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Federal layoffs strain D.C. region as Trump administration threatens more cuts | The Washington Times

October 02, 2025
  • D.C. Policy Center

On September 30, 2025, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted in The Washington Times:

In a separate report prepared for the D.C. Chamber of Commerce last week, the nonpartisan D.C. Policy Center warned that “job growth has stalled across nearly all sectors,” including professional services such as office work.

It also flagged high office vacancy rates, stagnant nominal office rents and increased hesitation about opening or expanding private businesses in the District.

The D.C. Office of Revenue Analysis said initial unemployment insurance claims are up by 33.7% since last year.

“The region’s sinking, for sure,” Yesim Sayin, the D.C. Policy Center executive director, said Tuesday. “The problem is that we have an economy that relies on the federal government, tourism and universities, and the president’s policies are putting tremendous stress on all three.”

Read More: Federal layoffs strain D.C. region as Trump administration threatens more cuts
Additional reading: 2025 State of Business Report: Investing in growth

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D.C. Policy Center


Established in 2016, the D.C. Policy Center is a non-partisan research and policy organization committed to advancing policies for a strong and vibrant economy in the District of Columbia. Through rigorous research and collaboration, the D.C. Policy Center develops and tests policy ideas, disseminates its findings, and engages in constructive dialogue and debate.

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