A quick 🧵: The news of Congress potentially blowing a $1.1 billion hole in D.C.'s budget has certainly riled up a lot of people. But it's part of a larger trend of how Congress's years-long budget dysfunctions have bled into D.C.'s municipal government. - ThreadSky

maustermuhle.bsky.social • 1 day ago

A quick 🧵: The news of Congress potentially blowing a $1.1 billion hole in D.C.'s budget has certainly riled up a lot of people. But it's part of a larger trend of how Congress's years-long budget dysfunctions have bled into D.C.'s municipal government.

Reposted from Martin Austermuhle

NEW in @51st.news: House Republicans just voted to defund D.C. police and schools. As part of a spending bill to avert a federal government shutdown, they could force D.C. to slash $1.1 billion out of its budget, and no one understands really why. 51st.news/house-republ...

Comments

maustermuhle.bsky.social•1 day ago

First, the very basic fact that many miss: While D.C. isn't a state and is beholden to Congress in many ways, it is *not funded* by Congress or federal taxpayers. It's budget is funded by locally raised revenue, i.e. taxes and residents and businesses pay.

maustermuhle.bsky.social•1 day ago

Now, despite the fact that D.C.'s local budget is *local*, it has always been tethered to the congressional process for passing a federal budget. Years ago D.C. would pass its own budget and send it to the Hill, where it would get incorporated into the broader federal budget.

maustermuhle.bsky.social•1 day ago

That, of course, left D.C. subject to the weird whims of how Congress does (or does not) pass federal budgets. If Congress didn't get around to actually getting a budget passed, it could leave D.C.'s local budget in limbo.

maustermuhle.bsky.social•1 day ago

Way back in 2011, D.C.'s CFO pointed out this problem: "The more time that elapses between the formulation of a budget and its execution, the more likely the operating assumptions underlying that budget will not hold true."

maustermuhle.bsky.social•1 day ago

And there was also this: If the federal government shut down, D.C.'s government would also have to, since it's budget was wrapped up in the broader federal budget. Imagine stopping local trash collection because Congress is fighting over some national issue. Silly, no?

maustermuhle.bsky.social•1 day ago

Anyhow, for years D.C. officials fought to get the city exempted from federal government shutdowns, and they eventually succeeded. They also worked to break the link between the federal budget and D.C.'s budget, so the former wouldn't sink the latter. They mostly got that.

mrnagrom.bsky.social•18 hours ago

it should be a state.

osterman.dev•18 hours ago

Give them an inch and they will take ten miles square!

markbjorge.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Good to see you still following DC issues!

alifelongfiasco.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Where would the $1.1 billion go? It can’t just go *poof*? Does it now move into that “slush fund” of appropriated but impounded funds Trump will spend on whatever he wants?

andrewjh.bsky.social•17 hours ago

DC Reserves.

alifelongfiasco.bsky.social•15 hours ago

So it’s a play to make the city look mismanaged?
Force the city to either have to force cuts and look like incompetent budgeters
or
Force the city to draw the “overspending” from reserves…

andrewjh.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Unclear what purpose is:
1) In Congrrssional budget economics they may claim $1b in savings to offset added defense spending
2) Just because they can and like to wreck things.

I don’t see how it plays well to defund the police.

neilanderthal.bsky.social•1 hour ago

Note to Republicans: In keeping with your Cherished values, make DC an Open Carry "Constitutional Carry" Oasis. Go ahead, Chicken Shavings Bastards.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply