For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
D.C. parents and their kids paid visits to U.S. House lawmakers’ offices Monday, urging them to approve legislation that would fix an issue that could blow a more than $1 billion hole in the District budget and threaten funding for schools and public safety.
They initially gathered in the cafeteria of the Longworth House Office Building, where kids colored and created signs that called on members of Congress to act on a bill that has languished in the House for several weeks.
D.C. public schoolchildren had Monday off and the day was dubbed, “Recess at the Capitol Part 2,” a reference to an earlier event where they went to U.S. Senate offices.
However, on Thursday, Congress still has not voted to pass the bill, and the clock is ticking as the House is scheduled to go on a two-week break after this week.
In a post on X, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson to act.
The House must pass the DC Budget fix today. @POTUS Trump and @SpeakerJohnson must act to avoid $1B in cuts to DC’s clean, safe and beautiful services.
These are our local dollars — not a penny in federal savings. Cuts that would impact DC police overtime, firefighters, and… pic.twitter.com/vLJoqljegu
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) April 10, 2025
What happens without the stand-alone bill
The Senate approved a stand-alone bill last month to address a glitch in a continuing resolution that was passed to avoid a government shutdown.
The CR treated D.C. as a federal agency, reverting the District to 2024 budget levels, even though Congress was close to midway through the fiscal year.
Bowser and many D.C. residents remain concerned that the House hasn’t acted on the Senate bill, which was supported by Trump.
“Our concerns are that we would immediately, potentially lose teachers in the middle of the school year and after-school programming and rec programming,” said Jaime Fearer, a D.C. parent who came to Capitol Hill on Monday.
She also cited possible budget shortfalls the mayor has warned about, involving public safety.
Parents and kids originally planned to meet outside near the Capitol, but moved inside due to the rain.
Fearer said she was pleased with the turnout and said parents remained in “high spirits.”
“It feels like we’ve had pretty good reception at the offices that we’ve been to and, hopefully, it’ll move the needle a little bit,” she said.
It will be up to House Speaker Johnson to determine when — or if — the D.C. bill gets a vote on the House floor. It was not on the House schedule on Monday afternoon.
Some conservatives have urged Johnson not to take up the bill, though it doesn’t involve any federal taxpayer money.
Others have suggested that amendments be added to the legislation in order to add more requirements for the District.
D.C. parents are worried that if no action is taken this week, the potential for budget problems will only get worse.
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