The Politics Hour: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson

The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is warning residents that a realignment of the federal workforce and cuts to federal agency could have dire consequences for the county. He joined the show to talk about what a second Trump presidency could mean for the county.

Plus, Elrich spoke about how he is preparing if Trump follows through on his promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. He said while the county can’t stop the federal government from acting, they won’t assist.

“We can’t be deputized and it’s not our job to cooperate with immigration, so if they want to do raids, they are going to do raids. But they can’t compel the county government to provide police support," Elrich said.

He also talked about what he hopes to accomplish in his final two years as county executive and what his political future might be.

Justin Wilson's time as mayor of Alexandria ends next month, after nearly two decades serving on the council, as vice mayor, and mayor. Kojo and Tom talked with him about bringing Amazon HQ2 to the region, the collapse of the arena deal, and what the future will look like for the city of Alexandria.

He also spoke about the city's efforts to increase housing supply, including by eliminating single-family-only zoning. Wilson said proposed legislation from Virginia lawmakers that would prohibit large investment firms from purchasing single-family homes is only "small ball." What the region really needs are more houses.

"When you reallocate the same limited supply, that doesn’t lower prices for folks. It doesn’t make housing more accessible. You have to create additional supply," Wilson said.

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