U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth this week asking for restraint in layoffs affecting veterans and national security.
In the letter, the Republican congresswoman asks Hegseth to prioritize keeping veterans in their jobs and ensuring they are not disproportionally laid off by cuts to the federal workforce. She also asked that veterans get access to other federal positions in areas focusing on national security, writing that cuts could be “weakening (the United States’) defense capabilities.”
Hegseth directed the Pentagon in February to cut about 8%, or $50 billion, from the military budget. The Department of Defense has also announced it would review staff members still in their probationary periods for layoffs, according to a recent news release. This means about 5,400 probationary workers will be released from their jobs, followed by a hiring freeze across the department.
Kiggans noted Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, which she has represented since 2023, is home to tens of thousands of servicemembers and veterans. She said Hampton Roads is especially vulnerable to cuts in military and federal workforce.
“As a former Navy helicopter pilot and a commonsense conservative, I believe we can responsibly rein in waste while ensuring ( Department of Defense) personnel with prior military service remain in positions where they can continue to contribute to our national security,” Kiggans said in a statement. “Any reductions or reforms to the size and scope of the federal government that risk weakening our defense capabilities, particularly as we face increasing global threats, are unacceptable.”
Hampton Roads is home to the world’s largest naval station and more than a dozen other military bases. According to the Department of Defense, more than 100,000 active-duty and reserve personnel are employed in the region in addition to about 40,000 civilian personnel employed on Hampton Roads military bases.
Kiggans’ letter comes as Hampton Roads residents have become more vocal in their opposition to some of President Donald Trump’s policies. Twice in the last month, protestors have demonstrated outside Kiggans’ Virginia Beach district office.
“The ( Department of Defense) has laid off thousands of employees, many of whom are veterans who have dedicated their careers to serving our country,” Kiggans said in her letter. “These layoffs are not just a loss of jobs but also a loss of the skilled workforce that is essential to ensuring our defense readiness. President Trump pledged that he would work to minimize job losses for veterans. I hope the ( Department of Defense) is following that promise.”
Since cuts began earlier this year, Democrats have amplified outrage from constituents. Sen. Mark Warner told reporters he has received an “overwhelming” number of calls from Hampton Roads residents concerned about their jobs. He also said the loss of government contracting jobs could be a “recipe for disaster for the region.”
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D- Newport News, invited a veteran who was laid off from her federal jobto be his guest to Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday. Retired Army Staff Sgt. Alexzandria Hunt was a supply technician at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center before getting laid off on Feb. 25. Other Democratic congress members are also bringing federal workers who have lost their jobs to Tuesday’s address.
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
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