Councilmembers Nadeau, Charles Allen, Janeese Lewis George, and Christina Henderson transmitted the following letter to Mayor Bowser on Monday, February 9, 2026.
February 9, 2026
The Honorable Muriel Bowser
Mayor of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Mayor Bowser,
For years, the D.C. Council has worked to build out a humane and dignified safety net of health, housing, and other services and supports to promote prosperity for all District residents. This approach aligns with our shared values as a city and has proven to be more cost-effective than the draconian policies of the past.
As you finish work on your FY 2027 budget proposal, we write to express our concern that past – and potential future – cuts present clear threats to the system we have in place, and the tens of thousands of residents who count on it.
In the past two budgets, the Council was presented with significant cuts, including the loss of eligibility for services, elimination of cost-of-living increases, and pay cuts for educators, and other critical services and supports. While the Council was able to restore some of the most significant cuts, others remained; some were restored for FY26, but with cuts baked into FY27 and future budgets.
The safety net is at risk of being dismantled and in desperate need of corrective action. We ask you to work with us to ensure that the reduced funding in the FY26 budget does not become the new high bar, from which we make further and further cuts. Rather, now is the time to restore supports as much as possible.
Programmatic cuts in the FY2026 budget have slashed critical supports for families, including cutting DC Healthcare Alliance coverage, SNAP assistance, TANF cash assistance for children and parents, wages for childcare workers, rapid re-housing assistance for thousands of families, and housing for adults experiencing homelessness. These cuts take money from families for basic essentials and instead cut off access to healthcare for thousands of residents, reduce teacher salaries, and eliminate—for the first time in years—funding to help single adults move into housing. This is in addition to the tens of thousands of residents already facing Medicaid cuts and reductions to their federal SNAP benefits.
Mayor Bowser, as you prepare to release your proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, we urge you to work with the Council to preserve the integrity of our city’s safety net, reverse cuts to eligibility and benefits, and help us ensure the dignity, safety, and well-being of all our neighbors.
Specifically, we urge you to:
- Restore Alliance eligibility to levels that were in place through FY2025.
- Ensure dental, vision, and long-term care coverage to anyone on a Basic Health Plan who meets the Medicaid eligibility rules in effect through FY 2025.
- Cancel TANF time limits and enhanced sanctions and implement annual cost-of-living adjustments to TANF benefits.
- Fully fund the Pay Equity Fund.
- Fund Permanent Supportive Housing for adults without children and put D.C. on the path to ending chronic homelessness.
- Develop a plan to ensure that all families with children have access to safe and affordable housing before Rapid Rehousing ends.
The Council voted to pass the FY26 budget, with restoration of some funding, even as we lamented the seemingly unavoidable cuts to essential programs. This year, as in years past, we will fight to preserve every service and support for our low-income residents, and to restore the ones they’ve lost. Mayor, we hope that you will join us fulfilling our responsibility to maintain and build a D.C. aligned with our shared values.
Sincerely,
Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau
Councilmember Christina Henderson
Councilmember Charles Allen
Councilember Janeese Lewis George