President Donald Trump’s federal job cuts have coincided with a surge in unemployment claims in Washington, D.C. Nearly 4,000 claims have been filed since January, pushing total filings up 55 over six weeks. Washington, D.C., had an unemployment rate of over 5 in December 2024, one of the highest in the U.S. The national jobless rate was above 4 in December before dipping to 4 in January.