WASHINGTON — Two D.C. councilmen are pushing back after a budget report has placed the new fare-free bus program set to begin this summer onto the chopping block.
Last month, a report from D.C.'s Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee claimed the District does not have the funds for the program. He predicts tax revenue will drop by a whopping $464 million between 2024 and 2027.
The report was released earlier this month and blames the falling revenue on the shift to remote work and deteriorating property values.
Chairman Phil Mendelson and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen have been pushing back against Lee since the report was released. On Monday, Mendelson tweeted that he has sent a letter to Lee demanding that he "follow the law."
In the letter, Mendelson claims the attorney general issued an opinion stating that the free-fare bus program is fully funded.
"It's not for the CFO to declare otherwise," Mendelson said in the tweet.
Mendelson says this is an urgent matter that requires attention as DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is required by law to submit a balanced budget to the Council by Wednesday.
"With two days left it is unlikely the mayor will be able to adjust her budget to correctly reflect the funding for [the fare-free bus program]," the letter reads. "However, that decision is hers, not yours."
In a second tweet, Mendelson alludes to Lee being used as a way for Bowser to end the bus program without putting the decision on herself.
"...If the mayor doesn't want free bus service, she should own it, rather than rely on the CFO's cover for this policy choice," the tweet reads.