House to vote on bill to prevent DC budget cuts

WASHINGTON - Over a week has passed since lawmakers on Capitol Hill approved a bill to avert a government shutdown, but Washington, D.C.'s budget remains in jeopardy. Without intervention from the House, the city faces a potential $1 billion shortfall.

Senate passes bill to protect local revenues

By the numbers:

The Senate has already passed a standalone bill, on March 15, allowing D.C. to spend its local tax revenues and exempting the city from federal government shutdown battles for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. However, the House has yet to address the issue, with no related legislation currently on its agenda.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine described the original bill's language, which treated D.C. as a federal agency, as a mistake. She noted that former President Donald Trump supported the correction, though neither Trump nor House Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly commented on the matter.

House action awaited as cuts loom

What they're saying:

George Washington University Law Professor Peter Loge, a Capitol Hill veteran, highlighted the political complexities for Speaker Johnson but suggested there is hope. "The other thing that works in the favor of the bill passing the House is that a lot of the people who work in the House and Senate live here in Washington, D.C.," Loge said. "They have families here who go to the public schools, they ride the metro, they rely on our law enforcement and fire officials."

Loge added that the bill could still be added to the House agenda this week or attached to another piece of legislation. Meanwhile, D.C. officials have not released a contingency plan for the potential budget cuts, which Council members warn would result in catastrophic reductions to public safety and city services.