Big news from Monday’s Council vote on the First Reading of the FY 2026 budget, including restoring funds to critical programs, approving funding for ranked choice voting, and postponing action on the ill-conceived repeal of I-82, the tipped minimum wage. 

I won’t be able to catalogue all the budget wins here – and nothing is final until the second and final vote on July 28. But let me highlight some of the top line items.  

One of the biggest pieces of news: the Council supported a proposal I introduced along with my colleague At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson to fund implementation of Ranked Choice Voting, something voters approved overwhelmingly (and in all eight wards) last November. I’m committed to looking for funding for the full implementation of I-83, to include open primaries. 

In addition, the budget approved Monday: 

• Restores some funding for Emergency Rental Assistance, and Permanent Supportive Housing for families 

• Restores funding for substance use disorder and behavioral health services targeted outreach, including a highly successful program I launched in Ward 1 that has since been expanded to other parts of the District. 

• Funds Medicaid coverage for home visiting for expectant parents. 

• Invests in road safety, funding the STEER Act and fraudulent tags legislation, which allow for more readily booting and towing vehicles with dangerous drivers and vehicles with fake license plates. I’m also looking forward to implementation of the PLAZA Act, new legislation that will make it easier to activate more pedestrian zones in our roadways. 

• Takes care of workers, including education workers: restores funds for early childhood educator pay equity, teacher wellness, and, with the postponement of action on the proposed I-82 repeal, also protects restaurant workers. (I joined Councilmembers Janeese Lewis George and Matt Frumin in introducing a budget amendment to take the Mayor’s repeal of the tipped minimum wage – Initiative 82 – out of the budget. The amendment passed 7-5.) 

• Restores the requirement – which the Mayor removed – for Project Labor Agreements on District-funded projects, providing better working conditions and protections for workers on those projects. 

• Preserves programs that reduce waste and improve the environment: more composting, more money for Anacostia River cleanup—setting the stage, I hope, for the next major piece of environmental legislation – beverage container deposit program to remove millions of bottles and cans from Anacostia River, our streets, and neighborhoods. 

• Made a breakthrough on public restrooms – increasing the number of incredibly popular Throne self-standing moveable restrooms from six to 10, paving the way for a long-overdue permanent public restrooms program in the District. 

• Bolsters the Department of Buildings budget for inspections, critical to ensuring safety for workers and neighbors. 

• Restores $22 million over four years to reinstate the annual cost of living adjustment for recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Also adds $2 million to reverse measures in the Mayor’s proposal that would threaten family’s benefits. 

• Makes investments in both housing preservation and production. 

• Gives the city’s crime lab what it needs to once again conduct in-house DNA testing. The inability to do so resulted in delays and even dropped cases; I continue to focus on addressing deficiencies at agencies like DFS and the 911 call center that play a critical role in public safety. 

• Adds administrative law judges and staff at the Office of Administrative Hearings – enhancements that are critical to making every other part of D.C. government run effectively.  

• Partially restores funding to the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children, an office that is critical to safeguarding children and families.  

Ward 1 investments 

We’ve managed to protect and expand investments in Ward 1, including: 

• $27 million over four years to finally build out a much-needed annex at Bancroft Elementary School.  

• $3 million to support Rosemount Early Childhood Center secure its location for the future. 

• $600,000 for senior villages, including Mt. Pleasant and Vida Senior Center in Adams Morgan. 

• $100,000 for maintenance of the Walter Pierce Park restroom. 

• Support for parks and plazas around the ward, including Amigos Park, the triangle at 625 T St., NW. 

• Almost $1.3 million for GALA, Lincoln, and Howard theatres. 

• And adding a water source for Wangari Gardens. 

We’re not done yet! 

There is more to be done before we finalize the budget on July 28. I am working on the following: 

• While the Health Committee did a lot to restore cuts to Alliance that had taken us years to reverse in the past, there is still inadequate funding to retain people’s benefits. 

• Right now, the budget does not include adequate resources for people living outside. I’m glad to see Permanent Supportive Housing for families, but we need to address Permanent Supportive Housing for individuals.  

• There is not enough funding for community violence prevention. The budget restores funding for six Cure the Streets violence interruption sites but does not include funding to continue the site that includes neighborhoods in Ward 1 and Ward 4. 

• We need to restore the child tax credit and ERAP fully. 

  
Stabilizing revenue 

These are all significant needs.  

For years, we have known that we need to stabilize revenue so that it doesn’t fluctuate in good times and bad. For years, we waited for the Tax and Revenue Commission to complete its work and make recommendations – recommendations that never came.  

This means we are well overdue for substantial and structural changes to the District’s revenues: to broaden the tax base, encourage business growth, assess the impact of fines and fees, and increase transparency in the tax code. This is the only way we’re going to make rational and responsible reforms that ensure we can meet the needs of the District and its residents and distribute the burden equitably. I hope that between now and second reading we can continue that conversation.  

The Council, working together, was able to make some real improvements and introduce much-needed programs and services that impact residents’ lives.  

I look forward to working with colleagues and hearing from residents in the coming days so that we can ensure the FY26 budget closes out in a way that meets our obligation to the residents of the District.