For Immediate Release
September 25, 2013
Today, Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) called on Mayor Gray and Chairman Mendelson to refuse to shut down the D.C. government in the face of the impending federal shutdown. A D.C. government shutdown will have a seriously difficult impact on D.C. workers and the local economy.
“A shutdown, imposed by the federal government, with no pay for D.C. workers, will make it impossible for many D.C. employees to pay their bills and feed their families. It is offensive that the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is telling the D.C. government how to spend the money we raised through taxing D.C. residents and businesses. D.C. is the only local jurisdiction impacted in this manner and one thing is true, if D.C. were San Antonio, there would be a battle at the Alamo over this,” said Grosso.
“Chairman Mendelson and the Mayor should not send a plan to OMB, but instead should declare that all D.C. employees are essential,” stated Grosso. “The citizens of the District of Columbia passed a budget autonomy referendum last year and it goes into effect on Jan. 1. That referendum frees D.C.’s budget from the burdensome annual Congressional approval. We should immediately take our budget into our own hands and refuse OMB’s requests for shutdown plans.”
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