DC mayor urges Congress to pass Local Funds Act to prevent $1B budget cut
DC budget in limbo: Mayor, city council await Congress' decision
D.C.'s mayor and city council are on pins and needles, waiting to see what Congress will do about the District's current budget. It's in limbo at the moment. FOX 5's Bob Barnard reports from Northwest with the latest in this ongoing saga.
WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and local leaders are urging Congress to act quickly to prevent drastic budget cuts that could cripple the city’s services.
Bowser pushes for DC Local Funds Act to protect city services
What they're saying:
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Bowser warned that unless Congress passes the District of Columbia Local Funds Act, the city could face a $1 billion reduction in local funding.
The Act, recently passed by the Senate, would allow the city to continue operating under its approved Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget. Without it, Bowser said the city’s government would revert to its Fiscal Year 2024 budget, causing significant cuts to essential services such as police, education, and emergency medical care.
"The cuts could mean fewer police officers on the streets, teacher layoffs, and delays in critical infrastructure projects like road and school modernization," Bowser said. "This is about ensuring our essential services aren’t haphazardly cut in the middle of the fiscal year."
Bowser was joined by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee, City Administrator Kevin Donahue, and others at the press conference. Mendelson emphasized that these cuts would not benefit the federal government and would have devastating consequences for the city.
"These are local dollars. Cutting them would harm our operations," he said.
The Senate bill has gained support from key figures, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and other congressional leaders. However, it remains stalled in the House of Representatives, which is on recess until March 24.
Bill to prevent $1B cut to DC budget sent to House
The U.S. House of Representatives are considering a bill to restore over $1 billion of the city's budget that was cut in the spending bill Congress approved Friday to avert a government shutdown.
Bowser remains hopeful that Congress will act. "We’re going to keep working with Congress until this bill passes," she said. "Cutting in the middle of the year would be reckless."
The city’s budget troubles began when a six-month continuing resolution passed by Congress in February failed to include the language allowing D.C. to operate under its approved FY25 budget. As a result, the city faces the possibility of deep cuts to services midway through the fiscal year.
Bowser and Mendelson both emphasized that these cuts would not save federal dollars but would cause significant disruption to the city’s services.
"We are proceeding just as we did last week, but we are committed to working with Congress to ensure this bill’s passage," Bowser said.
With the House on recess and no immediate resolution in sight, D.C. leaders are calling on Congress to prioritize passing the Local Funds Act to avoid a fiscal crisis.
Watch the full press conference below:
FULL PRESSER: DC Mayor Bowser discusses DC budget
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and local leaders answered questions Monday about D.C.'s budget following the passing of a CR by Congress that strips the District's budget of $1 billion.
The Source: Executive Office of the Mayor, FOX 5 DC