Direct and unique impact

March 21, 2025
General

DC government is united: the Senate got us halfway and the House must finish the job of giving back D.C’.s authority to spend our own local funds. A mid-year cut of $1b would be disastrous – to public safety, education, and more essential services.

WARD 1 UPDATE

Hello Neighbors:

It’s been a very stressful few weeks for many of us here in the District as federal actions have created concern and uncertainty – from the fate of D.C.’s budget to what the role of MPD should be in enforcing federal activity.

Many of you have reached out to ask me about how those actions are impacting and will impact D.C., and how D.C. government is reacting and protecting residents.

Many of you are also hurting personally – fired from federal jobs or nonprofit jobs that were supported with federal funds. Or living in fear that you or a family member or provider may lose your job. I am so sorry. It should not be this way. Please check out these resources we’ve compiled.

We are facing a lot of challenges, with new ones almost every day. One thing that I am doing in all of this is trying to keep a narrow focus on the things that impact D.C. directly and uniquely, things that I can play a role in addressing through advocacy and legislation.

Two issues rise to the top this week: the need for a fix to the D.C. budget hole created by Congress’ Continuing Resolution; and questions about the Metropolitan Police Department’s involvement in the removal of staff from the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Continuing Resolution and the D.C. budget fix

You may have heard that the CR passed by the House and the Senate last week leaves a $1.1 billion hole in D.C.’s budget. This is the direct result of D.C. not being a state and its unique status and oversight by Congress. Omission of a provision that’s been in every CR for the past 20+ years means that D.C. cannot follow its approved FY25 budget. Instead, we have to revert to the FY24 budget.

Finding that kind of money – halfway through the year – would require draconian cuts. There is no way to accomplish that level of savings without taking from public safety, education, and human services, among others. And the cuts would not save U.S. taxpayers even $1. All of that money is raised locally by D.C. We would still collect it but be forced to put it in a bank account until next year.

After Councilmembers, the Mayor and hundreds of residents, including children(!), went to the Hill to raise awareness in Congress, the Senate passed a standalone bill with a fix for the D.C. budget problem. That bill is now with the House and we are hearing that the White House and Republican leadership are amenable, but its passage is not at all assured. The Council and Mayor continue to reach out and explain to House leadership and members why they must support the D.C. budget fix. A vote could come the week after next.

MPD’s involvement in the U.S. Institute of Peace incident

Last weekend Metropolitan Police Officers were dispatched to the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent nonprofit organization, to eject staff and allow federal DOGE operatives entrance to the building. I received quite a few questions by email and in person about why MPD was involved.

I have that concern, too, and so do many of my colleagues. We spoke with MPD officials this week, who answered some of our questions, and we still have others.

The bottom line is it is not the role of MPD to escort federal DOGE employees into private buildings. Federal agencies have federal law enforcement at their disposal. We continue to pursue answers and assurances about the future role of MPD in these situations.

COUNCIL UPDATES

Up next: budget season

Next month, the Mayor will submit her proposal for the District’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget to the Council, and my staff and I will dive into the numbers in detail, with an eye toward programs that serve our most vulnerable residents and the city services people count on every day. Budget oversight hearings will begin in the coming weeks—I strongly encourage residents to participate by speaking at a hearing or submitting written testimony. Your input matters, and you might be surprised by how much impact your oral or written testimony can have.

If you would like to engage in the Council’s budget process, stay tuned to the Hearing Management System. That’s where the full schedule of hearing will be published, and it’s where you can sign up to testify at specific hearings, submit testimony, or view agency responses. The Council Budget Office has a lot of helpful information on how to understand the budget, including a very handy interactive visualizer, with Fiscal Year 2025 data coming soon.

Name that street

About a dozen Girl Scouts and their parents and troop leaders are seated in four rows in the audience chairs behind a wooden table intended for testifying at a hearing. Some are wearing their Brownie sashes and others Girl Scouts vests.

Council voted to ceremonially name the 3000 block of Veazey Terrace NW “Girl Scout’s Way”. Girl Scouts always lead the way! I know because I’m a lifelong Girl Scout and a Brownie troop leader. Last year Girls Scouts Nation’s Capital came to testify in support of the bill I introduced to make the designation, and it was great to make it official!

