WASHINGTON – District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray on Wednesday burst into a press conference organized by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) on the Senate steps to ask for Congress to allow the city to use its own funds to ensure that essential city services continue despite a federal government shutdown.
The U.S. Capitol Police had tried to bar the mayor from leaving his own press conference, which had just concluded, and walking to the Senate Democratic press conference on the East steps of the Senate. But Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer, a onetime D.C. police officer, intervened and had to allow Mr. Gray proceed, because under the Senate rules the D.C. mayor has Senate floor privileges, according to a spokesman for the mayor’s office.
Mr. Gray marched ahead, telling a reporter he was “absolutely” going to ask that the city be able to spend its own money to keep operating. As Senate Democrats tried to stay on message, Mr. Gray waited patiently next to Mr. Reid, with the crowd from his press conference chanting “Free D.C. “ in the background loudly enough to almost drown out the Senate Democratic press event.
The first question for Mr. Reid at the press conference was about the D.C. budget, from a reporter. “Don’t talk to us – talk to the Republicans,” Mr. Reid said.
Under the 1973 Home Rule Act, which created the city’s elected government, Congress must approve the district’s budget each year as part of the appropriations process before it can spend any of its local funds. Democrats have resisted efforts by Republicans to fund parts of government piecemeal, including a bill to allow D.C. to operate normally, saying instead that the GOP should just pass a clean budget bill.
The city’s budget has been caught up in that tangle, with the House voting to allow the city to spend its own money but Senate Democrats refusing to follow suit in order to abide by a larger principle: that all federal budget issues should be dealt with simultaneously.
Mr. Gray, who leads this overwhelmingly Democratic city, buttonholed the Senate Democratic leader as the press conference ended. Mr. Reid could be heard saying “I’m on your side – don’t screw it up.” With D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton — the city’s nonvoting representative in the House — standing nearby, Mr. Gray reacted angrily, telling reporters “I have no idea” what Mr. Reid meant.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) tried to soothe hurt feelings, saying that “we’ve got to open up this government for all the people; in D.C., Virginia,” but Mr. Gray’s blood started to boil.
“We’re not a department of the government,” Mr. Gray replied.
“It’s not about a department – I’ve got problems with California,” Ms. Boxer said, but Mr. Gray pressed on, loudly and forcefully.
“All we’re asking for is to spend our own money. We’re just asking to spend our own money. Our own money. Not the federal money. Our own money.”
Mr. Gray had just wrapped up a press conference at which he explained that during the last federal government shutdown, which ended in early 1996, the District of Columbia had been exempted within days. “why are we imperiled by the federal shutdown?” Mr. Gray has asked. He said that pretty soon the city would have depleted funds it had been relying on to keep basic services like for trash collection running. “What are we supposed to do then?” he said. “Free us so we can spend our own money.”
With the fight getting heated, Ms. Norton tried to play peacemaker.
“You certainly couldn’t expect him to be here unexpectedly and the mayor not to come forward to speak with him,” she said. “The mayor has asked for a meeting with the majority leader. That is the next step. That is what we will pursue.”
Pedro Ribeiro, a spokesman for the mayor, said that D.C. was already starting to feel the strains in a way that states aren’t. The federal government contributes 70% of funds for Medicaid, for example, and such mandatory programs are exempt from the federal shutdown. The money gets deposited into state and local funds, but D.C. cannot access its federal matching funds because Congress has not approved the city’s budget, Mr. Ribeiro said. He said the result is that clinics and doctors don’t get paid.
“You’ve got patients who aren’t going to receive treatment; you have folks in long term care whose providers aren’t going to be compensated who can’t make payroll,” Mr. Ribeiro said.
No comments:
Post a Comment