Federal workers affected by mass layoffs this year are getting support from Montgomery County in Maryland.
The county is home to more than 70,000 federal employees, so the region has felt the impact of this year’s cuts deeply. Over 4,000 residents have lost their jobs since January.
In response, the county council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a bill that will give displaced federal workers preferential treatment for county job openings. Only qualified veterans and people with disabilities will receive higher priority.
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“At the core, this is about protecting our community and honoring the legacy, the talent, the contributions of hardworking federal workers who have been unfairly and, in my view, illegally fired and made displaced,” said Council Vice President Will Jawando, who sponsored the bill.
Jawando is hoping the county can help some of these displaced workers find good paying jobs.
“While this won’t solve the problem, it’s going to be one of the many things we’re doing to try to mitigate that and send a loud and clear message to federal employees that we value you and we think you have something to offer,” Jawando said. “Montgomery County would be well served by your services.”
He also called on the private sector to help.
“This needs to be an all-hands-on-deck approach. We’re doing our part and continue to urge our private sector partners to take advantage of the great resource that is our federal employees,” Jawando added.
Council member Gabe Albornoz also voiced strong support but said he wants the message sent not just to displaced federal workers.
“To make sure that we send a message to all of our county residents that are losing employment right now as a result of the federal reductions in our nonprofit sector, federal contractors — we are open for business for everyone,” Albornoz said.
He also urged careful execution of the preferential treatment policy, requesting regular updates on the program’s rollout to ensure it is implemented smoothly.
“I was a department head when we implemented the hiring preference for veterans and for people with disabilities, and the execution of that was bumpy and there was some miscommunication,” he said. “We want to make sure we are doing this right and that we don’t create more problems than we are trying to solve.”
The preferential treatment for displaced federal workers will go into effect immediately upon getting the signature of the County Executive. It will remain in effect through July 2, 2027.
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