Council also passed on first reading my bill to name an alley in Ward 1 after DC Legendary Musicians. DCLM works to ensures the history of D.C.’s music scene is never forgotten and that the city’s legacy of innovation and creativity continues to thrive.

BRIANNE IN WARD 1

Man in hard hat and high viz vest talks with Councilmember Nadeau, also in hard hat and high viz vest

Councilmember Nadeau joins several other individuals with shovels in hand to break ground on dirt in blue container

Man in baseball hat with clipboard talks with Councilmember Nadeau in high viz vest and hard hat

It was so exciting to break ground on the latest Jubilee Housing affordable housing project in Adams Morgan on Kalorama Road. The renovation of the King Emanuel Baptist Church, an African American church that has been in Adams Morgan since 1907, will provide dignified housing for 18 returning citizens.

As always, Jubilee looks beyond just the home, however. Residents will benefit from wraparound services and employment, too – they’ll get to work and learn skills in farming, marketing, sales and more at the adjacent Ontario Place, site of a soon-to-open aquaponics farm.

Councilmember Nadeau smiles while biting into an apple

My daughter Zoe snapped these photos to celebrate National School Breakfast Week. School breakfast improves health and academic performance and reduces household food insecurity. Let’s #HearTheCrunch and make sure our D.C. students start the day strong with healthy food!

Councilmember Nadeau poses with AdMo BID honoree Kim Vacca

Councilmember Nadeau poses with AdMo BID honoree Josh Gibson

Around Ward 1 and throughout D.C., we see what a difference it makes when there is an organization that can coordinate essential services, beautify, promote business, and support public safety.

The Adams Morgan BID is one – congratulations on your 20th anniversary! And congratulations to honorees Kim Vacca and Josh Gibson, who works here at the Council.

Brownie shash with patches - top one is yellow with a girl riding a bicycle, then a skyline with the metro, then the Henry Ford Museum

Circa 1989: my Brownie Troop earned patches for biking & transit. That’s the Detroit People Mover. Now, I’m a Brownie leader who bikes and takes WMATA. I had a great time checking off #TranspoBINGO squares this year. Thank you to the organizers!

COMMUNITY UPDATES

Earth Month Bottle Bill Cleanups

We are encouraging Ward 1 neighbors and organizations to host cleanups on Saturday, April 26, the same day that the Anacostia Watershed Society is doing their cleanups to protect the Anacostia. We’ll be cleaning up our neighborhoods and sharing information about the bottle bill I introduced with 10 other Councilmembers. As a part of that, we’ll count the number of bottles and cans picked up.

Let us know if you’re interested! We’ll reach out to the Office of the Clean City to request clean up supplies and we can help support and publicize your neighborhood cleanup. Reply to this newsletter or email me at [email protected].

Housing webinar for federal employees and contractors

Join Housing Counseling Services, Inc. for a free webinar on Monday, March 26 at 6 pm on securing your housing needs in challenging times. The webinar will cover financial resources, emergency budgeting, renter’s rights, and mortgage options.

Details and registration

School lottery results: March 28

DCPS Lottery results will be released on March 28. Applicants can access their lottery results by logging into their My School DC family account. Families that receive a school match in the lottery have until May 1 to enroll at their matched school.

Enrolling at their matched school will not remove their child from waitlists. Families can save the date for Enrollment Saturday on April 26 (more details coming soon).

Families who missed the deadlines can still apply to public schools for the 2025-26 school year! The application is available in English and Spanish. Post-lottery applications are automatically added to schools’ waitlists in the order they are received and below applicants who applied by the lottery deadlines. The only exception to this is for applicants that qualify for a lottery preference. Learn more here.

Still Have Questions? Contact My School DC: Visit MSDC today, call the hotline at 202-888-6336 or send an email to [email protected]. The hotline offers direct support to non-English speakers with bilingual staff and interpreters. Call 202-888-6336 for assistance in your language.

Save the date: POWERUP DC Small Business Summit

DC Health Link will host its annual POWERUP DC Small Business Summit on May 6. The summit feature workshops, funding sources, access to capital and procurement opportunities, tools for self-employment, networking and one-on-one consultation with business experts, an award luncheon, and business expo. Details and registration information coming soon.