March 14, 2025
Dear Senator,
Thank you for all your work in service to the people of the United States. I’m a resident of the District of Columbia, and I’m here today to ask you to VOTE NO on cloture and NO on the House Continuing Resolution (CR). Here’s why:
- The CR as written is missing a key provision that grants the District of Columbia the ability to administer our own local budget. Without this key language, DC would suddenly face severe restrictions on how our local government can operate.
- This would result in more than $1 billion in immediate cuts to local programs and services like DC’s schools, Metro, emergency first responders, local food and nutrition programs, and more.
- These are DC’s local tax dollars funds, not federal funds. This freeze would not save the federal government or DC any money.
- The CR as written also attempts to classify DC as a federal agency. This is inappropriate for any city or community where people live and raise families. This precedent would make DC vulnerable to the type of chaotic interference happening in federal agencies right now, which is incredibly dangerous. It also means that if the federal government were to shut down, local DC services would shut down too.
- Congress needs DC to have a functional local government. Congress depends on DC to deliver key local services like Metro, trash collection, street repair, and emergency first response. Disrupting DC’s ability to deliver these services is not in the best interest of the Congressional members and staff who depend on a functional city in which to do business.
Additional things to know
- DC’s local leaders are unanimously opposed to this CR. DC’s mayor, Councilmembers, Attorney General, and CFO are unanimously opposed to this CR. "The proposed $1 billion cut to DC’s budget is senseless, reckless and would have devastating consequences for our nation’s capital," the mayor said on Tuesday.
- More than 100 local and national organizations have also endorsed our position. See them all at FreeDCproject.org/letter.
- AFGE, the largest union of federal workers, also opposes this CR and would rather go to a shutdown than see it pass.
- A federal shutdown would be bad for DC — but this CR would be worse. DC has the highest share of federal workers of anywhere in the country and with many of our community members recently fired, we’re already suffering. In spite of that, our local leaders, union members, and advocacy allies recognize that giving away DC’s right to manage our local budget would be much worse than temporary furloughs.
- Congress already approved DC’s budget for this fiscal year. DC’s budget is subject to Congressional review and Congress approved this year’s current spending levels in 2024.
For all these reasons, I am asking you to VOTE NO on cloture and NO on this continuing resolution.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter.
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