Nevada Assembly leaders want Joe Lombardo to consider recruiting state employee candidates from the pool of federal employees who have been laid off since the start of the Trump administration, according to a Wednesday letter to the Republican governor.
Democrats leading the 42-member body said they were concerned about the impact of federal worker layoffs in Nevada, referring to the Trump administration’s broad effort to reduce the federal government’s size. The state has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 5.7 percent as of December 2024.
Nevada could fill vacant state government roles with idled public sector employees, according to the letter signed by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, Speaker Pro-Tempore Daniele Monroe-Moreno and Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui.
“By taking swift action to integrate these fired federal workers into vacant state government roles, we can reduce our unemployment rate, ensure that essential public services remain strong, and, most importantly, ensure that Nevadans can provide for their families,” they wrote to the governor.
The letter comes as news of federal office closures and mass layoffs spread around the state. Probationary employees who manage Nevada’s public lands and water were let go in mid-February, though the exact number is not known, the Review-Journal previously reported. And on Monday, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said about a dozen Nevadans working for the General Services Administration – a department that manages federal buildings – were notified that their unit had been abolished.
The letter points to efforts from Democratic governors in four other states, who in recent weeks have streamlined their recruitment and hiring efforts. In Hawaii, for instance, the state launched a “targeted outreach initiative” that tells the state’s agencies to review former federal employees’ applications and make conditional offers within 14 days.
“Nevadans could greatly benefit from the experience and expertise of these fired federal employees,” according to the letter. “We can strengthen Nevada’s public sector while demonstrating our state’s commitment to its workforce. This is not a partisan issue – it is a matter of economic stability and responsible governance for those who elected us.”
Democratic caucus officials said they did not know how many Nevada-based federal employees were laid off in recent weeks. Estimates show 20,000 federal workers residing in the state, according to the letter.
In response to a media inquiry about the letter, Lombardo’s office said the governor has made updating the state workforce a priority since taking office in 2023. His administration also pointed to the state adding more than 30,000 employees to the labor force.
“Governor Lombardo simultaneously ordered state employees back to the office, implemented state hiring fairs, and modernized the state hiring process, which slashed the state vacancy rate from 25% to nearly 12%,” spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said. “Federal employees in transition are encouraged to apply for state employment, where they can continue their service to our state and country. For Governor Lombardo, state employment isn’t a political talking point: it’s been his focus since day one. Instead of grandstanding, the Legislature would be better off focusing on their actual job: passing legislation for the betterment of Nevada.”
Nevada departments also hosted a spring hiring fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Tuesday and Wednesday. A preview flyer for the event listed job openings in administration, information technology, public safety, agriculture, environmental protection, health care and others.
Others in the Legislature said effort requested in the letter wasn’t necessary.
“This letter is political drama with hyperbolic numbers,” state Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus, R-Wellington, said in a statement. “I welcome all qualified applicants to apply for State of Nevada vacant positions that they qualify for.”
The letter asks the Lombardo administration to present a detailed plan to the Assembly leadership by March 18.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
