Two people are “no longer with” the D.C. government following the city’s missed deadline for $3.5 million in nonprofit funding, Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a news conference Monday.
After hedging on whether or not the botched deadline was due to human error or technical error, Bowser said there had been “two personnel actions” as a result.
“We had two people who were with the government who are no longer with the government,” she said when pressed, deflecting after being asked directly if people had been fired as a result.
Bowser said the organizations that would have received federal funding could get money through the D.C. budget “if it is necessary to keep them whole.”
The city and the federal agency that distributes the AmeriCorps funding have disagreed over why the District missed a deadline to get more than $3.5 million for nonprofit education programs.
D.C. had blamed technical troubles for causing it to miss the Jan. 30 deadline. But the Corporation for National and Community Service said Friday that those concerns were addressed in time.
Agency spokeswoman Samantha Jo Warfield says the District also missed a later deadline for an extension on the application’s due date.
The District has declined to expand on the technical issues.
In a March 29 letter to the CEO of the CNCS, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton cited the technical issues and asked the organization to consider the grant applications regardless of the missed deadline.
The mayor also announced that the city’s 2020 budget will include $1.6 million for the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants.
“As we continue the investments in getting our police force up to 4,000 officers, we’re also making big investments in programs and resources that address trauma,” Bowser said. “Through these programs, we can tackle the root causes of violence and put residents, families, and our community on a safer, stronger path forward.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
