Trump approves budget correction to restore Washington, DC, Deficit

By Ashraf Khalil, Associated Press

Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump pushes the House of Representatives to adopt a measure that would prevent an immediate financial disaster for the Columbia district when he continues not to criticize the city and its leaders severe.

In an article on Friday morning on Truth Social, he wrote: “The room should resume DC’s” corrective “that the Senate has exceeded and do it immediately.”

It is the first direct public indication of the Republican President that he supports efforts to restore a hole of $ 1.1 billion in the district budget, and it is a major boost for the democratic campaign of the mayor of Washington Muriel Bowser to reverse a legislative change which, according to her, would devastate the capital.

Earlier this month, the Chamber adopted a funding bill from the federal government which would force the government of the district to return to its budgetary parameters of 2024, effectively reducing $ 1.1 billion in its budget in the midst of the financial year.

Bowser has led an intense Lobbying Congress campaign to prevent change, saying that this would cause immediate cuts to staff and programs, including licensed teachers and police.

The Senate approved the financing bill with the reduction, but immediately followed a separate bill which would make the budget of the District entirely again. This measure now awaits the approval of the house and Bowser delayed the unveiling of its 2026 budget plan until the question is resolved.

Despite the indications that Trump supported the budgetary solution, he had not weighed publicly so far. The house adjourned for its spring recreation on April 11 and the republican management of the House remained vague on the subject, President Mike Johnson of Louisiana said on Tuesday that it was too early to confirm when the Chamber would vote on the budgetary solution.

“We work through it,” said Johnson.

The head of the majority, Steve Scalie, of Louisiana, declared earlier this week than the claim of the financial ruin district “sounds overestimated”.

The Democratic Democrat of the Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Thursday that the recess of April 11 offered a natural deadline and a feeling of emergency.

“This must happen before going to the next period of work in the district, which means that it should happen next week or the following week,” said Jeffries.

Speaking before Trump’s publication of Trump, Jeffries said: “Apparently, even Donald Trump himself expressed support for the need to correct this blatant error.”

Trump approval of the budgetary fix comes in the midst of a wave of attention to the national capital, the president issuing a series of declarations and decrees aimed at crime, roaming, immigration policy and the control of firearms in the district.

Thursday evening, Trump published an executive decree establishing the inter-departmental working group DC Safe and Beautiful, which, according to him, would coordinate with local officials on things such as the application of the federal immigration law, in particular by deporting people illegally living in the city, stimulating the presence of the police and increasing the cost of the treatment of applications Hidden weapons.

“The American capital must be a place where residents, shuttles and tourists feel safe at all hours, including public transport. Its motorways, boulevards and parks should be clean, well maintained and pleasant, “said the prescription. “His monuments, museums and buildings should reflect and inspire the fear and appreciation of the strength, the greatness and heritage of our nation.”

And despite the support of the budgetary solution, Trump’s publication of Friday morning was also criticized by the national capital and a warning: “We must clean our former capital in the past and make it beautiful again.”

“We will be hard for crime, like never before,” wrote Trump. “I will work with the mayor on this subject and, if it does not happen, I will have no choice but to do it myself.”

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the non -voting delegate from the district to the House, praised Trump’s support for the budgetary solution and has linked the problem in the longtime and increasingly besieged campaign of Washington to become the 51st state.

“As surprised as I am to have an opportunity to agree with President Trump, in this case, we agree that DC should be able to spend its own local funds at its own locally adopted levels,” a Democrat, in a statement, said. “This test, however, only emphasizes the need for DC Statehood so that DC can finally govern itself to the same extent offered to the States, in particular by making decisions on how to use its own local funds.”

The writers of the Associated Press Darlene Superville, Kevin Freking and Leah Askarinam contributed to this report.

Originally published: March 28, 2025 at 1:58 p.m.