Trump Supports D.C. Budget Fix, Urges House Action/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump publicly backs a Senate-approved measure to restore $1.1 billion to Washington, D.C.’s budget. The move averts looming cuts to essential services, but Trump also slams city leaders and vows tough crime enforcement. The House faces pressure to act before its April recess.
D.C. Budget Fix Quick Looks
- Trump urges swift House approval of D.C. budget fix
- Measure would restore $1.1 billion cut from D.C. budget
- Senate passed fix after initial bill slashed local funding
- Mayor Bowser warns of deep staffing and service cuts
- House GOP leadership still noncommittal on vote timing
- Trump combines support with criticism of city leadership
- New executive order forms ‘D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force’
- Trump vows crackdown on crime, immigration, and public safety in D.C.
- April 11 House recess adds pressure for immediate action
- Mayor delays 2026 budget proposal pending resolution
Trump Supports D.C. Budget Fix, Urges House Action
Deep Look
Trump Backs D.C. Budget Fix While Vowing Crime Crackdown in the Capital
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Friday endorsed a crucial budget fix for the District of Columbia, calling on the House of Representatives to pass a Senate-approved bill that would restore $1.1 billion in funding and prevent a major financial crisis for the capital city.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared, “The House should take up the D.C. funding ‘fix’ that the Senate has passed, and get it done IMMEDIATELY.”
The message marked Trump’s first public support for the measure, which would reverse a provision in a recently passed government funding bill that slashed the District’s budget by forcing a return to 2024 spending levels mid-year. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, had launched an intense lobbying campaign to avert the budget cut, warning that the change would result in widespread layoffs and service reductions.
Despite the political friction between Trump and Bowser, the president’s backing represents a significant shift — and a potential lifeline for the city. Bowser has delayed unveiling her 2026 budget proposal until the funding gap is resolved.
“This budget gap would have forced impossible choices — police and teacher layoffs, cuts to essential services,” Bowser said earlier this month. “It’s not just a local issue. The world is watching how we treat our capital.”
The Senate had passed the funding bill including the cuts, but quickly followed it with a separate corrective measure to restore D.C.’s funding. That bill now sits in the House, awaiting a vote before lawmakers leave for their April 11 recess.
House Republicans have yet to commit to a vote, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying only, “We’re working through that.” Majority Leader Steve Scalise cast doubt on the urgency of the situation, calling the mayor’s warnings “overstated.”
But House Democrats are urging swift action. “It needs to happen before we go on the next district work period,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “This is a fix to an egregious error.”
Even before Trump’s Truth Social post, Jeffries hinted that the president supported resolving the issue — and now, that’s confirmed.
Yet Trump’s endorsement of the funding measure didn’t come without strings attached. In the same breath, he renewed his sharp criticism of the city’s governance and pledged direct intervention if improvements aren’t made.
“We need to clean up our once beautiful Capital City, and make it beautiful again,” Trump wrote, adding: “We will be TOUGH ON CRIME, like never before. I will work with the Mayor on this and, if it does not happen, will have no choice but to do it myself.”
Trump’s comments follow his Thursday night executive order establishing the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, a new inter-agency group aimed at cleaning up the city and enforcing stricter immigration and crime policies. The order outlines plans to enhance federal law enforcement coordination, expedite concealed carry permit processing, and increase deportations of undocumented residents.
“America’s capital must be a place in which residents, commuters, and tourists feel safe at all hours,” the order reads. “Its monuments and streets should reflect our Nation’s greatness.”
Critics say Trump’s dual approach — endorsing budget relief while threatening federal intervention — is part of a broader strategy to assert control over Democratic-led jurisdictions and set a tone for his second term.
Still, for now, his support boosts Bowser’s chances of salvaging the city’s finances.
Whether House Republicans act before the spring recess remains uncertain. But with Trump’s post reshaping the political dynamics, momentum may be shifting toward resolution — even as the debate exposes deep partisan rifts over how to govern the nation’s capital.
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