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The mass firings of government workers by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has business leaders in the Beltway fearing a localized recession could be on the way.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, restaurants, hotels and other businesses are witnessing in real-time sales plunging as workers lose their jobs or dial back spending due to a possible job loss.

As the Journals' Paul Kiernan and Rachel Louise Ensign wrote, "Economists believe government layoffs and looming budget cuts will push the Washington, D.C., metro area into a recession, challenging its reputation for economic resilience."

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In an interview, Julie Coons, president of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, painted a dark picture of the immediate future, explaining, "We see this as potentially catastrophic for the region," before adding, "This is our Detroit moment.”

The Journal report notes, "In Arlington’s Rosslyn neighborhood, bookings at the Residence Inn are 10% to 15% below target for the coming months, according to general manager Flavia Sampaio, who said local hotels rely heavily on business from government agencies. Across the Potomac River in D.C., Bluebird Sky Yoga co-owner Kristine Erickson has seen a slowdown in people seeking yearlong memberships," adding, "Sales at Cork Wine Bar & Market, a restaurant on a bustling stretch of 14th Street, fell about 15% to 20% in February compared with the same month last year, said co-owner Diane Gross. March sales were helped by a 'tariff sale' of bottles of wine but still ended down around 10%."

The report continued, "Oxford Economics projects gross domestic product in the Washington, D.C., metro area will fall 0.5% over the course of this year. This is the second-worst projected performance for any of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas after New Orleans, where tariffs are a significant risk, said Barbara Denham, lead economist for cities and regions."

You can read more here.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) held an event in Estero, Florida, on Monday, where residents of his district expressed their anger over drastic cuts to government agencies that many count on for services.

When he came into office, President Donald Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency by executive order and tasked tech billionaire Elon Musk with finding things to cut. That initiative has been behind the upheaval and dismantling of government agencies. Websites, grants, programs, and employees have been cut or frozen under the promise that Trump will save taxpayers trillions.

Speaking to CNN's Boris Sanchez on Tuesday, chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju called it a "pretty remarkable scene" that Donalds responded to angry constituents by yelling at them.

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"I mean, the question is, how broad is this among the electorate?" he questioned. "We've seen this happen time and time again. Are these Democratic voters who are coming out there expressing their outrage, and probably in a lot of cases, yes. Are there independent voters who are moved by what Donald Trump has been doing, what DOGE has been doing, impacts on their lives, on the tariffs and prices? Are those the ones that are raising concerns? Or are they Trump voters? Are they people who are concerned about the person they voted for into office here?"

He also noted that Donalds' district is in "a very conservative area." He recalled that in 2024, Trump carried the district by 30 points.

"Even that county, where that town hall was in yesterday, Trump won that by 30 points," cited Raju. "So, this is a conservative area. What does it say for the broader electorate? We'll see. But it was interesting."

He pointed to another moment in which Donalds was asked about Musk and others gaining access to personal Social Security files. When he read the question aloud, the crowd cheered.

Donalds answered that Musk and DOGE "have been authorized by the president of the United States."

The crowd booed loudly.

See the clip below or at the link here.

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