Faced with extensive layoffs from the city's largest employer, the equivalent of $1 billion budget cuts over the next six months, District of Columbia residents expressed their frustration at the Capitol Hill Rally on Thursday morning and declared residents of the besieged city.
The Republican spending bill, which will fund the federal government until September 30th, will inflict a great deal of financial pain in cities where many of that government exists.
“This is nothing more than an absolute economic disaster,” said Paul Strauss, one of the district's non-voting “shadow” senators, in a protest in the Senate office building, attended by hundreds of rebellious district residents.
The spending bill that must pass the Senate by Friday to avoid federal shutdowns essentially strips districts of their ability to spend more than $1 billion in revenue already on hand. That includes more than $300 million from the city's education system, district officials say.
“My school will probably go out of business,” Mateo Roberts, 11.
He was one of many students in the district's public schools and took time off for parent-teacher meetings. Senate Democrats have said they cannot support the House action and have introduced a short-term spending bill that doesn't touch the district's budget.
Sitting in the towering atrium of Senator Hart's office building, students created a sign with crayons and colored markers to try to appeal to the Senator. “You cut down on my dad's work and now you want to cut off my school.”
Many of the parents who protested Thursday morning have already seen their livelihoods threatened by Trump administration's government reforms.
The current government spending bill could force layoffs at district schools, police stations and other important urban agencies, local officials say it exacerbates the economic problems that have been instigated by government cuts in federal workforce.
Mateo's father, Mingo Roberts, is one of those who lost their jobs in late January when Elon Musk, who was trying to reduce the federal government, targeted his employer, the International Development Agency.
“It feels like the city is under siege,” said Roberts, who has been living in the district for nearly 40 years.
Under federal law, Congress must approve district spending. It is usually a routine step. But in their suspension spending bill, House Republicans treated the city like a federal agency, forcing them to maintain their spending at the 2024 level, 7% below this year's budget.
The move would not save the federal government money, Strauss said. It would simply prevent the city from spending its own dollars raised from taxes, fees and “even known, unpopular parking tickets,” he said.
Around 11am, a group of about 10 protesters entered the office of Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican. Staff asked if Montana residents were among them and then turned towards the hallway.
“We are residents of the District of Columbia,” said Miriam Goldstein, a nine-year-old parent of twins. “We don't have a senator, so we're here to talk to you anyway.”
Her son, Solomon Wolf, flashed a handmade sign that read, “I like playing baseball,” and said the spending bill could mean reducing sports for young people. He was also concerned about safety. “When a fire occurs, there are fewer firefighters and police.”
His sister, Diana, pointed out that if the money is not spent, you won't be redirected elsewhere. “It's from us,” she said. “They don't have the right to take it away.”
Darren Sands Contributed with a report from Washington.
