The Politics Hour: Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and D.C.’s Congress woes
Fri Feb 06 2026
Last month's winter storm continues to pose challenges for counties and cities across the region. In Prince George's County, some side streets are still snow- and ice-covered, and schools only reopened on Wednesday of this week. Prince George's County Executive Aisha Braveboy joined Kojo and Tom to explain why the county is struggling with cleanup. Plus, we asked County Executive Braveboy why she supports some Maryland lawmakers' efforts to redraw Congressional maps.
The bill allows Democrats to re-work the congressional map in their favor, with the goal of ousting the state’s lone Republican representative. \But the legislation is expected to stall in the state Senate, where Democratic leadership says it’s political and legally risky. County Executive Aisha Braveboy said she supports redistricting because of the outsized effect it could have on her county.
“Politics, unfortunately, and especially at the federal level, really impacts Maryland disproportionately," she said. "We have about 65,000 federal workers in Prince George’s County. About 5,000 of them have lost their jobs over the past few months."
She said the bill should receive an up-or-down vote since state delegates and Governor Wes Moore favor the new maps.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to block D.C.'s tax plan, which, if approved by the Senate, would cost D.C. $600 million in revenue. Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen got behind the mic to explain why this would be a significant blow to the District's budget.
If the District is forced to mirror federal tax cuts at the local level, it could cost the city $600 million in revenue. Beyond blowing a hole in the city’s budget, it also could lead to a massive administrative headache. Federal taxes would still be due in the spring, but the local filing deadline would be pushed to account for the change.
“Every single person, every business, and every resident in the district will now have their entire tax filing upended by six or eight months," said Allen. "You're gonna be filing your taxes for D.C. in the fall. It's a mess."
A vote in the Senate on the measure is expected in the coming weeks.
Plus, we discussed the significant layoffs at the Washington Post this week.
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Last month's winter storm continues to pose challenges for counties and cities across the region. In Prince George's County, some side streets are still snow- and ice-covered, and schools only reopened on Wednesday of this week. Prince George's County Executive Aisha Braveboy joined Kojo and Tom to explain why the county is struggling with cleanup. Plus, we asked County Executive Braveboy why she supports some Maryland lawmakers' efforts to redraw Congressional maps. The bill allows Democrats to re-work the congressional map in their favor, with the goal of ousting the state’s lone Republican representative. \But the legislation is expected to stall in the state Senate, where Democratic leadership says it’s political and legally risky. County Executive Aisha Braveboy said she supports redistricting because of the outsized effect it could have on her county. “Politics, unfortunately, and especially at the federal level, really impacts Maryland disproportionately," she said. "We have about 65,000 federal workers in Prince George’s County. About 5,000 of them have lost their jobs over the past few months." She said the bill should receive an up-or-down vote since state delegates and Governor Wes Moore favor the new maps. The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to block D.C.'s tax plan, which, if approved by the Senate, would cost D.C. $600 million in revenue. Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen got behind the mic to explain why this would be a significant blow to the District's budget. If the District is forced to mirror federal tax cuts at the local level, it could cost the city $600 million in revenue. Beyond blowing a hole in the city’s budget, it also could lead to a massive administrative headache. Federal taxes would still be due in the spring, but the local filing deadline would be pushed to account for the change. “Every single person, every business, and every resident in the district will now have their entire tax filing upended by six or eight months," said Allen. "You're gonna be filing your taxes for D.C. in the fall. It's a mess." A vote in the Senate on the measure is expected in the coming weeks. Plus, we discussed the significant layoffs at the Washington Post this week. Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.org Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885 Follow us on Bluesky: bsky.app/wamu.org