WASHINGTON — When the House of Representatives adjourned for a two-week recess Thursday, it left Washington, D.C., elected officials scrambling to fill a $1.1 billion hole in the capital city’s budget, despite personal public directives from President Donald Trump for Republicans to address the issue.
The House’s failure to act now makes for a worst-case scenario for Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council, who have warned of looming layoffs and service cuts for the city of 700,000 people.
Earlier this week, Bowser sounded the alarm several times, warning that failure to pass the budget-saving measure would have immediate effects and insisting “we need that to happen this week.” But on Friday, she declined to comment on the state of affairs or what would be next for the city.
On Thursday, as the Congressional recess loomed, Bowser also issued an 11th-hour plea on the X social media platform, tagging both Trump and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, and warning the necessary cuts would “impact DC police overtime, firefighters, and programs for our kids … The House should not recess until this bill is passed.”
Bowser also reposted Trump’s own social media posting from late March, where he called on House leadership to pass the budget measure and “get it done IMMEDIATELY.”
The crisis dates back to March, when the House passed a federal government funding bill that would force the district’s government to revert to its 2024 budget parameters, effectively cutting $1.1 billion from its previously balanced budget midway through the financial year.
Bowser spearheaded an intense congressional lobbying campaign to prevent the change, saying it would result in immediate across-the-board cuts to staffing and programs, including teachers and police officers being laid off.
The Senate approved the funding bill with the cut but immediately followed up with a separate bill that would make the district’s budget whole again. That fix then reverted back to the House for approval. But despite three weeks in session following Trump’s appeal, and endorsements from both the police and firefighters unions, the House of Representatives failed to even bring the proposal to the floor for discussion.
What happens next is unclear, but potentially dire. Bowser and D.C. officials have talked of layoffs among teachers and police officers and a scaling back of city services.
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told reporters last week there is “not a hard and fast deadline” for budget cuts, but he described the 2025 budget crisis as “a vice that’s closing … At some point, the dollars are not going to be there and we will have to act.”
Bowser has mentioned “overtime spending for public safety officials” — meaning fewer police on the street for less time. On Thursday, she said, “if we have to make drastic cuts … It could affect some ways that we keep the city safe.”
The House returns from recess on April 28.
