The D.C. Council advanced a budget this week with deep cuts to social services, no tax increases, and $500 million to help build a new football stadium at the RFK site. It also includes funding to implement ranked choice voting in the District next year. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson got behind the mic to break down the budget negotiations.. Plus, Mendelson discussed why his tipped minimum wage proposal failed, why ranked choice voting succeeded, and we asked about the Ward 8 special election, and whether he and his council colleagues will expel Councilmember-elect Trayon White again now that he’s won his seat back.

WAMU’s new reporter covering Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, Jenny Abamu, got behind the mic to weigh in on what federal cuts and layoffs mean for Maryland residents. She also discussed how Maryland Governor Wes Moore is addressing a looming budget crisis as he prepares for a re-election campaign and illegal house parties in Montgomery County.

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The Trump administration recently announced a plan to keep the FBI headquarters in the District, reversing a decision made by the Biden administration in 2023 to move it to a new building in Prince George’s County. Maryland lawmakers are now considering next steps to fight the abrupt turnaround. U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, who represents a large portion of Prince George’s County, joins the show to discuss. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court this week cleared the way for the White House to move forward with slashing the federal workforce. We ask Rep. Ivey what is being done for locals who might be at risk of losing their jobs.

President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law late last week, which includes significant cuts to Medicaid coverage. In Virginia, one estimate suggests that 332,000 residents will lose their health insurance. Virginia Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, who represents a large portion of Loudoun County, gets behind the mic to discuss what he heard from his constituents at a recent townhall. We’ll also ask about immigration; Virginia has seen one of the sharpest spikes in ICE arrests in the country.

D.C.’s Ward 8 residents are heading to the polls for a special election to fill the seat on the D.C. Council. Despite federal bribery charges and expulsion by his colleagues, former councilmember Trayon White is the frontrunner for his old seat. WAMU’s Senior D.C. Politics reporter Alex Koma joins Kojo and Tom to break down the race. He’ll also share the latest updates on the D.C. Council budget, expected to be released early next week, and the debate over the RFK Stadium.

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The Trump administration's continued shrinking of the federal government continues to have immense ramifications on the region, including jobs, public safety, and the economy. A recent report from Maryland's Comptroller's office shows how deeply tied Maryland's economy is to the federal government, drawing more than $150 billion from federal government jobs, grants, contracts, and payments annually. The state's comptroller Brooke Lierman joined the show, saying the pace of the cuts is concerning. However, Lierman said the state is working to diversify into the private sector instead of an overreliance on the federal government.

"All of these folks have chosen to go into public service, but would also do incredibly well and be very successful in other fields," Lierman said. "We have an incredible biotech industry in Maryland. We have cyber, we have quantum, and more."

D.C. councilmembers broadly agree that the city's violence interruption programs are in need of changes, following public criticism of the programs and multiple bribery scandals. However, councilmembers are not in agreement on what exactly do to about it. This week, Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto proposed major reforms as part of the ongoing budget debate. It was met with significant pushback, leading her to pitch a whole new plan. Councilmember Pinto got the behind the mic to explain what happened and what comes next.

Finally, Montgomery County councilmembers are pushing a package of bills for more workforce housing, particularly allowing construction of residences along transit corridors. The package also includes tax breaks for some developers. District 6 Montgomery County Councilmember Natali Fani-González and co-sponsor of the somewhat controversial legislative package weighed in. Plus, why county officials are pressing Marriott to sign an agreement to not retaliate against union members and why the Trump administration's ramp up of federal immigration enforcement efforts throughout the D-C region is deeply personal for her.

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