Concerns about a second Trump administration are understandable for many Washington residents. With Vice President Kamala Harris securing 93 percent of the vote in the capital and Republicans in Congress showing a willingness to interfere in D.C.’s affairs, anxiety is prevalent.
However, the willingness of Mayor Muriel Bowser to cooperate with the upcoming administration demonstrates that the relationship between federal and local governments can be constructive.
Having started my 15-year career in the D.C. government during Adrian Fenty’s tenure, I witnessed firsthand the benefits that arise when these two levels of government collaborate effectively. For nearly a decade, I led the Connect.DC program, which was initiated with federal grant funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Mayor Bowser’s cooperation shows promise for local-federal collaboration
This initiative utilized both federal and local funding to provide technology training and information on affordable internet access to low-income adults, ex-offenders, senior citizens, and K-12 students. Additionally, the program transformed a bookmobile into a techmobile to offer digital access to residents living in public housing.
There is ample reason to believe that intergovernmental partnerships can be successful today, particularly in addressing the needs of working-class D.C. residents who tend to vote Democratic but do not adhere to strict partisan ideologies.
Education represents one promising area for bipartisan agreement. While the District boasts a strong network of public charter schools, the DC Opportunity Scholarship—the only federally funded voucher program—has faced criticism from the last two Democratic administrations.
President Trump supported the program and reinstated its funding during his first term. Renewing this support would likely provide relief to low-income families who view vouchers as a political issue exploited by politicians who advocate for anti-choice policies while sending their children to elite private schools.
Another potential area for cooperation lies in public safety. In my final year with the D.C. government, I worked in the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and witnessed how violent crime impacted every neighborhood in the city. Although violent crime has decreased in 2024, just a year ago, a sitting council member called for the National Guard to address the violence affecting his constituents.
The Biden administration established its own gun violence prevention office in 2023, but it remains uncertain whether the incoming Trump administration will maintain it. What is evident is that the mayor, city council, and residents do not align with the “defund the police” rhetoric that often overlooks the challenges faced by law-abiding citizens despite racial disparities in the justice system.
This presents an opportunity for conservatives and progressives to collaborate on strategies to reduce violent crime in the District. Finally, the incoming Republican majority and the D.C. government should work together to support family unity.
Progressive policymakers frequently emphasize “root causes” like systemic racism, mass incarceration, and gentrification to explain ongoing disparities among different groups. Yet, they often overlook the role of family structure in these discussions.
Family structure is clearly linked to disparities in the District. For instance, approximately 80 percent of babies born in Ward 8 are to unmarried mothers, while 90 percent of infants in Ward 3 go home to married parents.
New programs aimed at improving student achievement and preventing violence will yield limited long-term results unless elected officials recognize that the outcomes measured in schools and courts are influenced by the conditions families create at home.
With the federal government allocating grants for family strengthening initiatives, now is an opportune time to adopt innovative approaches. One idea is to implement a marriage “bootcamp” for cohabiting couples with children, led by a local church or nonprofit organization. This program could cover essential topics such as financial management, fidelity, and conflict resolution.
Bipartisan collaboration won’t automatically materialize under a second Trump administration
The program could culminate in a collective wedding ceremony for couples who complete the training. Participants could also be paired with older mentor couples. A remarkable innovation would involve offering financial incentives for couples to marry and stay together.
For example, couples completing the program could receive either a $10,000 gift on their wedding day or a $20,000 loan, which would be fully forgiven after ten years. The city has already shown its commitment to supporting families, as evidenced by a pilot program offering low-income mothers $10,800 over the course of one year, either as a lump sum or monthly payments.
While family policies aimed at supplementing household income are well-intentioned, they lack a long-term vision without focusing specifically on marriage and family structure. If Republicans propose reasonable reforms like those mentioned above, Democrats should be open to negotiations.
The nation’s capital has the potential to serve as a model for how Democrats, who govern major cities, and Republicans, who increasingly represent the working class, can collaborate for the benefit of their constituents.
It’s important for readers to recognize that this bipartisan collaboration won’t automatically materialize under a second Trump administration, but both policymakers and D.C. residents should approach the upcoming four years with a mindset geared towards cooperation rather than conflict.
