The last time Congress enacted a continuing resolution on the federal budget, Washington, D.C.'s budget came up $1 billion light, a slight that may finally get fixed in the current reiteration.
"While I will not weigh in on the merits of the proposed CR itself, I am pleased it includes the longstanding provision allowing D.C. to spend its own local funds at current fiscal year 2026 levels," said Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's nonvoting member of Congress.
"This is a significant improvement over the previous CR, which, in a radical departure from decades of congressional practice, blocked D.C. from using $1 billion of its locally approved budget and forced the District to revert to 2024 spending levels midway through the year."
The CR appears to be the temporary solution for setting the federal budget as the notion of passing 12 appropriation bills before the Sept. 30 deadline has been all but abandoned.
Language in the current CR fixes a budget problem that's been bedeviling the city since
The Senate voted to release the funds and bounced the bill to the House, which up till now hasn't moved.
The current version of the stopgap measure, which is backed by President Trump, includes an extra $88 million for security details for government officials from all three branches. Speaker Mike Johnson R- La., intends to put the matter to a vote sometime this week.
If passed the bill would kick the budget fight down the road to mid-November.
Democrats remain opposed to the bill and support among all the House Republicans is not assured.
The erratic federal budget movements don't have much of an impact on the city, but a shutdown could affect the National Park Service that maintains monuments and memorials.
The District of Columbia's finances have been on a mostly downward roller coaster ride for several months. In addition to the budget glitch, the city was hit with a rating downgrade by Moody's Ratings to Aa1 from Aaa in
The D.C. metropolitan area, which includes Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, has lost an estimated 22,000 jobs since January due to cuts in the federal workforce.
The D.C. City Council is expected to approve a $3.7 billion deal for building an NFL stadium inside the city limits to re-house the NFL's Washington Commanders near Capitol Hill.
It's estimated that $1 billion of public money will be leveraged to replace RFK Stadium, which is already being demolished, with a 180-acre mixed use development that would include a domed stadium.
Washington continues to be patrolled by groups of the National Guard even though the 30-day crime emergency period lapsed last week.
Guardsmen are present in and around Metro stations and patrolling streets, while others are tasked with picking up litter and mulching flower beds.
Costs for keeping the guard in the city are estimated at $1 million a day. Trump has also speculated out loud aboutsending the guard to Chicago and Memphis, Tennessee.
The president and some members of Congress have signaled they would like to end the 1973 Home Rule Act which allows the city to govern itself. Even with Home Rule intact, Congress maintains an oversight role.
