D.C. Council budget restores housing vouchers, child care
The D.C. Council approved a nearly $22 billion budget that restores child care, housing vouchers and paid family leave using one-time money.
The D.C. Council unanimously approved a nearly $22 billion budget on June 23, reversing many of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed cuts and using one-time money, including about $150 million from reserves, to help close the gap.
For residents, the biggest wins are in safety-net programs. The budget preserves housing vouchers, child care subsidies, paid family leave, legal aid and victim services, while also restoring money for early childhood educator pay equity and other programs. WTOP reported the changes are meant to reduce or eliminate child care waitlists over time.
The tradeoff is durability. Council Chair Phil Mendelson said the city would still have about 62 days of reserves, while the CFO warned against using reserves for ongoing programs. That means the budget settles this year’s fight, but not the longer debate over how D.C. should pay for services next year.
Sources
- DC Council — second-vote budget update
- WTOP — DC Council restores funding for programs cut from mayor’s budget
- Washington Post — final DC budget vote
- Axios DC — reserves and child care funding dispute
Discover more from Interactive News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.