D.C. could be forced to cut more than $1 billion from the current fiscal year budget as the U.S. House of Representatives hasn’t brought up the U.S. Senate legislation reversing a requirement in the government funding bill targeting District spending.
The Senate passed the legislation immediately after approving the continuing resolution last month — and President Donald Trump has urged House Republicans to do the same — but so far, House Speaker Mike Johnson has been silent on the D.C. budget fix and has not scheduled a vote.
If the legislation doesn’t pass, D.C. would have to cut $1.1 billion from its current budget by September.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that would require devastating cuts to programs and services as well as possible layoffs, but she has stopped short of providing specifics on cuts.
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“We will work with the members of the council to make the best decisions for Washington, D.C.,” she said last month.
“We start with we have to go where the money is in our budget to cut that fast, and our top areas of spending — our schools, public safety and the human services,” Bowser said.
Bowser and the D.C. Council have put off making any cuts so far, hoping the House would pass the Senate’s fix, but with the House set to recess for two weeks, waiting won’t be an option for much longer.
“We are talking about serious and significant cuts to city operations, public safety, public education, our own transit system,” Councilmember Charles Allen said. “So, it's deeply devastating, and the clock is ticking. The city will have to start moving forward with planning out what those cuts look like that the House is making.”
Bowser declined to comment Wednesday, but multiple sources told News4 she and Johnson talked by phone this week to discuss D.C. funding as the House determines a path forward.
A spokesperson for Johnson said the speaker has been laser focused on congressional Republicans’ big budget resolution but did not rule out some type of action when the House returns in two weeks.
