New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on hiring DOGE-impacted federal employees: "We value you"
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is launching a major hiring push to recruit federal workers who've been laid off by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency. Hochul said these public servants are victims of what she called a "clueless cadre of career killers" in Washington.
"We don't vilify public servants... We value you. We want to welcome you to the New York family," Hochul said.
Hochul's new "You're Hired" initiative encourages job seekers to look for openings in state government. The state has posted billboards in Washington, D.C.'s Union Station and New York's Moynihan Station. Brochures were also made to emphasize job opportunities.
"I need technologists, engineers, attorneys, educators and so much more," Hochul said.
Hochul says the time to apply is now, and New York has more than 7,000 job openings encompassing a wide range of public service opportunities.
"These are essential jobs requiring many years of specialized experience done by real people, as I said, with bills to pay and families to support. They should be commended for their service, not mocked by the president and handed a pink slip," Hochul said. "So our message is simple. While DOGE says you're fired, we say you're hired."
"To have this thoughtless email sent to my inbox"
Hochul held a discussion session with recently fired federal employees Monday as part of the initiative.
"After my two decades of military service, including four combat tours, I never imagined that one day I'd be terminated from my job at the VA and treated like nothing more than a number in a spreadsheet," Luke Graziani said. "I remember staring at my phone figuring out how to tell my wife I got terminated from my job."
Graziani served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, before settling down in Queens with his wife and 3-year-old daughter and taking a job at the Bronx VA hospital. He was fired without warning on Valentine's Day.
"I served my nation for 20 years in the Army. I raised my hand again to accept this job in the federal system thinking there would be some stability, and to have this thoughtless email sent to my inbox," Graziani said.
"Just fodder for a cheap, second-rate reality show"
Hochul had sharp words for the administration's layoffs.
"These are patriots, they call themselves. Putting America first? Give me a break. They know nothing about the functions of government service," Hochul said. "For them, it's just fodder for a cheap second-rate reality show. You're fired."
Approximately 75,000 federal workers took a buyout option before the layoffs started, leading to a current combined total of roughly 200,000 federal workers now out of jobs, under Elon Musk's directive to "gut the federal government of wasteful spending."
So what else are Hochul and the Democrats doing to push back against the administration?
"It starts in the courts," Hochul said. "Unfortunately we don't have any allies in positions of power in Washington right now, so in the meantime states have to step up. We'll see them in court, but for now, let's take care of these people."
Thursday, the state Department of Labor will host free webinars for displaced federal workers to walk people through the process of applying for a job with the state of New York.
