Email Template to Senate Democrats: Urging a No Vote on the CR 

Subject: Stand Strong—Vote NO on a CR That Devastates D.C.

Dear Senator [Last Name], 

I am writing as a resident of Washington, D.C. to urge you to vote NO on the House-passed Continuing Resolution (CR), which will force deep and immediate cuts to D.C.’s budget, overriding our legally enacted local spending plan. 

The House GOP’s CR isn’t just bad policy—it’s an unprecedented attack on D.C. governance that will cause massive disruptions to public safety, education, and essential services.

Why Senate Democrats Must Reject This CR

• D.C. already passed a balanced budget in October. These funds have already been allocated and are actively being used to run the city.

• The House CR forces a nearly $1 billion mid-year budget cut, despite the fact that D.C.’s budget is overwhelmingly funded by local tax revenue—not federal dollars.

• This will not save the federal government a single dollar—it only creates chaos for D.C. residents, many of whom are federal employees and Senate staffers.

What Happens If This CR Passes?

Public safety will suffer. 

• $67 million cut from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), leading to fewer officers patrolling near the Capitol, downtown, and neighborhoods across D.C.

• Cuts to D.C. Fire & EMS could mean longer emergency response times for everyone—including members of Congress and their staff.

Education and essential services will be gutted. 

• Nearly $400 million cut from D.C. public and charter schools, impacting classrooms mid-year.

• D.C.’s AAA bond rating could be downgraded, making it harder to invest in infrastructure and economic growth.

D.C. will become harder to maintain, not easier. 

• Sanitation and city maintenance budgets will be slashed, directly contradicting President Trump’s demands to “clean up” Washington.

• This will actively make the city worse, not better. 

Democrats Should Not Be Afraid of a GOP Shutdown Blame Game. 

The GOP controls the House, Senate, and White House. No reasonable person will believe this is a Democratic shutdown.

If Senate Democrats fold to Republican pressure, they will be legitimizing an unprecedented and dangerous attack on D.C. governance—one that could be used as a blueprint to override local governance elsewhere. 

Senate Democrats must stand firm and reject this CR rather than allow House Republicans to single out D.C. for harmful, partisan budget cuts.

D.C. residents pay more in federal taxes per capita than any state. We deserve the ability to manage our own local funds—just like every other jurisdiction in the country.

Please stand with us and vote NO on this harmful CR.

Sincerely,

[Your Name] 

[Your Address] 

[Your Email]