He borrowed from his TSP account? (for those that have never worked for the federal government that is the retirement savings account you can contribute into and the feds match up to 5%). Gee, he must really be as poor as a church mouse, borrowing from your TSP really is a last resort type thing. I can officially say I'm wealthier than a Supreme Court Justice nominee, and I'm not wealthy....
Believe me..., if you move to the DC area from most anywhere in the USA you are in for a shock (Like San Francisco or New York).
I moved and the selling price of my Alabama home WAS THE DOWN PAYMENT FOR MY VIRGINIA SUBURBS HOME! Loans against retirement savings were my only life preserver!