My Fed spouse has been placed on admin leave. We're not enrolling our kids in camps this summer, have stopped eating at restaurants and are considering if we can sell our home in the DMV and move somewhere cheaper. This war on the federal government is going to devastate the DMV area.

I go to the same weekly fitness class in my neighborhood (not by the downtown offices) and its been getting emptier for the last 3 weeks. I would not be surprised if they run a class pack promotion soon. I'm sure it is a combination of RTO and people pulling back on discretionary spending.

Even if it’s just the short term and the government layoffs don’t wind up being that bad, there’s a shutdown looming, and people think it’s going to be a long one. Payback or no payback, checks will not be cut until it’s over. That will create cash flow problems so people are also saving up.

If Musk succeeds and 75% of govt jobs disappear along with entire agencies disappearing or relocating out of DC (as DOGE plans), which includes massive downsizing at the Pentagon, all the related tech and biotech jobs will disappear as well. All the defense contracting jobs that have grown since the 1980s will also disappear. The DC region will have to rethink its economic raison d’etre. The World Bank and IMF are also in the crosshairs.

All the tech companies in NOVA rely on gov't business. That's literally why they have a NOVA office. People are talking as if Google Reston is diversified. Its not. It's all Public Sector business. Every single one of the tech logos you see as you drive to Dulles relies on gov't business. When they lose their HHS contract, the folks who directly support that contract suffer.

To be clear, they probably won't get fired immediately; they can be reassigned to work on different projects. But at some point, there won't be enough work to go around and they'll cut. They'll look to replace more expensive employees with cheaper employees, like a recent college grad or a recently laid off Fed employee.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My massage therapist is a Trump supporter, she claimed he will be good for small businesses. Past Sunday I scheduled a same day appointment because of some back issues and the place was empty (previously she barely had any open slots), she was very stressed because people have started cutting back on discretionary spending. I was thinking later on that people like her didn't think of anything or anyone else beyond their own myopic gains, now she can join feds and feel the pain of financial stress. I have no sympathy.

This underscores the powerful a message--however incorrect--when it's said over and over again. We always heard Trump was an amazing businessman. People watched him on TV and he seemed in power and authoritative. However, he was really a fake billionaire.

I never watched The Apprentice, so I never had the chance to be fooled like that.

Most TV is designed to own your brain.

There will be a local downturn, but the overall economy is set to soar.

Anonymous wrote:Make those folks get a teaching certificate and get them into schools to teach. teaching shortage and especially of people in STEAM subjects.

"Make them". What the hell. Where do you think we live?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brick and mortar stores, particular small businesses, will suffer the most. Commercial real estate has been taking a beating for the last five years and while RTO may help, we are likely seeing a contraction in spending not just regionally but nationally.

The local business headlines are whiplash.

In the one hand doom and gloom about the fed workforce.

On the other an article that there isn’t enough Class A office space (the best newest office space) for all the law firms and other firms looking to expand in DC.

Which law firms are expanding? Know lots of people who got pushed out of Big Law in the past two years. The trend has been to downsize and belt tighten.

Law firms are getting out of their pre-COVID leases and trying to move to another Class A property for less money. So many empty Class B & C office bldgs right now.

My friends in employment law locally have their phones ringing off the hook right now.

Calls, yes. Lots of Feds paying retainers? Unlikely.

Deregulation means a lot less work for the DC firms. Companies don’t need help complying with regulations that have been eliminated. We were about to hire a firm for a ton of regulatory work but Trump blocked the new requirements so no need now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brick and mortar stores, particular small businesses, will suffer the most. Commercial real estate has been taking a beating for the last five years and while RTO may help, we are likely seeing a contraction in spending not just regionally but nationally.

The local business headlines are whiplash.

In the one hand doom and gloom about the fed workforce.

On the other an article that there isn’t enough Class A office space (the best newest office space) for all the law firms and other firms looking to expand in DC.

Which law firms are expanding? Know lots of people who got pushed out of Big Law in the past two years. The trend has been to downsize and belt tighten.

Law firms are getting out of their pre-COVID leases and trying to move to another Class A property for less money. So many empty Class B & C office bldgs right now.

My friends in employment law locally have their phones ringing off the hook right now.

Calls, yes. Lots of Feds paying retainers? Unlikely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brick and mortar stores, particular small businesses, will suffer the most. Commercial real estate has been taking a beating for the last five years and while RTO may help, we are likely seeing a contraction in spending not just regionally but nationally.

