House Republicans introduced a bill Saturday to keep the government open, which would reduce Washington, D.C.’s 2025 budget by $1 billion.
The continuing resolution would treat Washington’s budget like a government agency, reducing discretionary spending. It would also go against 20 years of precedent. Since 2004, Congress has allowed Washington to maintain its budget levels without interruption if a stopgap funding bill is passed.
If the continuing resolution is approved, Washington’s 2025 budget will be repealed. The city would revert to its 2024 budget until Congress approves new funding by October 1.
The cancellation of the $21 billion budget would cost the city 16% of its funding. Mayor Muriel Bowser stated that this could force the city to lay off teachers, police officers, and other front-line employees.
The vast majority of Washington’s budget is funded by D.C. taxpayers, not federal funds.
“It is nonsensical,” District of Columbia Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told The Washington Post. “The effect of what they’re trying to do would be to cut back spending by police and other public safety agencies as well as agencies that deal with the cleanliness of the city, public education, and so forth.”
“They would realize no savings from this because these are not federal dollars,” Mendelson continued.
The D.C. Council passed the budget for fiscal 2025 in June 2024, which was then approved by Congress. Councilmembers clashed with Bowser over her proposed cuts to the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, which subsidizes child care. In the end, they eliminated the cuts and raised taxes higher than Bowser proposed.
Now, the district could lose $1 billion in funding halfway through the fiscal year.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, emphasized how the continuing resolution jeopardizes Washington’s home rule. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has previously stated that he wants to take control of Washington.
“This CR would cut D.C.’s funding and impact Home Rule mid-way through the fiscal year, when D.C. is already spending at its ostensibly Congressionally approved FY25 levels,” according to a memo from Murray’s office published late Saturday. “This means a nearly $945 million cut for the District, impacting teachers, firefighters, and law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, Bowser is just weeks away from presenting a 2026 budget proposal to the D.C. Council, but the latest budget debacle could complicate matters. The city expects a $1 billion deficit over the next four years.
