Good morning, Chairman Mendelson, and members of the Committee of the Whole. My name is Yesim Sayin, and I am the Executive Director of the D.C. Policy Center—an independent non-partisan think tank advancing policies for a strong, competitive, and compelling District of Columbia. I am grateful for the opportunity to testify on…

Recently, the District has lagged the nation with respect to total nonfarm and total private employment growth. As the chart above shows, between January 2023 and March 2024, total nonfarm and total private employment in the United States grew by 2.2 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Employment growth in D.C. was weaker. …

On April 30, 2024, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was interviewed on the I Hate Politics Podcast. The conversation centered on the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, the challenges faced by the Council and the OCFO, and long term concerns for the District’s finances. Listen here: I Hate the News April 30, 2024 Read…