A new D.C.-area initiative links displaced federal workers across the region with job opportunities, career coaching and even retraining services.
The platform, Talent Capital. AI, is housed at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and COG Chair Rodney Lusk called the initiative “a new framework for workforce resilience and it’s powered by AI but grounded in human resource and support.”
It was launched on Wednesday, the first day of the federal government shutdown, which Maryland Labor Secretary Portia Wu made note of during a news conference.
As a self-described “former fed,” Wu told the crowd, “In Maryland, we have a huge number of federal workers and federal contractors who are being impacted.”
“We want opportunity and growth. That is what federal workers and contractors want, that’s what every single person in this room wants,” Wu added.
Kathleen Borgueta, a former federal worker from the now-shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development, shared her own story.
“Just 11 weeks after delivering my first born, I was blindsided by the dismantling of USAID. I’ll never forget receiving my termination letter as I sat in my postpartum support group,” she said.
She went on to create Pivoting Parents, a group to help other caregivers and former federal workers in the same situation.
Now, with the government shutdown and the possibility of more federal job cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration, Borgueta said, “This is a dire challenge, but also an enormous opportunity.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed federal workers directly.
“All you did was go to work every day, do what you were supposed to do, and none of this, none of this is your fault,” Bowser said.
She noted the number of highly qualified former federal workers seeking employment and urged them to “stay here, we’re bringing more jobs right to you.”
Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, commiserated with former federal workers who find themselves struggling to pay their bills.
“It breaks my heart to think about people who’ve lost their jobs and have to pay their bills tomorrow and don’t have enough money,” he said.
He noted that nearly one-third of residents in the D.C. region are food insecure.
“I want all those government workers out there that lost their jobs — we see you. We see you and we’re going to make a difference in your life,” Hoskins said.