A potential Trump administration plan to reduce government spending could negatively impact House Republicans in a crucial election.

• Trump has suggested relocating 100,000 federal employees from the D.C. region and targeting non-political government staff.
• The GOP House candidate stated that he will oppose the plan to safeguard employment opportunities in his Virginia district.

For nearly a decade, former president Donald Trump has campaigned on reducing the federal government and draining the swamp.

A Republican candidate in a crucial House race is attempting to separate himself from the proposed reductions and Trump's plan to relocate 100,000 federal employees from the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region while dismissing "rebellious bureaucrats" – measures that could result in the area's economy losing billions of dollars.

Derrick Anderson is the Republican candidate vying for the seat to represent Virginia's seventh congressional district in the House. The district is home to approximately 60,000 federal employees, which accounts for roughly 15% of the population. Additionally, the district is also home to a significant number of federal contractors.

Anderson stated on CNBC that he would "oppose any legislation that weakens national security, increases the cost of living, or harms VA-7 jobs, regardless of its source."

He declared that this district is his home and he will do everything in his power to safeguard it.

The seventh district of Virginia is one of the most competitive House races in the country, according to Cook Political Report. However, Anderson is not the only Republican congressional candidate in a tough race who is being selective about their alignment with Trump and showing their independence.

Despite having control of the House, Republicans faced challenges due to their narrow majority, which resulted in gridlock, difficulty advancing key priorities, and struggles to pass essential legislation.

In order to implement their agenda in 2025, Republicans must secure victories in several districts that backed Biden in 2020 and are predicted to support Harris in the upcoming election.

Eugene Vindman, the twin brother of Alex Vindman, who testified against Trump during his impeachment trial in 2019, is Anderson's opponent in the upcoming election.

During a recent visit to Stafford on August 27, Vindman knocked on doors and spoke with a government employee who expressed concerns about some of Trump's proposals after only a few houses.

While Anderson has been endorsed by Trump, Vindman has a significant financial advantage in the race, with his campaign having raised $7.5 million as of June 30, compared to Anderson's $1.4 million.

Trump's executive order, "Schedule F," aims to make it easier to fire career civil servants and replace them with politically loyal staffers, potentially affecting tens of thousands of federal employees, including many in Virginia-O7.

Trump's Agenda 47 includes plans to target "corrupt actors" in the National Security and Intelligence apparatus.

Vindman's brother was also fired from their White House jobs after Alexander's high-profile role in Trump's impeachment proceedings.

"It would be devastating to this area," Vindman said. "Fundamentally unfair, but devastating to this area because you're talking about thousands and tens of thousands of well-paid jobs – it would be horrible."

If the plan was implemented, it would not only affect federal employees, but also contractors and other workers in the area, according to Terry Clower, a professor at George Mason University and director of Mason's Center for Regional Analysis.

According to Clower, for every job created by the federal government in an area, another .6 of a job is created. This implies that 100,000 federal workers lost would result in 160,000 jobs lost. Clower estimated that this level of projected job losses could cost the state between $27-28 billion per year.

"If all of them completely left Virginia, that would result in about 5% of gross state product, which is a severe recession by modern standards."