A Virginia state delegate has fueled outrage for invoking a famous Holocaust-related quote in a blistering attack on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts to modernize the federal bureaucracy.
Democratic state Delegate Joshua Cole compared the DOGE cost-saving initiative to Nazi Germany’s attack on the Jews during an emergency hearing about the agency’s impact on Virginia last week — drawing a swift rebuke from top local leaders.
“I must say that I have seen so many different people on social media rather excited about these [DOGE] cuts; rather excited about these job losses,” Cole began during a brief speech at the hearing.
“And that reminds me of a quote from a long time ago that said: ‘At first they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t Jewish. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. And then when they came for me, there was no one to speak up because everyone had been taken.’ “
The famous quote was from the German Rev. Martin Niemöller, who initially had been sympathetic to Adolf Hitler before being arrested and expressing profound regret and opposition to the Nazis.
Republicans quickly pummeled Cole, whose district is near Fredericksburg, which is roughly an hour drive from Washington, DC, and rife with government workers.
“Comparing the loss of some government jobs to the Holocaust is an insult to the memory of the millions who were slaughtered [by the Nazi regime],” state House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert raged to Fox News.
Gilbert called upon Cole to apologize to Virginians and Holocaust survivors.
“Virginia Dems disgustingly compared cutting wasteful spending to the Holocaust — trivializing the murder of 6 million Jews,” said Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), who is vying for governor.
Other critics noted how Cole misquoted Niemöller, whose original quote said, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.”
“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
X user Viva Frei wrote, “Nothing like comparing downsizing big government to the Holocaust.
“Congrats,” Frei jabbed. “Also, you mangled the poem. Also, if your district has the highest concentration of federal workers, that is precisely part of the problem.”
Cole did not respond to a Post request for comment Monday.
During his remarks, Cole also recounted how Virginia state lawmakers had been forced to convene an emergency panel at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The difference between then and now is we had extra money coming in. We’re not going to have extra money coming in. We’re actually going to be losing money over this situation,” he said of DOGE’s efforts.
“And I’m very much interested in how the loss of that money of federal income is going to impact our communities.”
Virginia is home to some 145,000 federal workers, at least a fifth of whom reside just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has rolled out a plan to ease the potential impact of DOGE cuts on the state, which is due to have an off-year gubernatorial election in November that is often seen as a political pulse test of the country before the 2026 midterms.
Youngkin unveiled a “resource package,” including the virginiahasjobs.com website, for laid-off or fired workers to use to find new employment.
“I actually have extraordinary empathy for the fact that there are many workers in Virginia today from our federal workforce who are experiencing real concerns,” the governor said Monday.
