Floor SpeechBipartisan2025-03-14

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS ACT, 2025

TaxesForeign Policy

Context

On 2025-03-14, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) delivered a floor speech titled "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS ACT, 2025" in the Senate. The speech addressed taxes and also covered foreign policy. It referenced legislation including S1772, S1773, S1077.

Full Text

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS ACT, 2025

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S1772-S1773] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS ACT, 2025 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of S. 1077, which the clerk will report. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 1077) to approve local funds for the District of Columbia for fiscal year 2025, in accordance with the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024, and to establish provisions for the use of such funds. The PRESIDING OFFICER. There will now be up to 10 minutes of debate, equally divided. The Senator from Maine. Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I am pleased to introduce this bill with Senators Van Hollen, Murray, Alsobrooks, Warner, and Kaine. It has been endorsed by President Trump and also by the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Tom Cole. This bill would simply fix a mistake in the House CR that prevents the District of Columbia from spending its own tax dollars as part of its budget, which Congress routinely approves. Congress approves the authorization of the expenditure of DC local funds, which are paid for by DC tax revenues. The first CR that we enacted last year included language to approve the DC's fiscal year 2025 budget, and that language was continued in the second CR. However, the House did not extend this anomaly in the yearlong CR. As a result, unless this bill is passed, DC would have to operate under its fiscal year 2024 budget for the remainder of 2025, potentially requiring $1.1 billion in local spending cuts. Reducing DC's local funding expenditures will not result in a dollar of Federal savings. Since October 1 of 2024, the District has been operating under and spending at its approved level for the fiscal year 2025 budget. According to the CBO, this bill does not have any budgetary cost to the Federal Government. There are no Federal dollars involved. The issue here is just allowing the DC Government to proceed to spend its own tax revenues. Accordingly, I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure to correct a true inequity. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, I want to thank Senator Collins for working on an emergency basis to fix this problem in the House bill. She said it well, so I only want to emphasize two points. One, what the House did does not save the Federal taxpayer one penny--not one penny. What it does is cap what the District of Columbia can spend in using its own money and based on its own decisions. So taxpayers are not saved a dime by what they did nor will they gain by our fix. The people of the District of Columbia should be able to make these decisions, and if they are having to make a budget with $1 billion less, it will mean fewer resources, fewer firefighters, and less money for schools. So I want to thank the Senator from Maine for working with us on this. I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues from Virginia and Maryland--Senator Warner, Senator Alsobrooks, and Senator Kaine. We urge its adoption unanimously. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia. Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I also want to thank my dear friend from Maine. She is moving back up much higher on all of our lists for being willing to step up and help correct this. You know, we all want what the President wants. The President wants our Nation's Capital to be the safest, cleanest, most welcoming city. DC gets 26 million tourists every year. In 2026, we are going to celebrate 250 years. We want to show off DC and the whole region. If we allow this mistake to take place, DC will lay off cops. It will close schools. It will shut down our trash removal. For those of us in the region who use the Metro, there will be dramatic cutbacks. Let's correct this mistake. Let's make sure that we show on our 250th anniversary the cleanest, safest city in America. This will be a giant step toward that. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland. Ms. ALSOBROOKS. Madam President, I, too, want to thank Senators Collins, Van Hollen, Warner, and Kaine. I am glad we can work together in this bipartisan way to ensure fairness for the residents of Washington, DC. I rise today to speak for the over 700,000 DC residents who do not have representation in this body. They are our friends and our neighbors. Beyond those who work in DC, Maryland partners with DC on resources like emergency services, police, water, and more. This bipartisan, stand-alone bill ensures that DC tax dollars stay in DC. Again, these funds that have been cut are tax dollars that have literally already been paid by DC residents. All this bill does is to continue to ensure that DC receives what it is owed. So I urge all of my colleagues today to join me in voting yes. Thank you. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia. Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I can make it fast or slow. I am joining all of my colleagues to advocate for this bill. One-third of the Virginia population is a resident of the DC metro area and enjoys this Capital, and 150,000 Virginians come to work in DC every day. They want DC police and services to be well funded. Please support this bill. Thank you. Vote on S.1077 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the bill having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass? The bill (S. 1077) was passed, as follows: S. 1077 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``District of Columbia Local Funds Act, 2025''. SEC. 2. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS. Local funds are appropriated for the District of Columbia for the current fiscal year out of the General Fund of the District of Columbia (``General Fund'') for programs and activities set forth in the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-218) and at rates set forth under such Act, as amended as of the date of enactment of this Act: Provided, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in section 450A of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (section 1-204.50a, D.C. Official Code), sections 816 and 817 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2009 (secs. 47-369.01 and 47-369.02, D.C. Official Code), and provisions of this Act, the total amount appropriated in this Act for operating expenses for the District of Columbia for fiscal year 2025 by this section shall not exceed the estimates included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024, as amended as of the date of enactment of this Act or the sum of the total revenues of the District of Columbia for such fiscal year: Provided further, That the amount appropriated may be increased by proceeds of one-time transactions, which are expended for emergency or unanticipated operating or capital needs: Provided further, That such increases shall be approved by enactment of local District law and shall comply with all reserve requirements contained [[Page S1773]] in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act: Provided further, That the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall take such steps as are necessary to assure that the District of Columbia meets these requirements, including the apportioning by the Chief Financial Officer of the appropriations and funds made available to the District during fiscal year 2025, except that the Chief Financial Officer may not reprogram for operating expenses any funds derived from bonds, notes, or other obligations issued for capital projects. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. The majority leader. Waiving Quorum Calls Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Phelan and Landau nominations be waived. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Referenced legislation: S1077, S1077

