WASHINGTON – The ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.) today sent a letter to all D.C. Councilmembers urging them to reject Mayor Muriel Bowser’s steep budget cuts to social services, programming, and benefits.
The letter, sent on behalf of the ACLU-D.C.’s over 14,000 members and supporters from all 8 wards, also advises the D.C. Council to limit blanket increases in the Metropolitan Police Department’s budget, including for secretive surveillance technology.
“To build communities that are safe and advance justice for all, D.C. must invest in reaching people with the resources they need when they need them most,” said Alicia Yass, policy advocacy director at ACLU-D.C. and author of the letter. “At a historical moment when the president and Congress have targeted the District, our local leaders must pass a budget that invests the dignity, rights, and liberties of all the people of D.C.”
ACLU-D.C.’s letter recommends investing in initiatives that could build community safety and improve extreme racial and economic disparities in the District. The letter calls on the Council to maintain or increase funding for:
- Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) site-based programming, specifically for teenagers;
- Financial assistance for families, including for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Child Care Subsidy Program;
- An urgent overhaul of the unsafe D.C. Jail and program needs at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services;
- Behavioral health, early intervention, diversion, reentry, and victim support services;
- Paid family and medical leave.
Read the full letter at https://www.acludc.org/app/uploads/2026/05/ACLU-DC-Comprehensive-FY27-Budget-Letter-Final.pdf
Stay Informed
Sign up to be the first to hear about how to take action.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.