On April 24, 2026, Daniel Burge, Director of the Alice M. Rivlin Initiative for Economic Policy and Competitiveness, testified before the DC Council Committee on Human Services at the Budget Oversight Hearing for the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). Pulling from Business Sentiments Survey results, his testimony focused on interventions to reverse negative job market and business trends in the District.
Read the full testimony below or download a PDF copy.
Good morning, Chairperson Frumin and members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Daniel Burge. I am the Director of the Alice M. Rivlin Initiative for Economic Policy & Competitiveness at the D.C. Policy Center, an independent, nonpartisan think tank advancing policies for a strong, vibrant, and compelling District of Columbia.
Today, my testimony will focus on what the D.C. Policy Center’s Quarterly Business Sentiments survey suggests about local business conditions. I will also make brief remarks about the proposed budget as it relates to DMPED.
Let me start by giving some brief background on the survey. The survey is regional in scope but includes a strong share of D.C. businesses. Many businesses that fill out our survey have been in operation for over a decade and have 20 or fewer employees. Given that the survey draws from a select group of businesses, the findings are best viewed as a directional signal that complements public data rather than as fully representative.[1] Put differently, the survey is most useful when it aligns with public data, and when it does not, it points to trends to monitor over time for convergence with public data.
Two findings stand out from the survey round we completed in mid-January 2026. The round captured 226 responses:
Against this backdrop, I want to highlight two aspects of the 2027 Proposed Budget as it relates to DMPED.
Thank you. I welcome any questions.
[1] Daniel Burge, “Five insights from the second year of the D.C. Policy Center’s Quarterly Business Sentiments Survey,” D.C. Policy Center, March 25, 2026.
[2] Daniel Burge, “Business Sentiments Survey 2026 Quarter 1 results,” D.C. Policy Center, April 10, 2026. 13 percent reported an increase in demand for core products or services. 6 percent reported a decrease in input prices.
[3] Daniel Burge, “Business Sentiments Survey 2026 Quarter 1 results,” D.C. Policy Center, April 10, 2026.
[4] Daniel Burge, “Business Sentiments Survey 2025 Quarter 1 results,” D.C. Policy Center, February 25, 2025; Daniel Burge, “Business Sentiments Survey 2025 Quarter 2 results,” D.C. Policy Center, June 12, 2025; Daniel Burge, “Business Sentiments Survey 2025 Quarter 3 results,” D.C. Policy Center, October 8, 2025; Daniel Burge, “Business Sentiments Survey 2025 Quarter 4 results,” D.C. Policy Center, January, 9, 2025.
[5] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in District of Columbia [DCNA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DCNA, April 21, 2026.
[6] For a discussion of First Source requirements and the construction sector, see Emilia Calma “Alternative Workforce Plans can help grow local talent, especially in construction where workers are lacking,” D.C. Policy Center, November 9, 2023. Calma found that “[c]ontractors, especially those who receive government support for construction projects, are often not able to meet First Source requirements. This is because there are too few construction workers in D.C. and no way to systematically incentivize companies to invest in programs that can attract D.C. residents into the construction industry.”
Daniel Burge is the Director of the Alice M. Rivlin Initiative for Economic Policy & Competitiveness. Before joining the team at the D.C. Policy Center in late October of 2023, Daniel worked at the Center for Washington Area Studies at George Washington University. He performed data analysis for a report on mortgage market trends in the Capital Region and co-authored a policy brief on property tax lien sales. Daniel has published work in The Washington Post and Greater Greater Washington. He received his BA from the University of Puget Sound, his PhD in American history from Boston University, and his MPP (Master of Public Policy) from George Washington University.
You can reach Daniel at daniel@dcpolicycenter.org.
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Reversing negative hiring trends and promoting business growth in D.C. – D.C. Policy Center
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