As stated by the COG Board of Directors in its letter to the president and congressional leaders, with each passing day, the shutdown increasingly impacts Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, causing unnecessary harm to our citizens, businesses, and the regional economy.

From convening leaders to analyzing data on the shutdown's potential impact, COG has been supporting its member governments and nonprofit partners as they serve the many local residents being adversely affected and encourage others to consider helping their neighbors in need. 

News 4 Your Sunday: NBC4 show on the shutdown's impact on the region featuring COG Community Planning and Services Director Paul DesJardin, Prince George’s County Social Services Director Gloria Brown Burnett, and United Way of the National Capital Area Chief Strategy and Impact Officer Timothy Johnson.

Local Government/Utility Resources 

During the partial federal government shutdown, which ended on January 25, 2019, metropolitan Washington's local governments stepped up to offer a variety of services to their residents during the shutdown, including food assistance, utilities assistance, and employment services. Other services included free public transit to affected workers as well as reduced fees for city and county recreational opportunities. Many governments also shared ways for people to cope with stress and urged rental property owners to seek flexible solutions given the extremely difficult situation for some of their tenants.
 
The District of Columbia provided mortgage assistance to homeowners who were furloughed federal government workers. Prince George’s County offered temporary cash assistance, medical assistance, and childcare benefits. Several area school systems, like Fairfax County, held workshops and job fairs for furloughed workers and employed them as substitute teachers. For more information on each jurisdiction's services and resources—as well as links to nonprofits, charities, and financial institutions in their communities—please visit the shutdown web pages listed below. 

District of Columbia
Charles County 
Frederick County
Montgomery County
Prince George's County
City of Alexandria
Arlington County
Fairfax County
Loudoun County
Prince William County

Electric/gas/water utility resources

Nonprofit Resources (Need assistance? Want to donate or lend a hand?) 

United Way of the National Capital Area launched its Emergency Assistance Fund to provide additional capacity to select nonprofit organizations providing vital food, rent, and utility assistance. It also invites all of those affected to visit its regional network of Financial Empowerment Centers for individual financial counseling and guidance.

​The Resilience Fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation will support nonprofits providing emergency cash and food relief to local workers, contractors and small business owners impacted by the shutdown.

Local food banks can be located by accessing the organization’s food bank network on the Capital Area Food Bank site. Use your zip code to find your local food bank for access to food resources.

The 2-1-1 human services call center and website has shutdown resources available.

COG Board Shutdown Letter & Analyses

View the letter from the COG Board calling for an end to the federal government shutdown.

View the presentation about the impact of the shutdown on federal workers, including those who are most vulnerable based on income level.

View the TPB analysis of roadway congestion during the shutdown.

• There are 361,000 federal workers in the region. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• A partial shutdown affects 40 percent of these workers, approximately 145,000 people. (Stephen S. Fuller, PhD)
• There are more than 400,000 federally contracted employees in the region. (Stephen S. Fuller, PhD)

Federal Workers Place of Residence (COG analysis of 2013-2017 American Community Survey Data) 

(COG analysis of 2013-2017 American Community Survey Data) 

(COG analysis of 2013-2017 American Community Survey Data)