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Senate Approves Legislation to Safeguard D.C. Budget

In a decisive move, the Senate passed a bill on Friday aimed at preventing significant budget cuts for Washington, D.C. City officials previously warned that the District could face a substantial financial loss of $1 billion due to a stopgap government funding bill that the Senate had approved shortly before.

The newly passed legislation facilitates the District’s operation under its adopted fiscal year 2025 budget, gaining approval via a voice vote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) emphasized the importance of this legislation, stating, “This legislation will ensure that we take care of the residents of the district. It will support law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, and essential city services.” He expressed satisfaction with the passing of the bill, noting, “This legislation is very good news for the residents of the District of Columbia.”

According to Schumer’s office, the Senate’s approval corrects a flaw in the previous legislation that funded the government through September, which primarily maintained fiscal year 2024 funding levels. The prior measure failed to include provisions that allowed D.C. to function under the budget it established for 2025.

Efforts to amend the broader government funding bill would have necessitated a vote from the House, which had already adjourned after passing the initial measure earlier in the week. This could have resulted in a potential government shutdown.

The standalone bill concerning D.C. now awaits approval from the House before it can be signed into law by President Trump. The timeline for action from the lower chamber remains uncertain, especially as neither the House nor the Senate will be in session next week.

Despite being granted “home rule” in the 1970s, Congress retains the authority to approve D.C.’s budget during the appropriations process. Generally, stopgap spending legislation incorporates terms that allow D.C. to operate under the budget that the city has approved, even when federal government funding is based on previous years’ levels. However, this critical language appears to have been omitted in the most recent stopgap measure.

This oversight means that D.C. officials have indicated the District would be forced to revert to fiscal year 2024 spending levels, mirroring the constraints placed on federal agencies due to the stopgap, despite having been running under its updated budget for nearly half a year.

Updated at 6:55 p.m.

Source
thehill.com