Officials react to potential layoffs at Bureau of Fiscal Service

An automatic door closes at the entrance to a Bureau of the Fiscal Service office off of Market Street in Parkersburg on Thursday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
PARKERSBURG – Concerns about potential layoffs at the federal Bureau of the Fiscal Service facilities in Parkersburg made the rounds on social media Thursday, but specifics on what was happening and when proved elusive.
An employee speaking on condition of anonymity said some probationary workers at the agency in Parkersburg would be let go starting today. The employee did not say how many would be affected.
Probationary workers have been laid off from a variety of federal agencies since President Donald Trump took office in January as part of announced efforts to reduce spending and the size of the federal government. The Associated Press described probationary employees as those who generally have been on the job for less than a year and have yet to gain civil service protection.
The AP reported that on Feb. 13, the administration ordered agencies to lay off nearly all such workers.
Media representatives for the Bureau of the Fiscal Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury did not return messages seeking comment Wednesday evening and Thursday.

The American flag waves at the federal Bureau of the Fiscal Service office on Avery Street in Parkersburg Thursday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A local official with the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 190, which represents some workers at Fiscal Service, offered a statement.
“The loss of these employees will make agency missions much harder if not impossible to achieve,” said Eric Engle, chief steward of Chapter 190. “These layoffs are not saving taxpayers money or improving operational efficiency and are not in any way beneficial to the American public. Families and our local economy are suffering arbitrarily.”
Engle said the union will continue to fight against the firing of thousands of probationary employees across the federal government, challenging unlawful terminations in court and through other means like grievances and arbitration.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said the senator was asked about the situation during a virtual briefing with reporters Thursday.
“Well, we are monitoring that situation,” Capito said, according to an excerpt of the transcript provided by her office. “I don’t have any further details. I know that the DOGE and the President are committed to a leaner, more efficient government, and one that works more efficiently for the taxpayer and the tax dollar.
“We don’t have any specifics on the Bureau of Fiscal Service. I know that’s a source of concern, and it’s always a source of concern to me anytime anyone who is living or working in West Virginia is in danger of losing their jobs,” she said.
A representative for U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., declined comment until more information becomes available and said they are also monitoring the situation.
Wood County Economic Development shared a post Thursday afternoon that included resources for people needing to file for unemployment and agencies and entities with job listings.
Wood County Economic Development Executive Director Lindsey Piersol said she supports the idea of reducing government expenses but does not believe this is the way to do it.
“I’m incredibly alarmed and disturbed at their dismissal,” she said. “I’m truly heartbroken for everybody affected by it.”
Piersol said about 2,200 people are employed here by Fiscal Service and, although she did not know the number of people being let go, the loss of jobs will have a ripple effect in the community.
“These are jobs that can’t just be easily replaced,” she said.
The Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley and Downtown PKB shared the post. Chamber President and CEO Jill Parsons said she had not seen any official announcement of layoffs but shared the information based on anticipated outcomes and what is being discussed in the community.
Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said he’d received no specific information about the situation at Fiscal Service.
“All jobs are important,” he said, noting the negative effect on downtown businesses when Fiscal Service and other workers shifted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We need them in our downtown.”
Wood County Commission President Blair Couch said local officials are reaching out to West Virginia’s congressional delegation to see what might be done.
“We have been made aware of the potential of job loss, and our hope is that we can replace them with other government jobs,” he said.
Couch said he would like to see if workers can be moved within the federal government and if any available federal office space locally could be utilized by other agencies because the buildings are already under lease by the federal government.
“There is nothing more important to us than the good Wood Countians who are employed at Fiscal Service,” he said.
The situation comes a little over a week after representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency, the initiative created by Trump and overseen by his adviser Elon Musk, reportedly visited the Fiscal Service offices in Parkersburg. That drew more than 150 people protesting the actions of the administration, Musk and DOGE, with some people expressing concern that local jobs could be cut.
Justice, elected to the Senate last year, at the time said it was his understanding that they were there to view a central government accounting system, not prepare for layoffs. Given that probationary employees at other agencies have been let go and no one has confirmed the specifics of the reported visit – or the visit itself outside of general statements by Capito and Justice – it cannot be said whether there is any connection.
Justice spoke about the DOGE visit during a recent appearance on Fox News.
“We treasure our jobs in Parkersburg, West Virginia; we want to continue to have those jobs,” Justice said in an interview with host Harris Faulkner on the Feb. 14 episode of “The Faulkner Focus.” “It’s all about community and everything else. … But they need to be at work.”
That was an apparent reference to the increase in the number of BFS employees working from home as a result of the pandemic. Many telework-eligible employees were required to report to the office for at least 50% of their monthly work hours, an agency representative said last summer. Shortly after taking office, Trump issued an executive order requiring all federal workers to return full-time to in-person work.
Justice’s interview primarily focused on the response from Democrats and media outlets to the efforts of DOGE to slash government spending by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. That has included firing new and longer-serving workers and telling agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force.”
Their actions have drawn criticism from Democrats and legal challenges, as well as applause and support from others.
“Democrats are running through the streets with their hair on fire and trying to just whip people up and scare people to death, the strategy that they had in the previous election, and they got (their) doors blown off,” Justice said in the interview. “We’re just very, very thankful that we’re getting rid of a whole bunch of waste across this nation, and it’s long overdue.”
Justice said the United States can’t address the budget deficit solely through reducing government spending.
“Never have I seen a business that you can completely cut your way out of the problem. Now, we’ve got all kinds of stuff we’ve got to cut first,” he said. “But right behind that, we’ve got to grow our way out of this mess. And the secret to growing our way out of this mess is one word: energy.”
Justice said West Virginia could play a significant role in boosting the nation’s energy supply and making the country energy independent.
Staff reporter Brett Dunlap contributed to this story.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
- An automatic door closes at the entrance to a Bureau of the Fiscal Service office off of Market Street in Parkersburg on Thursday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
- The American flag waves at the federal Bureau of the Fiscal Service office on Avery Street in Parkersburg Thursday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)