The local business headlines are whiplash.

In the one hand doom and gloom about the fed workforce.

On the other an article that there isn’t enough Class A office space (the best newest office space) for all the law firms and other firms looking to expand in DC.

Which law firms are expanding? Know lots of people who got pushed out of Big Law in the past two years. The trend has been to downsize and belt tighten.

Law firms are getting out of their pre-COVID leases and trying to move to another Class A property for less money. So many empty Class B & C office bldgs right now.

I don’t know these firms, so just the messenger but they list McDermitt Will as one.

Unfortunately, I ran out of free articles for the month.

There is some of firms that signed leases pre-Covid going smaller because of hybrid…though it seems like folks with large lobbying practices are following the fed lead and 5 day RTO.

Yes, lots of empty older buildings…but it’s a bullish sign that firms are willing to pay massive premiums for the nicest newest digs that apparently are now reducing incentives because they are filling up quick.

The public library website has a subscription to WBJ.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard a lot of defense contracts are getting canned.

Lockheed Martin has been eating high off the hog since 9/11. Having worked there, I witnessed gobsmacking waste. It has to be the same at the other contractors too. So, for them to go through some downsizing is a good thing.

The thing is, I'm all for Lockheed Martin shrinking. And, certainly, there's some dead weight among federal government workers as well. I just don't trust Elon Musk to be surgical and strategic.

Musk is burning us to the ground there is nothing strategic to any of this

The goal is to make you beholden to the king if you haven’t figured that out yet you are literally stupid.

He needs you begging for food and shelter to achieve his goal of domination. Fragile male white Christian ego will be the death of the US.

Trumps just a pawn he’s dumb. Musk is King and there is no reality this ends well for our kids or us.

He’s coming for banks next . FDIC is gone X is your new bank if you survive the crash 80 percent or more of the people on this thread will not. Great Depression before summer hits. He now owns the US Treasury.

His plan is in motion and Republicans are on board. National security is gone. They think they are immune to what’s coming nope North Korea and Russia have some plans for them and us.


Americans are dumb

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welfare people aren’t in cities…they are concentrated in rural, red areas.

80% of poor counties that need welfare to survive are in deep red areas.

There are numerous interviews of welfare recipients that voted for Trump basically saying “he won’t touch those payments”.

"Welfare people aren’t in cities"

Did you seriously just say that? How ignorant are you?

That was my point. I should have quoted it better.

MAGA believes “welfare people are in cities” when most welfare recipients are in deep red states like Kentucky.

The cult members believe this. The leaders know exactly what they are doing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welfare people aren’t in cities…they are concentrated in rural, red areas.

80% of poor counties that need welfare to survive are in deep red areas.

There are numerous interviews of welfare recipients that voted for Trump basically saying “he won’t touch those payments”.

"Welfare people aren’t in cities"

Did you seriously just say that? How ignorant are you?

That was my point. I should have quoted it better.

MAGA believes “welfare people are in cities” when most welfare recipients are in deep red states like Kentucky.

I have a friend whose entire family on both sides is in rural Kentucky. They know literally dozens of friends and relatives on welfare.

I have family in a blue state suburb on Medicaid. It is the great lie that somehow welfare is an urban problem or a minority problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welfare people aren’t in cities…they are concentrated in rural, red areas.

80% of poor counties that need welfare to survive are in deep red areas.

There are numerous interviews of welfare recipients that voted for Trump basically saying “he won’t touch those payments”.

"Welfare people aren’t in cities"

Did you seriously just say that? How ignorant are you?

That was my point. I should have quoted it better.

MAGA believes “welfare people are in cities” when most welfare recipients are in deep red states like Kentucky.

I have a friend whose entire family on both sides is in rural Kentucky. They know literally dozens of friends and relatives on welfare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welfare people aren’t in cities…they are concentrated in rural, red areas.

80% of poor counties that need welfare to survive are in deep red areas.

There are numerous interviews of welfare recipients that voted for Trump basically saying “he won’t touch those payments”.

"Welfare people aren’t in cities"

Did you seriously just say that? How ignorant are you?

That was my point. I should have quoted it better.

MAGA believes “welfare people are in cities” when most welfare recipients are in deep red states like Kentucky.