For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
The House this week approved three bills that seek to overturn D.C. laws, but did not vote on legislation that would address a billion-dollar budget problem for the District that Congress created three months ago.
Mayor Muriel Bowser is renewing her call for the House to approve the legislation to fix the D.C. budget, which has led her to take several actions to avoid cutting services to District residents.
“If Congress wants to be helpful, they should pass the District of Columbia Local Funds Act to fix their damage to DC’s FY25 budget,” the mayor’s office said in a statement to WTOP on Friday.
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, speaking on the House floor this week, called the budget matter “fiscal sabotage” that doesn’t have any impact on federal taxpayer money.
She also pointed out that Republicans in recent months have proposed more than two dozen bills aimed at overriding D.C. laws, while showing little interest in the District budget problem.
After the D.C. budget shortfall was discovered in a stopgap spending bill approved by Congress in March, the Senate quickly approved a measure to address it.
President Donald Trump, who has often criticized D.C. for not doing enough to fight crime, said he supported the bill.
Local residents have also visited Capitol Hill to call on lawmakers to take action.
But while D.C. leaders have repeatedly reminded House Speaker Mike Johnson of the need to approve the legislation, he has failed to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
Failure to pass bill creates financial challenges
Bowser has managed to avoid cuts to D.C. services through a variety of actions.
A hiring freeze saved an estimated $63 million in personnel costs. Various budget reductions and spending shifts have been implemented, so there have been no furloughs or layoffs, with public safety and education remaining fully funded.
There has also been no change made to summer programs.
But the lingering 2025 budget issue doesn’t help matters, when the mayor and D.C. Council are trying to move forward on the 2026 budget.
The mayor and council members have a full financial plate, which includes debate over how to handle a proposed $3.7 billion stadium deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to D.C.
Some congressional Republicans helped to open the way for the stadium deal by supporting a bill that gave D.C. control of the land around the old RFK Stadium.
But they have other priorities than dealing with the District budget issue.
Johnson and Republicans have been more focused on moving forward with the president’s “big beautiful bill,” hoping to pass it by July 4.
But that didn’t stop the House from passing D.C. bills affecting the city’s local elections and police this week.
And one of the last bills the House approved before lawmakers left Washington overturned a D.C. sanctuary cities law related to immigration.
House lawmakers return to D.C. on June 23.
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