By Amber W. Harding, Executive Director, and Brittany K. Ruffin, Legal Director, Systemic Advocacy and Litigation
In Washington D.C., the lack of statehood has become increasingly urgent and impactful. In a jurisdiction where 92% of voters are registered as Democrats, but where it is uniquely subject to the whims and consolidated power of President Trump and Congressional Republicans, D.C.’s elected leaders may feel stuck “between a rock and a hard place.” They must withstand a steady stream of misinformation, inflammatory statements, and pressure from Congress while feeling compelled to bite their tongues in fear of retaliation or the repeal of Home Rule, i.e., the ability to govern ourselves. Nevertheless, Mayor Bowser’s recent proposal for policy and spending priorities represents a far more regressive approach than can be explained by a reasonable fear of losing autonomy.
D.C. is, of course, a city with its own stated values and priorities. Our local human rights law is easily one of the most inclusive and expansive in the country. D.C. has declared itself a human rights city. Despite the economic displacement of Black and brown residents over the past few decades, D.C. remains a diverse and majority-minority jurisdiction. We are not a city without its struggles, but we have made progress over the years in embracing change, understanding and responding to systemic oppression in a humane way, rejecting myths and stereotypes, and supporting data-based solutions when crafting legislation and policy.
Now, because of the actions of the president and Congress, many more people in our community are suffering. Many have lost their jobs or are about to—so many that D.C. is on the brink of a recession. Many who were already searching for work find the job market flooded with people with decades of government experience. Immigrants, documented or not, are scared—they are seeing ICE show up masked and in plain clothes at their children’s schools and at their workplaces. People who are transgender are worried about losing their jobs, their healthcare, and more. People staying on the street are worried about being forced to move, losing all of their belongings, or being arrested for sleeping outside. Women are worried about losing reproductive and economic freedoms. Black and brown residents are worried about the increasingly overt racism and the loss of their civil rights.
When people are experiencing harm at the hands of the federal government, it is even more critical that they can trust their local government to stand up for their rights and to insulate them from further harm. Mayor’s Bowser proposal, however, not only fails to insulate D.C. residents from the harmful federal actions, but it actually furthers the harm to those communities. For example, the proposal repeals sanctuary city protections, defunds the Office of Migrant Services, abolishes the D.C. Healthcare Alliance (the locally funded healthcare program that serves many immigrants who cannot qualify for Medicaid), and effectively excludes immigrant families seeking asylum from lifesaving emergency shelter and housing programs. Mayor Bowser’s proposal does not just capitulate to threats of losing federal funding; instead, it goes much further than even the most cautious and fearful political leader might suggest.
Beyond anything arguably responsive to federal pressures, the mayor’s budget proposal reverses decades of progress and reflects a very regressive view of D.C. and its residents. On the brink of a recession, when the job market is more competitive than ever and housing unaffordability is at its height, there are increased sanctions on families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), cuts to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and a stricter arbitrary time limit for participants in the Rapid Re-Housing Program. At a time when, both, the federal government and the local government are aggressively evicting people from encampments, there are no housing vouchers funded to move those unhoused individuals into housing. While there are funds proposed for D.C.’s public housing repairs and some voucher resources for families being terminated from the failing Rapid Re-Housing Program, the amounts are nowhere near the need. While money is allocated to the Housing Production Trust Fund for affordable housing creation, proposed policy changes threaten the future of housing production for residents at the lowest-income levels. Despite a news cycle that constantly reminds us of the harm that unchecked executive power can have and of the importance of due process, the mayor’s proposal gives unchecked discretion to herself in multiple areas, including “sole and absolute” discretion to refuse housing subsidy extensions, cut people off of housing benefits prior to any opportunity for review of the decision, and send unhoused D.C. families with children to crowded, congregate shelters.
What is to be gained by Home Rule if our local laws and lawmakers refuse to reflect our local values? D.C. residents deserve better than the mayor’s proposed budget. They expect elected officials to stand up for them through an unwavering commitment to asserted D.C. values. There is still time for D.C. Council to mitigate the harm of the mayor’s budget and ensure that the final budget “looks like” D.C. We must continue to urge D.C. government to prioritize the basic needs of its residents and elevate the policies, resources, and investments that keep people safe and protected in all aspects of their life.