D.C.’s mayor signed an order imposing immediate freezes on spending and hiring and putting restrictions on overtime as the District faces hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts this fiscal year per the federal spending bill Congress passed last month.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s order is the first step in cutting more than $400 million from the D.C. budget between now and September. On Monday, Bowser said she could no longer wait for U.S. House Republicans to fix the budget problem they created when Congress passed the continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded.
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WATCH HEREBowser notified her agencies Tuesday to start making cuts and stop spending money they don't need to spend.
The mayor’s order also instructs the city administrator to begin planning for furloughs of D.C. government workers and closures of some D.C. government facilities. Facility closures likely would be partial — one day a week, for instance.
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SIGN UP D.C. Public Schools, homeless shelters and emergency psychiatric centers are exempt from the facility closures.
Agencies including police, fire and the District’s 911 call center could face staffing cuts and facility closures.
Furloughs, facility closures and overtime restrictions would not take effect until after April 27, but the spending and hiring freezes are immediate.
Agencies will be allowed to request waivers from any of the cuts and restrictions. Bowser administration officials told reporters they expect waiver requests from just about every agency.
D.C. police, fire and EMS, and the 911 call center rely heavily on overtime. Any reduction would have a direct impact on public safety.
While just about every D.C. government agency will feel the brunt of the mayor’s order, there are some exemptions. Building projects like the $500 million plan to remodel Capital One Arena are exempt, as is the D.C. Council.
The mayor’s office could not provide an estimate on how much the moves will save.
The mayor will present a supplemental budget proposal to the D.C. Council for approval in the coming weeks. It’s likely to detail the biggest cuts to services as well as furloughs will be detailed in that process.
