Grow America, Not NoVA

It’s time everyone else boomed

Submitted by Dixiecrat

As a resident of NoVA, I’ve watched our nation’s economy ebb and flow with government policies that too often bloat the Beltway and feed crumbs elsewhere. We have enjoyed growth no matter what happened to the rest of America. The idea of reorienting our economy toward the private sector, with less reliance on government spending, isn’t just a policy preference, it’s a necessity for securing America’s future. Even just the private-public partnerships here in Virginia showed many federal workers the benefits of private enterprise firsthand. By cutting wasteful government spending, streamlining regulations, and taking the woke boot off of businesses, we can rebuild supply chains, boost domestic manufacturing, and ensure economic resilience. This shift, explicitly promoted by Secretary Bessent and President Trump, is a positive step toward a stronger, self-reliant America.

The federal government has grown into a roided out behemoth, siphoning resources that could be better used by businesses not bureaucrats. In 2023, federal spending hit $6.1 trillion, nearly 24% of GDP, much of it funneled into redundant programs or bloated nonprofit budgets. As a taxpayer, I’d rather see my money stay in my community, invested in businesses, not in bureaucracies. I see the effects of well paid bureaucrats. A lot of consumption and bigger homes. That government money really goes into building more McMansions and high priced condos in NoVA.

Nowhere is the effect of government largesse clearer than in Northern Virginia’s real estate market since 2000. After Clinton's slimming down of the government, it was off to the races as Dubya fed the GWOT machine and surveillance state build out. The tech boom continued under Obama, helped by private companies like Amazon and Microsoft to service large contracts, transformed places like Arlington and Loudoun County into economic powerhouses. It changed the voter demographics in Virginia and not just on a racial line via immigration. Between 2000 and 2020, median home prices in Fairfax County soared from $225,000 to over $600,000, driven by government expansion, demand from high-paying tech jobs and defense contractors. This wasn’t just government handouts. It was private investment, data centers, and private company's profit centers. It does help to show the federal government that you are juicing the local economy before they determine who gets what contract. After decades of increases, Trump’s recent cuts to federal spending have softened the market a bit, with home sales in NoVA dipping 5% recently as some government contractors scale back. Those ngo checks stopped, and suddenly people need to sell. We have all seen the increased listings, and we have all noted the days on market tickers rising. This is a correction, not a collapse, and is welcome with how ridiculous places like Alexandria have become. Old Alexandria is beautiful and charming, but the rest is a UN dumping ground.

This isn't just about the Beltway, but is about shaping up America for the rest of the century. A private-led economy means reindustrializing America, which is critical for securing supply chains. For too long, we’ve relied on foreign nations (China, China, China) for everything from semiconductors to pharmaceuticals. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed this vulnerability when shortages of masks, ventilators, and chips crippled us. We should have reoriented starting then, and some manufacturers did, but we need the big greenlight to go full force. In 2021, 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredients came from overseas, with a significant share of antibiotics and insulin from China alone. That’s not just a trade issue; it’s a national security risk. They can cut us off during any Taiwan episode. By incentivizing private companies to bring manufacturing home, we can rebuild our industrial base. Trump’s tax cuts and deregulation, from the first term, already spurred $400 billion in repatriated profits by 2020. Private investment, and a broad government framework that incents firms to do this, will make this happen even more.

When supply chains are domestic, we’re insulated from global disruptions, whether it’s a trade war or a geopolitical crisis. Liberals argue that slashing government spending risks gutting essential services, but that’s a false choice. It is also a joke when we can see the actual government spending that is being identified and cut. A leaner government doesn’t mean no government. It is a careful edit of where we spend and allocate those dollars. It means focusing on core priorities like defense, infrastructure, and public safety while letting the private sector handle the rest. It's been nearly twenty years, but when are we getting a true infrastructure push that three presidents have all suggested? I'll gladly support some new bridges and updated ports. Compare that to the federal boondoggle that was the multimillion dollar Gaza pier in 2024, which collapsed after a few weeks.

This reorientation also fosters innovation, which is vital for staying ahead of China. Private companies, not government agencies, drive technological breakthroughs. Look at SpaceX, which slashed launch costs by 30% compared to NASA’s old programs. AI is the future, but it needs the government's help, not in funding but in creating energy infrastructure to handle the increased electricity needs. Give Nixon's 1000 reactors idea a proper start and get moving now. Nothing is going to generate reliable baseline power like nuclear. This means deregulating and actually approving nuclear power plant projects. Only the feds can do that.

For supply chain security, a private-led economy is non-negotiable. Relying on adversaries for critical goods is reckless. We do need Trump's team to deregulate and open up opportunities federal agencies have stifled for decades. Rare earth minerals is one such issue. China controls the lion share of active rare earth mineral mines, essential for everything from EVs to missiles. By incentivizing private mining and processing and sidelining the environmental idiots, we can break this dependence. These are jobs where the natural resources are, not in the Virginia suburbs. This builds not just economic strength but national sovereignty.

As a Virginian, I see this reorientation as a severely needed pivot. The private sector built America’s railroads, steel mills, and tech giants. We used to build skyscrapers in every city. We can rebuild our industrial might and secure our future. Trump’s vision of less regulation and Buy American resonates for a reason. Yes, there’ll be growing pains, like my neighbors noticing that their home equity is not doubling every five years. Maybe commuters will have to settle for sedans instead of black Tahoes and Suburbans. But the private sector adapts, innovates, and thrives; government spending just creates corrupt pigs at the trough. NoVa and it's Maryland cousin Prince George's County can take a break from the federal gifts and let the rest of America boom.