Legislative leaders in D.C. have their hands full, fighting a budget battle on two fronts.
Councilmembers, the mayor and other officials are urging the House to restore $1.1 billion to the District’s budget. Meanwhile, the mayor has to put forth a budget and financial plan addressing a projected $1 billion loss in revenue over the next few fiscal years. It is a loss largely attributed to the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce.
“D.C. is facing two $1 billion problems,” said Tazra Mitchell, the chief policy and strategy officer for the nonprofit D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. “We have to first deal with this immediate threat of congressional interference, but also on the other hand figure out how we craft a budget that’s best for D.C. while having a billion dollars less in revenue.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser is set to release her budget in about two weeks. “We’re still on track to deliver our 30th balanced budget to the council,” Bowser told reporters on Monday.
On Capitol Hill, if the House does not pass the bill before them, District leaders say it would mean millions of dollars in cuts, including to first responders, schools and the Metro bus/rail service.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Rebecca Turco over at WJLA News Channel 7
