FAIRFAX, Va. - In anticipation of a slowdown in federal spending, ExxonMobil will be removing its Fairfax, Va., operations to Houston starting in early 2014, The Washington Post reports. The move will take 2,100 jobs from the suburb of Washington, D.C., to the oil company??s new 385-acre complex in Texas.

The decision comes as the company consolidates its operations. Workers in the Houston area and Akron, Ohio, will also be making the move to the new complex, which will house 10,000 employees once all the shifting is finished in 2015.

The laying off of private-sector positions comes on the heels of Lockheed Martin and other government and defense contractors shutter headquarters jobs with an eye to a smaller Pentagon budget.

Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell had been talking with Exxon leaders since 2010 about the move, hoping he would change the company??s mind. "We??ve actually been fortunate that they have delayed their decision and we were able to keep them here for a couple years to keep that presence here," he said. "Obviously it??s a lot of jobs. I??m disappointed."

Because of the growing federal deficit, the federal government has slashed or downsized military and technology initiatives, and the outlook could worsen after the presidential elections when Congress once again looks at taxes and spending.

ExxonMobil has been in Fairfax for 30 years, first as Mobil alone, when it moved its New York City offices south. The company has been looking into its real estate holdings for several years, and started building the Houston complex last year.