Jennifer Piggott was once a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. She proudly displayed a Trump campaign flag outside her home during the November election. However, after being abruptly fired from her civil service job at the Bureau of Fiscal Service (BFS) in Parkersburg, West Virginia, her allegiance has taken a sharp turn.
Piggott is among over 125 employees dismissed from BFS in February, a move that has sent shockwaves through a community that overwhelmingly voted for Trump. The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s aggressive cost-cutting measures spearheaded by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
For Piggott, who had been recently promoted, the loss of her job has been devastating. “Nobody that I’ve talked to understood the devastation that having this administration in office would do to our lives,” she told Reuters. While she still believes Trump has done some good for the country, she admits she would not have supported him had she known the impact his policies would have on her livelihood.
West Virginia, a stronghold for Trump, has felt the economic pain of these federal job cuts. The BFS, responsible for managing the federal government’s accounting and payment systems, employs around 2,200 people in Parkersburg. The layoffs have raised concerns among business owners and local officials who fear the economic ripple effect.
Scot Heckert, a Republican state legislator, acknowledged the economic blow. “People voted for Donald Trump to make a change,” he said, “but it’s an unfortunate thing in our community that is plagued with many things as it is.”
Local businesses are already bracing for the fallout. Hotels, breweries, and restaurants are seeing reduced spending as laid-off workers tighten their belts. “It’s a major economic disaster for our community,” said Wayne Waldeck, co-owner of the historic Blennerhassett Hotel.
Meanwhile, some Trump supporters are reconsidering their stance. “They are pretty much just coming here, chopping heads off, without really doing their homework,” said Chauncy James, a veteran and former BFS employee. As more federal job cuts loom, the political landscape in this Republican stronghold may begin to shift.
