The battle between top Republicans and Washington, D.C., could see another wrinkle next month as Congress races to prevent a government shutdown by the end of September. Local leaders claim that the last shutdown showdown left the District with a roughly $1 billion budget hole after Congress overrode its local spending plans. The looming Sept. 30 funding deadline comes as tensions between Republicans and Democrats over the District have hit a fever pitch amid President Trump’s crackdown in the capital.
D.C. was granted “home rule” in the 1970s, but its budget is still approved by Congress. In March, Congress passed a GOP-crafted stopgap to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, or late September, at mostly fiscal 2024 levels. However, the measure passed in March notably left out language allowing D.C. to spend its local budget at already approved 2025 levels. As a result, D.C. officials said the District was forced to spend at its fiscal 2024 levels like federal agencies under the stopgap. House Republicans have led multiple efforts D.C. advocates have criticized as “anti-home rule,” including advancing legislation aimed at blocking non-U.S. citizens from voting in local D.C. elections. Some Republicans in Congress have even floated repealing home rule.
