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Two San Antonio councilmembers, District 8's Manny Pelaez and District 4's Adriana Rocha Garcia, proposed a new program that would support displaced federal workers impacted by the Trump administration's recent federal cuts.
The Re-employment Assistance for Federal Talent (RAFT) program would consider filling city job vacancies with qualified workers who were recently laid off or with city employees whose positions are federally funded.
It would also host federal-employee specific job training and placement services for those affected.
Federal, non-military workers make up 2.9% of the labor force in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area.
The councilmembers asked the city's Governance Committee to act quickly on their proposal.
A statement explained that the program specifically would ask the city to:
- "Consider filling new COSA job vacancies with COSA employees whose positions are federally funded and qualified federal workers who were recently laid off.
- "Actively recruit the most qualified federal workers, streamline their application process, and expedite their onboarding process.
- "Host federal-employee specific San Antonio Ready to Work job training and placements services; hosting multiple job fairs in partnership with local industries that are hiring, such as healthcare, technology, financial services, and the industries with the most job openings.
- "Immediately begin coordinating with local nonprofit partners to provide laid-off federal workers with job search assistance, workers' compensation claims submission, rental assistance, and other stabilization services."
