Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) issued a warning Monday about what she described as a “$1.1 billion problem” in a plan rolled out by House Republicans to maintain government funding through September, exceeding Friday's closing deadline.
In a statement outside the assembly Monday afternoon, Bowser asked lawmakers to change the language of the Stop Gup plan, also known as the Continuing Resolution (CR), to prevent the district from being forced to return to funding levels for the previous fiscal year.
Bowser said the plan “will be effective in reducing $1 billion immediately” from DC's budget.
“The recent, ongoing, stubborn language is neglecting the 2025 budget that has already been approved by Congress,” she said. “Instead, it will grab us at the FY24 level – the federal agency [at] Because they don't have a approved 25 budget. ”
“But we are not a federal agency,” she said. “We are cities, counties, states at once, and we provide direct services to people in the District of Columbia, visitors to the District of Columbia, businesses in the District of Columbia, diplomats, head of state, and anyone who works here.”
Under previous suspension laws, legislatures included languages that districts could spend at levels set as part of the 2025 budget.
“The CR will omit the long-standing provisions that allow DC to continue its 2025 budget, and instead treat DC as a federal agency and force spending at the remaining fiscal year level of the district.”
Her comments come as Republicans move quickly to pass the law ahead of the looming Friday deadline.
Instead of a bipartisan agreement from Congress to renew the government's funding levels, Republicans are calling for a suspension to pass a freeze on government funding at the 2024 level, with an increase in cuts in defense and some non-defense programs.
The bill also includes several add-ons along the anomaly requested by the White House.
At a press conference Monday, Bowser said she was in contact with the White House on the issue. However, it remains unclear whether this move is intentional.
“They knew what was going on in Congress and we asked for their help,” she said. But when asked if the White House had shown they could help on DC's behalf, the mayor added, “I think they showed they didn't come from them.”
“A lot of this was once again like extra police on the issue,” House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla) said in a statement Monday.
“I mean, I have to look into it and look at it in more detail than I have,” he told Hill, noting that it was “not a big part” of the ongoing conversation. He also added that the overall spending level being discussed is running north of $1 trillion, “I'm sorry if everything wasn't perfect. Democrats weren't at the table to talk to us, and that's exactly what it is.”
The House Rules Committee reviewed the funding bill on Monday, which blocked a democratic effort to allow DC to continue spending on a continuous basis based on the level for fiscal year 2025, partisan votes.
This amendment prevented DC from being closed in 2026, which begins in October.
“The September CR introduced by Chairman Cole allowed DC to spend at the proposed level of its 2025 budget. The December CR introduced by Chairman Cole allowed DC to spend at the same level,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, who said he had made the claims for the amendments promoted by Norton. “Now after telling DC that spending at these levels has been fined for six months, the Republican CR is telling them to go back to their 2024 spending levels.
“This will cut nearly $1 billion in district spending by over $940 million. Law enforcement, officers, safety, nearly $240 million, and education will be reduced by nearly $400 million. Those cuts will be catastrophic and there will be no district negligence,” McGovern said. “And remind me that this is DC money. The federal government is not funded.”
“It's funded by residents who don't vote in Congress, businesses and residents in D.C.,” he said.
