For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
A House panel has released details of an appropriations bill that includes a wide range of restrictions on D.C., including a plan to cut in half funding for a D.C. college assistance program and a prohibition on using local funds to pay for automated traffic enforcement.
The measures are included in the fiscal 2026 Financial Services and Government Appropriations bill, which was released Sunday by the House Appropriations Committee.
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said she was “outraged” at the number of what she called “anti-D.C. home rule riders” included in the bill.
“In my long career representing D.C. residents in Congress, I have rarely seen a bill as unreasonable and patronizing to the more than 700,000 people who live in the nation’s capital as this one,” she said in a statement, adding she intended to fight the measures.
The bill calls for cutting $20 million in funding for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant, which currently gets $40 million.
The grant seeks to make up part of the difference for D.C. residents paying out-of-state college tuition, since the District doesn’t have a major public university. Students attending public universities in other states are eligible for up to $10,000.
While the bill would cut the funding for the tuition assistance grant to $20 million, Norton said she was able to include a provision to boost the figure for individual students to $15,000.
It remains unclear whether the increase for individual students will survive, as lawmakers move forward with various funding proposals. The lifetime cap would be increased from $50,000 to $75,000.
Bill prohibits DC from paying for some traffic enforcement provisions
The legislation also would disallow D.C. from using local funds to carry out automated traffic enforcement, such as traffic cameras.
It would also prohibit the District from using local funds to enforce a law that prevents motorists from making right turns on red traffic lights.
House Republicans previously sought similar restrictions in a bill they proposed last year.
D.C. leaders have said prohibiting fines from automated traffic enforcement could cause the city to lose hundreds of millions of dollars needed for the District budget.
Other measures included in the legislation would:
- Allow anyone with a concealed carry permit from another state or territory to carry a concealed handgun in D.C. and on the Metro
- Prohibit use of local funds to commercialize recreational marijuana
- Prohibit using local funds to implement its law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections
- Prohibit using local funds on abortion services for low-income women
- Repeal D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act
- Prohibit use of local funds to enforce any COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandate
Norton said she was pleased that the legislation would continue to exempt D.C. from federal government shutdowns.
Are chances of a government shutdown growing?
Congressional leaders are trying to move forward with taking up major appropriations bills before they break in August.
When they return in September, they will only have a few weeks to avert a government shutdown, when the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
It is widely expected they will need to pass another continuing resolution, rather than a budget for the full year.
President Donald Trump signed a continuing resolution into law in March.
Congressional Republicans last week voted to claw back $9.4 billion from that measure, which had previously been agreed to by both parties.
The funding that was cut included billions of dollars for foreign aid programs, as well as close to $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for PBS and NPR.
The cuts have upset Democrats, who charge that the Trump administration and GOP are undermining trust in the appropriations process.
That has led to discussion on Capitol Hill about whether a government shutdown showdown could be coming, when lawmakers return after their summer break.
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