That said, the US government and contractors thereof desperately need programmers and programmers who can do other stuff (e.g., manage a contract, project management, etc.). I would try to meet some people who do this type of work and have a coffee with them. Many of these folks live in the D.C. area.

It's not sexy at all, and you won't get rich via a startup, but there are very solid middle class jobs in that category.