The Politics Hour: Could the D.C. region be headed into a recession?

The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi

Elected leaders across the region are grappling with the economic fallout of the White House's continued push to shrink the federal government. Some economists fear it could send the D.C.-area into a recession. Clark Mercer, who leads the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, got behind the mic to break down the economic impact a shrinking federal workforce could have the region.

687,000 people living in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia work for the federal government, according to COG. Mercer compared the D.C. area to other company towns.

"We are more reliant in this region on the federal government than Detroit is on the auto industry, or Houston is on oil and gas... by a long shot," he said.

He says the D-C region's reputation as recession-proof is now being tested, and we could see unemployment rates higher than at the height of the pandemi

Plus, he explained what a shrinking federal workforce means for local government budgets, housing, and public transportation.

Virginia Democratic Party Chair Susan Swecker announced recently she was stepping down. Her decade-long tenure heading up the Virginia Democrats has seen plenty of ups and downs, including flipping a Northern Virginia Congressional seat, Republican Glenn Youngkin's gubernatorial win in 2021, and a blue wave in 2023. She joined Kojo and Tom to share what she's learned over her ten years at the helm, and what advice she has for Democrats nationwide. They also discussed the upcoming governor and House of Delegates races.

Swecker predicted that Virginia Republicans will suffer this year at the ballot box due to their support of President Donald Trump's federal job cuts

"I don't want anybody to be hurt. This is gut-wrenching. But do I think they're gonna pay a price, Republicans, at the polls for what they're doing and standing lock, stock and barrel behind Donald Trump? Yes, I do," she said.

Swecker also talked about the future of federal workers and what's next for the Virginia Democratic party.

Become a member of WAMU: wamu.org/donate

Send us questions and comments for guests: [e-mail]

Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885