+ Office Hours Friday

On Tuesday, the Council took its first of two votes on the FY27 budget, unanimously approving a $21.2 billion budget that invests in childcare, housing, healthcare, paid family leave, public safety, energy affordability, and economic opportunity for DC residents.

My colleagues and I worked closely with Chairman Mendelson to make important restorations from the Mayor's proposed budget cuts. Tens of thousands of families will benefit, making it easier to afford to live in DC. That includes funding to support our childcare industry, allowing workers to take paid leave to care for loved ones, providing healthcare for low-income residents who don't qualify for Medicaid, and better responding to families experiencing homelessness with the addition of housing vouchers.

The President and Congress have imposed enormous economic headwinds on the District through mass layoffs, agency closures, grant cuts, and broader economic uncertainty. Despite those challenges, this budget reflects our values. And after scrubbing the Mayor's proposed budget with strong oversight for greater efficiencies and savings, the Council chose to invest in people rather than retreat from our commitments at a time when many residents are struggling with rising costs.

It's hard to capture every detail of the entire District budget in a single email. And while this email is pretty long, it doesn't include everything (the budget itself is hundreds and hundreds of pages!). But I want to share with you what I think are some of the major highlights and investments that I heard you and your neighbors prioritize during my Ward 6 Budget Town Hall, conversations around Ward 6 neighborhoods, and your email and phone calls to my office — and check out nearer the end for the Ward 6-specific budget wins.

Supporting Working Families

• Restores $72 million for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, a program I created a few years ago with Councilmembers Janeese Lewis George and Brianne Nadeau to help childcare providers earn better wages and to attract and retain top talent. This had been nearly eliminated by the Mayor, the burden of which would have fallen on the teachers themselves and working parents already paying too much for childcare.
  
  
• Restores $150 million for childcare subsidies to help families afford care during the workday.
  
  
• Reverses most of the deep cuts to Universal Paid Leave benefits, protecting workers taking parental leave for newborns, caring for a sick family member, or dealing with their own illness without losing their paycheck. The Mayor had proposed freezing all medical and family leave for next year and restricting which types of family members it could be taken for, and that was unacceptable.
  
  
• Includes $100 million for workforce investments and labor agreements, including funding to support upcoming negotiations with DC firefighters who have been working without a new contract or pay raise.

Supporting Our Schools and Education

• Approves the Mayor's increase of the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula by 2.55%, or $15,455 per student.
  
  
• Includes new funding for DC Public Charter Schools to more closely align per-pupil funding with DCPS funding.
  
  
• Increases OSSE’s Public School Healthy Food Programming to $2.5M annually, including money I identified to ensure the FRESHFARM FoodPrints school garden education program can continue at Ward 6 schools.
  
  
• Funds critical HVAC repairs in DC Public Schools — we have too many hot classrooms where repairs haven't been made in a timely manner.

Protecting Health Care and Housing

• Restores some health insurance coverage for lower-income residents ineligible for Medicaid — including refugees, asylees, and victims of trafficking.
  
  
• Funds 495 housing vouchers for people and families experiencing homelessness, and creates 90 new vouchers for families exiting Rapid Re-Housing. This is critical after a year in which DC saw a 15% increase in homeless families.
  
  
• Restores funding for ChAMPS, DC's successful mobile crisis psychiatric team serving children and young adults.
  
  
• Reversed harsh cuts to TANF, which supports low-income households making ends meet.

Safer Communities and Stronger Neighborhoods

• Fully funds MPD's budget request to hire additional officers, and maintains the Cadet Program at 150 slots, a program I worked to grow from 15 slots during my time as Chair of the Council's Judiciary Committee to create a pipeline of homegrown police recruits. 
  
  
• Includes $2.6 million for the Pathways intensive life transformation program for at-risk young adults, plus additional investments in violence interruption and credible messenger programs that help prevent violence before it occurs.
  
  
• Adds $2.37 million for youth programming and recreation center operations, expanding opportunities for young people across the District.
  
  
• Restores 58 critical legal positions at the Office of the Attorney General that the Mayor would have eliminated.
  
  
• Restores $31.8 million in proposed cuts to DC's Access to Justice program, helping low-income residents without counsel obtain legal representation in housing, domestic violence, seniors needing legal advice, and other important civil matters.
  
  
• Reinstates $5.6 million for victim services grants, bringing funding back to FY26 levels and supporting survivors of domestic violence and crime.

Investing in DC’s Growth

• Restores funding for the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund — DC's major source of funding for environmental and climate programming — to $10.1 million to help residents lower utility bills, improve energy efficiency at their homes, and access rebates for electrification projects.
  
