Arlington County will receive federal aid to ease the massive loss of military jobs expected over the coming years, Rep. Jim Moran announced Wednesday.
The county is slated to lose 21,000 defense employees under the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directives, which call for massive personnel shuffling at military facilities throughout the country.
In a press release, Moran said the county will receive $876,084 in economic assistance from the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment.
Arlington County was hit hard by the decision last year, and is bracing for the expected job loss and resulting economic impact.
The funding, which will go to transportation and planning studies in Crystal City, is the first installment of the significant financial support the county will need, according to the congressman.
“I trust that it’s only a downpayment on much more assistance,” Moran told The Examiner on Wednesday. A corresponding military job gain in Fairfax County is expected to swamp the local road system.
Northern Virginia officials are now lobbying to push back the 2011 BRAC deadline in order to adequately prepare the county’s transportation network.
