The House must correct its insulting cuts to D.C’s budget

The Washington Post ^ | March 16 at 1:23 p.m. EDT | Editorial Board

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Republicans say they want less crime and homelessness in D.C. Cutting the city’s budget won’t help.

The nation was spared a government shutdown on Friday after a sufficient number of Senate Democrats reluctantly agreed to pass a continuing resolution that would keep the lights on until the end of the fiscal year. But for D.C., the crisis is still looming.

That’s because House Republican leadership omitted language from the resolution — found in every similar measure for the past two decades — that would have allowed D.C. to continue spending at its current, congressionally approved budget levels. Instead, the bill treats the District like a federal agency by requiring a reversion to fiscal 2024 spending levels, resulting in a $1.1 billion cut.

The Senate on Friday also passed a stand-alone measure to restore the city’s budget. Now, it is up to House members to correct this injustice to the District. They should do so without delay.

D.C. residents are used to lawmakers regarding the city as the federal government’s plaything, but this budgetary sabotage is a new level of insulting. There is no upside here: The federal government will save nothing from the cuts. The D.C. budget is funded overwhelmingly by local taxpayers and is required to be balanced each year. Those unspent dollars will go into local reserves while the city is forced to slash core services to meet Congress’s edict.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has warned that, given the time crunch to impose cuts, her administration would have to find savings from the largest budget items. There would be no way, she said, “not to affect police, or not to affect teachers, and not to affect some of the basic government services that allow us to keep our city clean, safe...”

[E. Pluribus Unum]

House Republican leadership omitted language from the resolution... that would have allowed D.C. to continue spending at its current, congressionally approved budget levels. Instead, the bill treats the District like a federal agency by requiring a reversion to fiscal 2024 spending levels, resulting in a $1.1 billion cut.

Sounds like baseline budgeting, where budget increases are baked in.

Live by the baseline, die by the baseline.

[decal]

Correct them, indeed - cut more.

[GMThrust]

“There is no upside here: The federal government will save nothing from the cuts.” umm

[yesthatjallen]

'Trump makes me sooooo angry!'

[GMThrust]

We won’t like it when Marvin gets angry. LOL.

[Jim W N]

insulting????

Insulting to whom? Certainly not the American People or to the Supreme Law of the Land, the Constitution, which is there to protect the God-given freedoms of the American People from gov't tyranny.

Quit posting lying and deceitful articles from the Washington Poo.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

'Trump makes me sooooo angry!'

[Robert DeLong]

No they must not. What they must do is make D.C. once again a a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress as it was originally designated.

[Jim Robinson]

Cut, baby cut. Repeat.

[mass55th]

You don’t keep giving more money to people who aren’t capable of using it properly.

[Made In The USA]

Keep the three branches in DC, and then disperse all the other federal agencies across America. Destroy the empty buildings and turn it into farm land.

[KobraKai]

The Washington Post believes itself so important that it alone is to command what and how the Trump administration is to run the budget.

[circlecity]

So, once again, not getting more is called a “cut”.

[hanamizu]

So it’s not a ‘cut’, it’s just not allowing a $1.1 billion increase.

[VanShuyten]

But, but, but, where’s Mayor Bowser going to get the $500 million to refurbish the Capital One Center, so DC can keep the Wizards and Capitals?

[cgbg]

Insulting the Washington Post is....

beautiful.

[DiogenesLamp]

Instead, the bill treats the District like a federal agency by requiring a reversion to fiscal 2024 spending levels, resulting in a $1.1 billion cut.

I want to beat the @$$ of anyone who suggests not increasing a government budget is a "cut."

They need to be hit in the mouth for *LYING*.

[Fledermaus]

Drop dead DC

[Mr. Jeeves]

Aside from a small Federal district, the House must give D.C. back to Maryland - and let the state figure out what is worth paying for.

[kawhill]

Try this concept mayor:

Zero-based budgeting (ZBB)
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a budgeting technique in which all expenses must be justified for a new period or year starting from zero, versus starting with the previous budget and adjusting it as needed.