Senate Unanimously Approves Fix To Prevent 1b Cuts For District Of Columbia, Sending Bill To House

The Senate swiftly approved legislation late Friday that would allow the District of Columbia to keep its budget intact , rather than roll back to 2024, fixing a provision that had drawn protests from the mayor and residents warning it would require 1 billion in cuts to services.

The bill passed unanimously, without dissent, and now heads to the House. Lawmakers there are on recess, but expected to consider it when they return in late March.

"The issue here is just allowing the D.C. government to proceed to spend its own tax revenues," said Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, the chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, during a brief floor debate.

Collins said the legislation would correct the situation that arose from the broader package to prevent a government shutdown, and assured, "There are no federal dollars involved."

After Friday's vote, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a statement saying: "Senate approval today is a major first step as we continue working with the House of Representatives on final passage to ensure critical services provided in the Nation's Capital, including our police officers, firefighters, teachers, medical services and hospital network, aren't haphazardly cut in the middle of the fiscal year. DC is proud of our strong financial management, balanced budgets, and strong bond ratings."