WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is pushing for the House of Representatives to approve a measure that would avert immediate financial calamity for the District of Columbia, despite his ongoing criticism of the city’s leadership. In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump urged, “The House should take up the D.C. funding ‘fix’ that the Senate has passed, and get it done IMMEDIATELY.”
This statement marks the first direct public support from the Republican president for efforts to address a significant $1.1 billion deficit in the district’s budget, providing a significant boost to Democratic Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser’s campaign to overturn a legislative amendment she claims would have dire consequences for the capital city.
Earlier, the House approved a federal funding bill that would roll back the district’s government to its 2024 budget, cutting $1.1 billion midway through the fiscal year. Mayor Bowser led a vigorous lobbying effort in Congress to avert this outcome, warning of severe, immediate cuts, potentially leading to layoffs among teachers and police officers.
Although the Senate passed the funding bill with the proposed cuts, it swiftly followed with another bill to rectify the district’s budget. This bill now awaits a decision from the House, with Bowser postponing the announcement of her 2026 budget plan until this matter is resolved.
While Trump had shown alignment with the budget correction, he had not publicly commented until now. The House is set to adjourn for its spring recess on April 11, with House Republican leaders remaining unclear about the timeline for a vote on the budget fix. Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana remarked Tuesday that it was premature to specify when the House would address this issue. “We’re working through that,” Johnson stated.
Meanwhile, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana suggested this week that the district’s claims of financial distress might be exaggerated. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York emphasized the importance of resolving this before the recess, suggesting it should happen within the next two weeks. “It needs to happen before we go on the next district work period,” Jeffries noted.
Before Trump’s post on Friday, Jeffries commented on Trump’s apparent support for rectifying the budget oversight. Trump’s backing comes amid heightened attention on the nation’s capital, where he has released several statements and executive orders focusing on crime, homelessness, immigration, and gun control policies in the district.
On Thursday night, Trump signed an executive order launching the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. This initiative aims to collaborate with local officials on enforcing federal immigration laws, increasing law enforcement, and streamlining concealed weapons application processes. The order highlights a vision of safety and cleanliness for the capital’s residents and visitors.
Despite his endorsement of the financial measure, Trump’s statement also criticized the capital city, advocating for its revitalization. “We need to clean up our once beautiful Capital City, and make it beautiful again,” he warned, promising a tough stance on crime in cooperation with the mayor or independently if needed.
District delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton welcomed Trump’s support for fixing the budget issue, linking it to Washington’s ongoing quest for statehood—a status Norton argues would enable D.C. to control its finances independently, mirroring the autonomy of other states. “As surprised as I am to have an occasion to agree with President Trump, in this instance, we agree that D.C. should be able to spend its own local funds at its own locally enacted levels,” Norton stated.