Today, the United States Senate unanimously approved standalone legislation that would prevent the District of Columbia from having to cut more than $1 billion in spending during the current FY25 budget year. Make no mistake: until this bill is enacted, the District will face devastating and unnecessary cuts to funding for our schools, public safety agencies, contributions to WMATA, and other direct services to residents. I join Mayor Bowser and my Council colleagues in calling on the House to expeditiously pass this legislation and the President to sign it.
I want to thank Senate leadership, Senator Collins, Senator Alsobrooks, and the Maryland and Virginia delegations for identifying a path forward for the District. While we are not out of the woods yet, the progress we secured today would not have happened without the advocacy of thousands of parents, teachers, children, union employees, and other District residents who mobilized at a moment’s notice to share the impact of Congress’s actions on them. Residents in the District and across the country rightly expect principled leadership in the face of unprecedented threats to democracy and our way of life. I will do everything in my power to fight attacks on Home Rule and one day secure statehood for the people of the District.
