Like everyone else, Fairfax County leaders remain in wait-and-see mode to determine the short-term and potential long-term implications of the federal government’s ongoing shutdown.
“It really depends on the length,” said Jennifer Imo, managing partner of client services for Ferguson Group, a lobbying organization hired by Fairfax County to represent its interests on Capitol Hill.
At a legislative committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday), Imo told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors that the shutdown will definitely have “impacts to some federal programs,” but the repercussions could vary widely, as some parts of the government are up and running and others are shut down.
“It depends on the agency or program,” Imo said during the briefing.
Imo’s view was echoed by Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez, who took over as committee chair from James Walkinshaw after the former Braddock District supervisor was elected to Congress.
The funding situation “seems like it’s case-by-case,” said Jimenez.
Board Chairman Jeff McKay said even seasoned professionals would have a hard time determining how the shutdown will play out.
“There’s much more that we don’t know than we do know,” McKay said, describing the situation as “chaos.”
The discussion came as Fairfax officials began discussing the county’s 2026 federal legislative package, which will guide the county’s advocacy efforts with Congress and the Trump administration in the new year.
Acknowledging the current “climate of uncertainty” surrounding the federal budget, the 17-page initial package stresses that a “strong partnership with the federal government” is critical to the county’s economy and infrastructure as well as public services that many residents rely on for food, health care and other needs.
“With a vibrant, diverse population and economy, Fairfax County is truly the federal government’s partner, fundamentally important to the functioning of the federal government. Enhancing this critical partnership in a variety of areas is a top County priority,” the document says.
The agenda notes that the partnership is symbiotic, with the federal government awarding $41.3 billion in contracts — approximately 6% of its contracts overall and 38% of ones awarded in Virginia — to private companies in Fairfax County.
Among other concerns, the package says that the county would oppose any changes to federal programs that shift costs to states or local governments, eliminate jobs and federal properties in the D.C. region, or otherwise lead to “significant reductions in federal support for critical services and programs.”
The final draft will be made public on Tuesday, Nov. 13, with public hearings set for Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 before expected adoption on Dec. 9.
“We will be working on the federal program” over coming months, said Jennifer Van Ee, the county government’s legislative director, describing the document unveiled Oct. 7 is, in essence, a draft of a draft.
Anticipating a large number of incoming queries from individual supervisors, Van Ee said her staff would process them as quickly as they could.
“We’ll work to get you answers,” said Van Ee, who was appointed to the post earlier this year following the death of Claudia Arko.
One potential bright spot relayed to supervisors on the federal front related to affordable housing funding. Congressional action has resulted in “significant changes — for the better,” Imo said.
She anticipated those improvements, which often have bipartisan support, would survive the Trump administration’s efforts to gut housing funding.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said he was optimistic, but cautious.
“Hopefully the administration will follow the law and spend what’s actually been appropriated,” Alcorn said.
The federal package is working its way through the review process in tandem with the county government’s priorities for the state legislature, which will convene for its 2026 session in January.
In each case, “we definitely want to make sure this is an open communication,” Jimenez told his colleagues.
“We’re not always going to agree,” but “we want to work together,” he said.