View original source →

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS ACT, 2025 Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S1772-S1773] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS ACT, 2025 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of S. 1077, which the clerk will report. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 1077) to approve local funds for the District of Columbia for fiscal year 2025, in accordance with the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024, and to establish provisions for the use of such funds. The PRESIDING OFFICER. There will now be up to 10 minutes of debate, equally divided. The Senator from Maine. Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I am pleased to introduce this bill with Senators Van Hollen, Murray, Alsobrooks, Warner, and Kaine. It has been endorsed by President Trump and also by the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Tom Cole. This bill would simply fix a mistake in the House CR that prevents the District of Columbia from spending its own tax dollars as part of its budget, which Congress routinely approves. Congress approves the authorization of the expenditure of DC local funds, which are paid for by DC tax revenues. The first CR that we enacted last year included language to approve the DC's fiscal year 2025 budget, and that language was continued in the second CR. However, the House did not extend this anomaly in the yearlong CR. As a result, unless this bill is passed, DC would have to operate under its fiscal year 2024 budget for the remainder of 2025, potentially requiring $1.1 billion in local spending cuts. Reducing DC's local funding expenditures will not result in a dollar of Federal savings. Since October 1 of 2024, the District has been operating under and spending at its approved level for the fiscal year 2025 budget. According to the CBO, this bill does not have any budgetary cost to the Federal Government. There are no Federal dollars involved. The issue here is just allowing the DC Government to proceed to spend its own tax revenues. Accordingly, I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure to correct a true inequity. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, I want to thank Senator Collins for working on an emergency basis to fix this problem in the House bill. She said it well, so I only want to emphasize two points. One, what the House did does not save the Federal taxpayer one penny--not one penny. What it does is cap what the District of Columbia can spend in using its own money and based on its own decisions. So taxpayers are not saved a dime by what they did nor will they gain by our fix. The people of the District of Columbia should be able to make these decisions, and if they are having to make a budget with $1 billion less, it will mean fewer resources, fewer firefighters, and less money for schools. So I want to thank the Senator from Maine for working with us on this. I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues from Virginia and Maryland--Senator Warner, Senator Alsobrooks, and Senator Kaine. We urge its adoption unanimously. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia. Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I also want to thank my dear friend from Maine. She is moving back up much higher on all of our lists for being willing to step up and help correct this. You know, we all want what the President wants. The President wants our Nation's Capital to be the safest, cleanest, most welcoming city. DC gets 26 million tourists every year. In 2026, we are going to celebrate 250 years. We want to show off DC and the whole region. If we allow this mistake to take place, DC will lay off cops. It will close schools. It will shut down our trash removal. For those of us in the region who use the Metro, there will be dramatic cutbacks. Let's correct this mistake. Let's make sure that we show on our 250th anniversary the cleanest, safest city in America. This will be a giant step toward that. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland. Ms. ALSOBROOKS. Madam President, I, too, want to thank Senators Collins, Van Hollen, Warner, and Kaine. I am glad we can work together in this bipartisan way to ensure fairness for the residents of Washington, DC. I rise today to speak for the over 700,000 DC residents who do not have representation in this body. They are our friends and our neighbors. Beyond those who work in DC, Maryland partners with DC on resources like emergency services, police, water, and more. This bipartisan, stand-alone bill ensures that DC tax dollars stay in DC. Again, these funds that have been cut are tax dollars that have literally already been paid by DC residents. All this bill does is to continue to ensure that DC receives what it is owed. So I urge all of my colleagues today to join me in voting yes. Thank you. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia. Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I can make it fast or slow. I am joining all of my colleagues to advocate for this bill. One-third of the Virginia population is a resident of the DC metro area and enjoys this Capital, and 150,000 Virginians come to work in DC every day. They want DC police and services to be well funded. Please support this bill. Thank you. Vote on S.1077 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the bill having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass? The bill (S. 1077) was passed, as follows: S. 1077 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``District of Columbia Local Funds Act, 2025''. SEC. 2. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL FUNDS. Local funds are appropriated for the District of Columbia for the current fiscal year out of the General Fund of the District of Columbia (``General Fund'') for programs and activities set forth in the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-218) and at rates set forth under such Act, as amended as of the date of enactment of this Act: Provided, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in section 450A of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (section 1-204.50a, D.C. Official Code), sections 816 and 817 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2009 (secs. 47-369.01 and 47-369.02, D.C. Official Code), and provisions of this Act, the total amount appropriated in this Act for operating expenses for the District of Columbia for fiscal year 2025 by this section shall not exceed the estimates included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024, as amended as of the date of enactment of this Act or the sum of the total revenues of the District of Columbia for such fiscal year: Provided further, That the amount appropriated may be increased by proceeds of one-time transactions, which are expended for emergency or unanticipated operating or capital needs: Provided further, That such increases shall be approved by enactment of local District law and shall comply with all reserve requirements contained [[Page S1773]] in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act: Provided further, That the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall take such steps as are necessary to assure that the District of Columbia meets these requirements, including the apportioning by the Chief Financial Officer of the appropriations and funds made available to the District during fiscal year 2025, except that the Chief Financial Officer may not reprogram for operating expenses any funds derived from bonds, notes, or other obligations issued for capital projects. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. The majority leader. Waiving Quorum Calls Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Phelan and Landau nominations be waived. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________ Referenced legislation: S1077, S1077