle-Sears says there are “thousands” of other jobs available. In reality, they don’t match our experience or pay. Worse, these layoffs are hitting the people who support our communities, like Veterans Affairs workers who care for our veterans.

• This is bigger than one person or family – it’s about thousands of Virginians and the ripple effects on our economy. Yet Earle-Sears chooses to dismiss these concerns instead of fighting for us.

• If she wants to be governor, she should start acting like she understands what working families face. Right now, she’s shown us that she’s not up to the task.

• We deserve leadership that stands up for Virginia jobs, not someone who shrugs as our livelihoods are stripped away.