WASHINGTON — The Senate swiftly approved legislation late Friday that would allow the District of Columbia to keep its budget intact, rather than roll back to 2024, fixing a provision that had drawn protests from the mayor and residents warning it would require $1 billion in cuts to services.
The bill passed unanimously, without dissent, and now heads to the House. Lawmakers there are on recess, but expected to consider it when they return in late March.
“The issue here is just allowing the D.C. government to proceed to spend its own tax revenues,” said Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, the chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, during a brief floor debate.
Collins said the legislation would correct the situation that arose from the broader package to prevent a government shutdown, and assured, “There are no federal dollars involved.”
After Friday’s vote, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a statement saying: “Senate approval today is a major first step as we continue working with the House of Representatives on final passage to ensure critical services provided in the Nation’s Capital, including our police officers, firefighters, teachers, medical services and hospital network, aren’t haphazardly cut in the middle of the fiscal year. DC is proud of our strong financial management, balanced budgets, and strong bond ratings.”
The sudden focus on the District of Columbia startled its leaders and residents, who rushed to Capitol Hill this week to protest the way Congress was interfering with its governance. Residents have been flooding senators’ offices, demanding the change.
While the District won the power of Home Rule during the Nixon administration, it is facing new threats as Congress, which maintains ultimate oversight of the region of 700,000 people, is in the hands of Republican majorities who have suggested more federal control.
The problem arose in the House Republican-passed package to fund the federal government past Friday’s deadline to prevent a shutdown. It failed to include a routine provision allowing the District of Columbia’s budget, which is made up mostly of its own tax revenues but subject to approvals by Congress. Instead, it held the District’s budget at 2024 levels, which officials would result in essentially a $1 billion cut to police, education and other services.
Senators were unable to amend the federal funding package, or risk a government shutdown, but in passing the separate bill, they said they were on track toward fixing the situation for the District of Columbia.
“Very good news,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, announcing the agreement. “We urge the House to act quickly.”
Bowser, who has worked to ensure a working relationship with the Trump administration in a city that routinely votes for Democrats, stood outside the U.S. Capitol with members of the city council earlier in the week and urged Congress to act.
Last month, President Donald Trump said Washington, D.C., would be better off under total federal control, and two Republicans have offered legislation to do just that.
Bowser has tried to accommodate Trump’s concerns as well as those of Republicans, including recently removing the Black Lives Matter Plaza that was erected in 2020, one block from the White House.
“For me, it isn’t really complicated. The people of D.C. deserve a fair shake,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. ___