Washington's struggling economy takes another hit from the government shutdown

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An employee moves pallets of food at a warehouse of the Capital Area Food Bank, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

WASHINGTON – With the combination of the longest government shutdown , the mass firings of government workers and a fresh cut in federal food aid , the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington is bracing for the swell of people who will need its help before the holiday season.

The food bank, which serves 400 pantries and aid organizations in the District of Columbia, northern Virginia and two Maryland counties, is providing 8 million more meals than it had prepared to this budget year — a nearly 20% increase.

The city is being hit “especially hard," said Radha Muthiah, the group's