WASHINGTON — DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson wants to know if and when President Donald Trump's administration and the federal government will pay back $43 million that it still owes Washington.
The millions owed to the District by the Trump administration and the federal government are for police force costs and other services from 2020.
Mendelson said in a Monday news conference that this is the most trouble DC has had getting money back and replenished for services it has performed for the federal government.
"The federal government has always repaid us. But somehow, they’ve not seen fit to do that for last year, to the tune of about $43 million,” said Mendelson during Mayor Muriel Bowser's news conference.
Mayor Bowser also spoke on the funds that the Trump administration owes and added that she hopes it will be worked out before the switch in power.
Bowser also mentioned that making clear to the next administration how valuable this money is to DC will be a priority in the coming months.
The Trump administration's debt to DC started when the president took office in 2017 and at points has accumulated over the years as part of efforts District officials have made to accommodate President Trump.
Similar costs have faced the federal government and other presidential administrations over the years when they have used the services of DC's government.
Some of the services that DC has provided for Trump in the last four years have included planning and security for District events, planning and security of the State of the Union Speech, security for when Trump visited Game 5 of the World Series, and over $7 million for the president's 2016 Inauguration.
View the comments from Mendelson and Bowser about the Trump administration and federal government's costs to DC in the video below:
It is not specifically clear what President Trump's administration has paid off since being in office.
D.C.'s security fund had around $13 million in it before Trump had his inauguration day in 2017. By the time the Nationals were in the World Series in 2019, replenished funds were not back in the account.
The service isn’t limited to police power, but resources too. For instance, in fiscal year 2017, DC Department of Public Works vehicles had to be used to block off streets for the Trump administration, costing the District of Columbia $56,720.
In July 2019, Mayor Bowser did send a letter to President Trump asking him to get funds replenished for DC.
Bowser's office has said these money issues have not impacted the level of quality in the security provided to President Trump and his administration.
Mendelson believes that between 2020 costs and the upcoming 2021 Inauguration Day ceremony, the debt could be up to $90 million by the end of January if there is not a reimbursement beforehand.
