DC Fiscal Policy Institute

DC residents deserve better than the current RFK deal.

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@win-dc.bsky.social @fairbudgetdc.bsky.social @rfk4community.bsky.social

DC pays while the Commanders get to keep virtually all the money.

We are asking our Councilmembers to push for a deal in the best interest of residents, rather than giving in to pressure from the mayor, the Commanders, and federal officials to rush the process and spend DC taxpayer money unwisely.

Council-Approved FY 2026 Budget Fails to Adequately Meet the Moment Overall, the Council-approved budget fails to adequately meet the moment, underfunding programs that will help residents meet their basic needs amid historic federal cuts to health care and food assistance as DC enters a recession.

Too few residents will have access to high quality child care, housing supports, and affordable health care under the Council-approved budget because of lawmakers’ refusal to face the reality of the moment we’re in and raise needed revenue.

https://loom.ly/SJuOTM4

Taxing capital gains will raise revenue to help meet needs while narrowing DC’s outsized concentration of wealth and racial wealth gap. It would begin to unrig a tax system that includes a bevy of special advantages for wealth.

The @councilofdc.bsky.social is pushing us toward an eviction crisis by making it harder to get emergency rental assistance, stealing power from tenants by gutting TOPA, and handing more power to landlords and developers; all while making it easier for struggling DC residents to be evicted.

Evictions in 2024 were at an all time high. In the face of this, @councilofdc.bsky.social just furthered a bill that would make it easier to evict tenants, strip TOPA rights from thousands of tenants (many living in affordable buildings), and underfund emergency rental assistance.

The @councilofdc.bsky.social just voted on legislation that would strip TOPA rights from every tenant living in a building built since 2010. From now until their building is 15 years old.

Chairman Mendelson circulated an amendment to the budget last night to pull back $30M in appropriations.

Join us in making phone calls to the Chairman's office (202-724-7002) ASAP asking them to preserve ECE funds.

Want to support DC residents? Call these Coucilmembers today:

CM Christina Henderson - (202) 724-8105 office
CM Matt Frumin - (202) 724-8062 office
CM Robert White - (202) 727-8174 office

Tell them to vote in support of Parker's amendment to raise revenue via capital gains.

DC Council Should Restore the DC Child Tax Credit and Baby Bonds Program Suggestions for policies to raise critically needed revenue, minimize cuts to basic human needs programs, and avoid balancing the budget on the backs of DC’s Black and brown residents struggling on lo...

Poverty reduction boosts the economy, as we’ve written about here. As you know, this would mostly benefit Black children in the District.

www.dcfpi.org/all/dc-counc...

Most of the tax increase will fall on the wealthiest taxpayers because they have the most capital gains. And, Councilmember Parker’s amendment includes several exemptions to better target the tax increase to those with high wealth.

Taxing capital gains will raise a modest level of revenue to meet needs while narrowing DC’s outsized concentration of wealth and racial wealth gap and beginning to unrig a tax system that includes a bevy of special advantages for wealth.

These amendments, along with improvements that council has already made, will allow more families to retain TANF benefits & child care subsidy vouchers, & more workers to benefit from the Pay Equity Fund & paid leave program.

Councilmember Parker has introduced amendments to modestly increase taxes on capital gains and use the revenue to help fund PSH vouchers, restore the CTC and provide other investments that will benefit the people of DC.

Today is the second reading of the budget, and it's past time for our council to seriously consider revenue raisers to protect the citizens of DC during these increasingly difficult times.

As local and federal government attacks on immigrants escalate, DC should not overlook the many ways these residents contribute to the communities they live in and the local economy, including through their tax contributions toward DC’s shared resources.

https://loom.ly/UzYRGnY

D.C. Council should support tipped workers by maintaining I-82: There is no evidence that the policy is harming the restaurant industry in the District The D.C. Council is debating watering down or eliminating Initiative 82 (I-82), a law passed overwhelmingly by D.C. voters in 2022 that gradually phases out the subminimum wage for tipped workers through 2027. The D.C. Council has already postponed wage increases for tipped workers this year, delaying a scheduled July increase to October.{{1}} Further actions…

Currently, the regular minimum wage in D.C. is $17.95, & the tipped minimum wage is $10 an hour.

