Republicans on the legislature’s Labor Committee unanimously opposed a bill advanced by majority Democrats last week, giving special consideration in state job placements to federal employees who were laid off by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
House Bill 6906 now heads to the House floor for consideration. The bill seeks to give preference in the hiring of federal employees who were laid off after Jan. 1 to hold a job fair by Sept. 1 for such employees, and that state universities should develop job portals for applicants previously employed by a higher education institution in the United States to perform federally funded research.
States like Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Virginia and Hawaii have already announced plans to recruit federal workers recently fired by the Trump administration
“In a practical sense, I see this bill as an opportunity not just for Connecticut but for all American states to scoop up some incredible talent,” said Sen. Jorge Cabrera, who is Senate vice chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. “We can attract more residents, more taxpayers, more talented professionals. The Republican opposition to this bill, it just doesn’t follow what they have repeatedly claimed that they believe in, which is a growing middle class, more taxpayers, more jobs, helping local businesses.”
But Republicans on the Labor Committee repeatedly questioned the need for the bill before voting against it.
“We’re going to pander to someone who was laid off, maybe for very good reasons,” said Rep. Steve Weir, R-Hebron, later adding “This is like an anti-DOGE event.”
“I’m going to join the chorus of my colleagues in opposing this legislation,” said newly elected Rep. Joe Canino, R-Torrington, adding, “I don’t think anyone on either side of the aisle can deny this is being done in retaliation to an action that has been done by our president.”
As of 2023, Connecticut was home to 10,247 federal employees, according to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal; about 4,200 worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, while another 1,156 worked for the Navy, 943 for the Department of Homeland Security, 761 for the Department of Justice, 609 for the Department of Defense, and 2,500 in other positions.
But as of this month, Trump and Musk — his head of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – have laid off about 100,000 federal employees, including tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Department, Education Department, Energy Department, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, National Park Service, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Agriculture Department, Foreign aid and development, federal grants and loans, inspectors general, Department of Justice, and the State Department.
