Washington's struggling economy takes another hit from the government shutdown

"With the combination of the longest government shutdown, the mass firings of government workers and a fresh cut in federal food aid, the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington is bracing for the swell of people who will need its help before the holiday season. The food bank, which serves 400 pantries and aid organizations in the District of Columbia, northern Virginia and two Maryland counties, is providing 8 million more meals than it had prepared to this budget year a nearly 20% increase."

"The city is being hit especially hard, said Radha Muthiah, the group's CEO and president, because of the sequence of events that has occurred over the course of this year. The nation's capital has been battered by a series of decisions by the Trump administration, from the layoffs of federal workers to the ongoing law enforcement intervention into the district. The added blow of the shutdown, which has furloughed workers and paused money for food assistance, is only deepening the economic toll."

"But even the September jobs report shows that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hovers at 6%, compared with the most recent national rate of 4.3%, and has been the highest in the nation for months. The economic woes appear to be reverberating politically. Democrat Abigail Spanberger won election Tuesday as Virginia's governor after focusing her campaign message on the effects of President Donald Trump's actions on the state's economy."

Capital Area Food Bank is preparing to serve a sharp increase in demand, supplying 8 million more meals this budget year, a nearly 20% rise. The food bank serves 400 pantries and aid organizations across the District of Columbia, northern Virginia and two Maryland counties. Washington has faced layoffs of federal workers, law enforcement intervention into the district, and cuts to food aid that have heightened local hardship. The shutdown has furloughed workers and paused food assistance, worsening economic strain. D.C. unemployment sits at about 6% versus a 4.3% national rate, and political and business effects are emerging.

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