Mayor Says Bill Means $1B In Budget Cuts
The Associated Press reports that President Trump has asked the House of Representatives to take up the DC funding ‘fix’ that the Senate passed “and get it done IMMEDIATELY.”
The Senate bill would restore a $1.1 billion cut to the district’s budget.
House Republican leadership has been noncommittal, and Speaker Mike Johnson told AP it was too early to confirm when the House would vote on the budget fix.
“We’re working through that,” he said.
The House adjourns for its spring recess on April 11th. Will they defy Trump’s order?
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) told “The Hill” on Thursday:
“We’ve urged the leadership to delay it until we get the budget resolution fixed, and then we should put requirements on that for the District of Columbia.”
The budget funds were raised by DC, voted upon, and authorized by Congress last year. No federal funds are involved.
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Mayor Bowser has delayed release of her budget until the issue can be resolved.
Although Congress approved DC’s 2025 budget, the Continuing Resolution (6 month funding bill) passed by the Republican House calls for the city to revert to its 2024 budget of $19.8B.
The CR bill eliminated language included in prior continuing resolutions allowing the District of Columbia to generate and spend local funds according to its most recent budget while the federal government temporarily operates under the previous year’s budget.
Striking this language would likely mean a $1 billion budget cut for the DC government.
The city raises the majority of its revenue through District taxes and fees, so the Republican House is dictating budgeting and spending of local taxpayer funds, not federal government subsidies.
“These are not savings for the federal government,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a rally to protest the bill. “This is simply damage to the District.”
Ten DC agencies that make up 70% of the local funds budget would likely face the biggest cuts:
- DC Public Schools
- DC Public Charter Schools
- Metropolitan Police Department
- Fire and Emergency Medical Services
- Debt service
- Department of Health Care Finance
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
- Department of Human Services
- Department of General Services
- Department of Behavioral Health
- Capital projects: -$600M for roads, bridges, sidewalks, alleys, road safety, WMATA and improvements to Capial One Arena and schools
- Downgrade the city’s bond rating, making borrowing more expensive
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) announced on the floor that Democratic senators would not vote to advance the House bill, which raises defense spending and cuts non-defense programs, and called for the Senate to instead pass a 30-day “clean” government funding stopgap.
The Senate is expected to vote on final passage of the bill Friday.
AUTHOR
Skilled Realtor® Susan Isaacs is a 20+ year residential real estate and new construction veteran with expertise in buyer and seller representation, investor representation, new homes, relocation and exchanges.
Licensed in the District of Columbia and Virginia since 2008.
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