Dear neighbors,
Dear neighbors,
Over the weekend, Congressional Republicans introduced a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend federal government funding through September and avoid a potential government shutdown. However, this CR excludes language that has been included for more than twenty years—language that allows DC to operate under its current, locally-funded budget. Removing this provision undoes the District’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget and forces us to revert to FY 2024 levels. This creates an unprecedented crisis for DC, disrupting essential services that Congress had already approved and that the District has already been paying for since October 1.
This would force DC to cut $1 billion in essential services in the remaining six months of the current fiscal year—from police officers, to teachers, to firefighters, and more—all without saving the federal government a single dime. Again, this is our locally funded budget, the budget made possible by the taxpaying dollars of the District’s more than 700,000 residents. Nearly $240 million would be cut from law enforcement and emergency response, including $67 million from MPD resulting in fewer officers, slower response times, and reduced public safety measures. Another $400 million would be cut from public and charter schools, directly impacting classrooms, school safety, and student resources.
No other city or state is being asked to go through such a reckless, retroactive cut to spending. Again, DC has been legally spending it’s Fiscal Year 2025 funds at congressionally approved levels since October 1, 2024. This proposal would force a full year’s worth of cuts in just six months’ time.
What are DC leaders doing about it?
Yesterday, my Council colleagues and I joined Mayor Bowser and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Hill for a press conference and to make the case directly to Congressional Republicans that this unprecedented change simply does not make sense, or cents. It harms the District’s ability to be safe, beautiful, and thriving through some of our most essential services, and it doesn’t save the federal government any money.
Congresswoman Norton introduced a common-sense amendment for consideration by the Rules Committee that would have restored bipartisan precedent and avoided this fiscal crisis for the District. Unfortunately, the committee did not adopt the amendment, and the CR moves to the House today for a vote as-is. If it passes the House, as many suspect it will, the bill then moves to the Senate for a vote before the end of the week to avoid a government shutdown by the March 14 deadline.
How you can help:
We can’t let this affront to DC’s fiscal autonomy go forward. We need DC residents to contact senators ahead of any vote in the Senate on this Continuing Resolution to avoid drastic cuts to our city’s frontline services.
Please contact U.S. Republican Senate leadership:
- John Thune (SD), Majority Leader – 202-224-2321
- Susan Collins (ME), Chair, Appropriations Committee – 202-224-2523
- John Barrasso (WY), Majority Whip – 202-224-6441
We also ask you to contact these Senators from the DMV region:
- Chris Van Hollen (MD), Appropriations Committee – 202-224-4654
- Angela Alsobrooks (MD) – 202-224-4524
- Mark Warner (VA) – 202-224-2023
- Tim Kaine (VA) – 202-224-4024
You can find a full list of Senators to contact here.
Here is a script you can use:
“Hello! My name is __________ and I am a resident of the District of Columbia. I am asking you to support an amendment that would protect DC’s locally funded budget in the GOP’s Continuing Resolution. For the first time in more than twenty years, the current version of the CR treats the District of Columbia like a federal agency—we are not a federal agency. We operate, and have for more than twenty years, like a state. Allowing the CR to move forward as-is would force DC to make $1 billion in cuts to public safety, schools, and other frontline workers halfway through our fiscal year. DC’s budget is balanced and was already approved by Congress last year. Furthermore, making this unprecedented change doesn’t save the federal government a single dime, and makes our city less safe. Please do not approve the CR in its current form, and instead push for an amendment that would restore bipartisan, common-sense language protecting DC’s budget funded by my tax dollars. Thank you.”
Let us know how it goes. You can reply to this email sharing what you heard from Senate leaders, if you got their voicemail boxes, etc. You can also reply to this email with questions or other thoughts.
Now is the time to stop this congressional interference that harms the District with no justification or even measurable benefit to the federal government. We stand as 700,000, and we say together, “Hands off DC.”
In service and community,
