In the wake of the federal government shutdown, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors Chairman Matt Letourneau stressed the serious impact on the region’s economy and called for a quick resolution to the issue.

 

“Our region's federal workers and contractors should not be pawns in national policy debates. The DMV region is resilient, but the disruptions caused by a federal government shutdown bring unnecessary stress to all those involved,” said Letourneau, who is a Loudoun County Supervisor.

 

“There are hundreds of thousands of federal workers in metropolitan Washington, in addition to tens of thousands of federal contractors, which means this shutdown will have a major, negative impact on this region, its residents, and businesses. Despite the progress we've made in diversifying the economy in recent years, our region’s financial well-being is still closely tied to our largest employer, the federal government.”

 

“Ensuring sustainable economic growth and a high quality of life requires certainty and predictability at all levels of government. I hope all parties will act to reopen the federal government as soon as possible.”

 

As the association of 24 local governments in the metropolitan Washington region, COG works with its members to ensure a strong regional economy in addition to coordinating transportation, environmental, homeland security, and other regional planning efforts.