By Chris Kain
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Uncertainty in the House over the fate of legislation to avoid forcing the District to make $1 billion in mid-year spending cuts is leading to delays in the preparation and release of Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026.
The mayor hasn’t provided her budget proposal to the independent chief financial officer for his office’s review — meaning the submission won’t be ready for the DC Council by April 2, as scheduled.
News of the delay came via a memo from CFO Glen Lee to DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, with City Administrator Kevin Donahue later telling a WaPo reporter that “clarity from Congress on a legislative fix” is needed before the submission of a balanced and certified budget proposal.
Earlier this month, the Senate — moments after approving a stopgap spending measure that avoided a federal government shutdown — voted without dissent to approve a separate bill to allow the District to spend per its approved FY 2025 budget, thereby averting the $1 billion in cuts to local DC spending required under the terms of the continuing resolution drafted and approved by the House.
So far, the House leadership hasn’t scheduled a vote on the DC spending measure — despite expressions of support from President Donald Trump — and there are now reports that some far-right GOP members are pressing House Speaker Mike Johnson to attach riders to the bill in return for their assent.
“We want to be helpful here but I don’t think our leadership had a chance to decide when and how they’re going to put it on the floor,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole told HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney today.
Bowser and other local officials have pushed for swift approval, and DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton yesterday reiterated that message while highlighting the Congressional Budget Office’s newly released analysis verifying that the bill’s passage would have no effect on the federal budget.
“The treatment of D.C. in the CR is a radical departure from decades of congressional practice and could have devastating consequences for the District,” Norton said in a statement. “I’m calling on Speaker Johnson to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote at the earliest opportunity.”
— ‘Bowser delays 2026 budget while House decides fate of $1 billion in cuts.’ WaPo’s Meagan Flynn and Jenny Gathright: “D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will delay the unveiling of her 2026 budget plan until the city has clarity on the fate of its current budget, which is facing the possibility of $1 billion in spending cuts due to congressional action.
“The city’s budget setback comes after Congress, which has oversight over D.C., earlier this month passed a continuing resolution that omitted routine, long-standing language allowing the District to continue spending its active budget, forcing the city to revert to 2024 spending levels in the middle of the fiscal year. The Senate separately unanimously passed a bill from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to undo the anticipated $1 billion in cuts and allow D.C.’s 2025 budget to continue — but the House hasn’t taken it up yet, keeping D.C. leaders in suspense.” [WaPo]
— ‘D.C.’s budget still stuck in limbo, awaiting action from Congress.’ WAMU’s Alex Koma: “The House returned from recess Monday, but Speaker Mike Johnson has not moved to bring the bill up for a vote. Several national outlets, including Politico and Punchbowl News, have reported that President Trump supports the bill, but there are still enough hard-line conservatives willing to oppose it that Johnson may wait to advance the legislation. It could take a direct, public plea from Trump himself to convince Republicans to take it up. What’s more, some members of Congress have begun insisting on unrelated changes to D.C. policies in exchange for their votes.” [WAMU]
— ‘House in no apparent rush to close $1.1 billion hole it blew in D.C.’s budget.’ Martin Austermuhle in The 51st: “Speaking at a community meeting in Southeast D.C. earlier this week, Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martinsaid he had personally called [Speaker Mike Johnson] to urge him to put the bill to a vote on the House floor. ‘It’s going to be worked out,’ said Martin. ‘We’re not going to lose that money.’
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