Interfering with I-82 will deny many low-wage workers their vital wage gains & economic security in a high-cost-of-living metro area.

Read more from our friends at EPI: https://loom.ly/JxiqDb0

Take Action

🚨 Action Alert 🚨

Tell the DC Council you support increased funding to end chronic homelessness! Underinvestment in housing will cause undue harm to our neighbors who are already struggling.

https://loom.ly/lYmZqa8

The Federal government's continual interference in issues that other states are granted full control over underscores our need for equal representation. Not only are these riders harmful, but DC's 700,000+ residents deserve the right to make decisions about where we call home.

Looking to stay informed about how the latest federal actions are affecting the District? Subscribe to DCFPI’s Federal Threats Watch to receive timely updates on federal threats to DC’s revenue and spending.

✉️: https://loom.ly/OJeWcT0

DC Council Should Reject Ineffective Corporate Giveaways The budget in front of the DC Council would invest scarce resources into disproven “trickle-down” tactics at the expense of health care and supports for workers and families. Send an email now: The DC Council must reject wasteful and ineffective corporate giveaways that won’t grow the economy.   The current budget would: Subsidize a billionaire and wealthy sports team co-owners to build a stadium in spite of consensus from economists that stadiums do not have a strong economic be...

🚨 Action Alert 🚨

Contact your DC Councilmembers now and urge them to reject ineffective corporate giveaways.

The budget before the DC Council would invest scarce resources in disproven “trickle-down” tactics at the expense of DC residents.

https://loom.ly/fsJN9jk

Elected officials often want a mountain of evidence to invest in programs supporting low income residents, but they often swiftly enact business subsidies without solid research evidence they'll benefit DC and renew them with little oversight. Read more about this double standard in my blog below.

At First Vote, Council Budget Leaves Vulnerable Residents’ Lives Hanging in the Balance DC Council gave initial approval to a fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget that makes improvements over Mayor Bowser’s proposal but as a whole fails to provide vulnerable residents shelter from the coming storm.

This week, the DC Council gave initial approval to a FY26 budget that makes improvements over the mayor's proposal, but as a whole, fails to provide vulnerable residents shelter from the coming storm.

Our staff breaks down budget hits, misses, and hopes: https://loom.ly/5EFrYk0

Double Standard of Evidence for Economic Development Incentives is Wasteful and Comes at the Expense of Residents’ Wellbeing and a Stronger Economy …

Mayor Bowser has said policies should be evaluated so we know what works.

But her proposed 2026 budget heavily invests in unproven and disproven economic development strategies, while cutting programs that research shows create healthy communities and a stronger economy.

https://loom.ly/dwNY_sU

Evictions in DC are at their highest level in 10 years. Evictions are extremely harmful to those who experience them, often leading those impacted into a downward spiral and setting them back for years.

Read the full report from UPO: https://loom.ly/L33RiFE

Mayor’s Economic Playbook Full of Disproven Ideas that Could Worsen Inequality Mayor Bowser’s new economic agenda funnels more than $1 billion to the corporate class and doubles down on ineffective strategies while stripping away legal protections for tenants and wages for workers.

At a time of deep economic uncertainty, the Mayor's agenda fails to embrace policies that grow DC’s economy from the bottom up and middle out, paving the way for worsening inequality.
https://loom.ly/kFgmmrQ

Truly astounded by @mayorbowser.bsky.social. The social safety net is designed to meet basic human needs in a city with extreme racial and economic inequity, not attract residents or tourists. 🧵https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/07/08/interview-dc-mayor-muriel-bowser-her-blm-plaza-decision/

DC Needs To Prioritize Displacement Prevention and Affordable Housing Preservation If the Council truly seeks a balanced approach to the housing ecosystem, then they must find a way to directly support renters in the FY 2026 budget.

Read more from the DCFPI team on housing: www.dcfpi.org/all/dc-needs...

The Mayor’s demonizing of tenants who are just struggling to get by ignores the consistent evidence that this housing crisis is one of unaffordable rents and shrinking incomes.