DC faces $1 billion in budget cuts, with Black communities set to bear the heavy burdens if Congress approves deal
Republican-led budget cuts could trigger layoffs for teachers, police, and EMS in D.C.: “People are gonna feel that right away,” warns Jamarr Brown, executive director of Color of Change PAC.
Washington, D.C. faces $1.1 billion in budget cuts if the Senate approves a temporary budget proposed by Republicans to keep the government running.
The cuts that would result from the CR, or “continuing resolution,” which would keep the government open through Sept. 30, could lead to massive layoffs of teachers, police officers, and EMS service workers over the next six months.
Although D.C. already had its 2025 budget approved to the tune of $21.5 billion, and has raised the money via taxes, Republicans’ proposed CR bill left out language that normally fully approves D.C.’s budget so that business can carry on as usual when a temporary budget is put in place.
While House Democrats unified and voted “no” on the CR bill, House Republicans unified too and got the bill to pass with a slim majority. Now it will be up to Senate Democrats to decide if they will block the bill and risk shutting down the government, or vote for it knowing it will deeply impact the nation’s capital.
This is all taking place in the context of D.C. digging up its Black Lives Matter mural out of fear of political retribution or revoking of funding.
“Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans in Congress have been working to use a legislative and executive power to wield control, not just over the federal government, but also over the District of Columbia,” said Jamarr Brown, executive director of Color of Change PAC, the political arm of the prominent racial justice organization.
In an interview with theGrio, Brown explained the proposed budget cuts will hurt Black communities deeply in the capital, also known as The Chocolate City, where more than 44% of the city’s population is Black or African American.
“Black people are actually going to be sicker because they’re not going to be able to access health care,” Brown explained. “Black people are actually in more danger because emergency services are not available if they are in an emergency. Black people face a housing crisis in D.C. because affordable housing programs and grants are not going to be available to make sure that folks have shelter. And so when we talk about Black impact, it’s very real.”
In an interview with theGrio, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett expressed concerns about Republican’s CR bill and hopes that Senate Democrats will push against it.
“We haven’t been consulted, neither our leadership or the members or the ranking members on the committee with jurisdiction over the issues that they’re talking about,” said the Democrat representing the U.S. Virgin Islands. “So why would we support legislation that we haven’t been consulted on, nor that we believe help our constituents? But I don’t think they’re concerned about their constituents, and so they’re going to vote for it.”
Brown said that the deep impact of these cuts on all voters in D.C., but particularly Black voters, is reason enough for Senate Democrats to rally to resist as the bill goes up for a vote.
“People want to see a fight,” Brown told theGrio. “People want to see you fight and you may not win everything, but they want to see you put up a fight more than a press conference, more than a statement.”
He also encourages voters who are invested in what’s happening in D.C. to rally, whether they live in the city or not.
“Democracy requires our participation,” he urged. “And even as messy as it can be right now, how we show up right now against these cuts, against restricting opportunities for our fellow Americans, is gonna matter.”
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