Executive Office of the Mayor/Khalid Naji-Allah via AP
Standing in a hotel suite overlooking the $480 million Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke candidly about the challenges and milestones of her decade in office. Though she resists the idea that she’s focused on her legacy, the choice of interview location—a literal and symbolic connection between long-divided neighborhoods—suggests otherwise.
Now in her third term, Bowser faces a dramatically shifting economic landscape, brought on in part by federal job cuts under President Trump. Her proposed 2026 budget aims to stimulate growth by attracting businesses with tax incentives, while making difficult cuts to safety-net programs…