Bowser freezes spending, threatens furloughs thanks to Congress's budget interference

Let the cutting begin.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Tuesday ordered a government-wide freeze on spending as a means to address a $1.1 billion hole that Congress created in the city’s current budget — and has thus far failed to fix.

The freeze, which Bowser outlined in a mayoral order, will apply to hiring or promoting government workers, pay raises or bonuses, a variety of contracts, and overtime spending. Her order also contemplates furloughing government workers and temporarily closing facilities like recreation centers and libraries.

Agencies could apply for exemptions from the freeze. It’s likely that the Metropolitan Police Department, which relies heavily on overtime, will request an exemption for that purpose. (From Oct. 2023 to Sept. 2024, MPD officers racked up almost two million hours of OT worth $133 million.)

Still, D.C. officials say this is the first step in an unexpected and challenging rush to scale back expenses in the middle of the city’s fiscal year.

"This is pretty unprecedented," a senior D.C. official told The 51st. "We are making reductions … because Congress did not take action to correct what we think is an error. This is very unnecessary.”

The budget saga started last month when the House mistakenly forced D.C. to revert to its spending levels from last year, amounting to a $1.1 billion cut. The Senate passed a quick fix, but the House did not take it up before departing last week for a two-week recess. D.C. officials said they are employing an obscure budget trick to limit potential cuts to $410 million.

Still, Bowser’s order says that “extraordinary measures” must be taken to limit spending as quickly as possible, before submitting a supplemental budget for the current fiscal year that would cement those cuts in place. “What this is allowing us to do … is to pause where we are so we can get a good handle on what funding may be available to close the gap,” said the senior D.C. official.

The last time D.C. was forced to cut its budget so suddenly was early in the COVID-19 pandemic, though federal aid was quick to close many of those gaps. In this case, it’s federal action that is causing the budget gap.

Many of the freezes take effect immediately, though the pause on overtime spending will begin April 27, the day before House members return to Washington. Furloughs and facility closures are not set in stone, though City Administrator Kevin Donahue will have to submit a plan to Bowser for both by April 25. Even then, there may  be a delay before either of those happens, depending on how successful other measures are in holding down government spending.

If government facilities do close on a temporary basis, Bowser’s order preemptively exempts schools, homeless shelters, and health facilities like the St. Elizabeths psychiatric hospital and the city’s stabilization center, which helps people with substance-abuse problems. Other facilities could be shuttered for varying amounts of time. 

“We will be looking at different options for closures of facilities. All options are on the table,” said the senior D.C. official.

Contracts for a variety of services could also be at risk, depending on whether or not money has already been allocated. Broadly speaking, though, money that isn't already spoken for or out the door could be frozen.

It still remains unclear how long any spending freezes will last or how extensively they will be felt by District residents. The House could still return to Washington and quickly act to close the budget gap it created, but the longer it takes, the more likely the cuts will stick.

The entire saga has also delayed Bowser’s submission of the 2026 budget to the D.C. Council. It was originally expected to be unveiled earlier this month, but at this point, that could be pushed to May or beyond. 

“It’s a never-ending moving target,” the D.C. official said.