  
• Adds funds to the DC Green Bank to support innovative financing that unlocks private investment in new sustainable and affordable housing construction.
  
  
• Fully funds DC's commitment to WMATA, including maintaining 24/7 bus routes and protecting $6.6 million to address gaps in the Better Bus Network.
  
  
• Identifies $300 million for needed expansion and upgrades to Stadium-Armory Metro Station to ensure the RFK Campus offers world-class public transportation. 
  
  
• Approves $47.6 million for arts and humanities grants, programming, and local venue support.
  
  
• Simplifies the District's Net Zero building requirements and processes and aims to align those requirements with the District's upcoming construction code revisions, making it easier for builders and architects to deliver new projects in line with our climate and reduced energy-demand goals.
  
  
  • (If you missed a previous email update sharing the details from my Committee on Transportation and the Environment budget proposal, you can dive into our recommendations from May 23 here.)

Quality-of-Life Improvements

• Includes $100,000 to upgrade to rat-proof trash cans in public spaces.
  
  
• Maintains funding for Capital Bikeshare, including the 3,200 e-bikes in the fleet, after the system set new ridership records last year.
  
  
• Continues the District's successful and popular curbside composting program and funds 12 additional neighborhood collection bins (also rat-proof!) where residents can deposit compost.
  
  
• $250,000 to support weekly, seasonal farmers markets across the District to ensure equal access to fresh fruits and vegetables;
  
  
• $200,000 to waive delivery fees on groceries and daily essentials for low-income residents who may have a harder time getting to grocery stores — this is important as the Council also approved a $0.20 fee on food delivery companies to fund additional food access shortfalls.

As Chair of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, I was especially focused on restoring funding that helps clean our rivers, improve air quality, lower utility bills, and maintain critical environmental programs. These investments will help ensure DC remains resilient while making tangible improvements residents can see in their daily lives.

Exciting Investments Coming to Ward 6

I’m also happy to share that this budget includes important investments I made for Ward 6 priorities, including:

• Funding to fully open and operate the new Southeast Library later this summer;
  
  
• Restoring the FRESHFARM FoodPrints programming in our schools, which I mentioned above;
  
  
• Continued grant support for businesses impacted by the major construction projects at Pennsylvania and Potomac Avenues and Barracks Row;
  
  
• Restoring the proposed cuts to Shirley’s Place, a vital day center in Hill East serving residents experiencing homelessness;
  
  
• Planning and design funds to improve Lansburgh Park in Southwest;
  
  
• A renovated Watkins Rec spray park;
  
  
• Funding for programming and activation along H Street NE and in Eastern Market Metro Park;
  
  
• Continued funding for the public restrooms at Cobb Park and Eastern Market Metro Park; 
  
  
• Continued investment in timely repairs and maintenance of historic Eastern Market;
  
  
• Following strong asks from neighbors and the ANC, a new dog park in Mount Vernon Triangle and a community-based study to transform an underused two-story parking garage into a community amenity or new housing;
  
  
• Funding to install recreational amenities at the newly completed Garfield Park Connector under 695 between Garfield Park and Navy Yard;
  
  
• Funding to replace the Randall Recreation Center fields;
  
  
• Installation of a new protected bike lane connecting 695 to Lincoln Park along 11th Street, SE; 
  
  
• Improvements to the triangle park at D Street, Kentucky Avenue, and 14th Street SE; and
  
  
• New support to help condo and co-op buildings install solar energy and comply with building energy standards, helping residents lower utility costs.

To make many of these restorations possible, the Council used a combination of tax decoupling and one-time reserve funds that minimized the need to increase taxes or fees. Those steps helped us protect essential services this year, but they only impact the next year.

As the District continues to navigate economic uncertainty, we will need a broader conversation about sustainable revenue and long-term fiscal stability — Chairman Mendelson committed to holding a hearing to discuss it outside the budget deadline and in time to inform next year's budget process.

This budget now heads to a second and final Council vote on June 23.

I want to thank the thousands of residents, advocates, workers, business owners, and community organizations who testified, emailed, called, attended hearings, and shared their priorities throughout this budget process. Your voices made a difference.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out and share your thoughts with me and my team.

Let's Talk More at Office Hours

I hope you can join me this Friday at Maketto on H Street NE! My team and I will be there from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Come by with any concerns, to talk budget, or just to say hi. You can RSVP here.

• Friday, June 12
• 9 to 10:30 a.m.
• Maketto, 1351 H St. NE

Nearby Public Transportation

• Metrobus Routes: D20, C57, C43
• Capital Bikeshare Stations: 4th & M Streets SW and 4th & G Streets SW
• Metrorail Station: Union Station (Red Line)