As a part of their ongoing series on the “Trump Effect,” WAMU aired a segment on the potential impacts of the Present’s budget on the District and the broader Metropolitan area. The segment features maps on the federal workforce prepared by the D.C. Policy Center for the piece:
Nearly one in six people in the region are federal government employees. Another large chunk are federal contractors. These relatively high-paying federal jobs have not only helped grow the region’s economy; they have also become a critical entry-point to the middle-class for many African-Americans.
“The wage gap between whites and African-Americans is smaller for federal government workers,” said Yesim Taylor, director of the DC Policy Center. “That is the federal government is the primary source of higher-paying jobs for African-Americans.”
In other words, the impact of Trump’s budget could have a disproportionate effect on the region’s black middle class.
It’s a reminder, she said, of the federal government’s role in the region’s economy.
“I think there is absolutely a need for diversification. But also an understanding this government is deeply involved as a job creator in our region. We are deeply vulnerable to these cuts,” adds Taylor.
You can read the full piece here.