Chuck Schumer betrayed DC. Will he redeem himself?

Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate Democrats, will support the Republican bill that will force DC to cut $1 billion from its budget. Many of his colleagues were stunned.

The bill will almost certainly pass. That will devastate our city. Et tu, Chuck?

But there may be hope that an 11th-hour miracle saves DC.

Schumer told reporters late Thursday that regarding DC's budget, " I think we can fix it, and I’d work with them to fix it."

So how could a fix happen?

"You could do it with amendments, you could do it with a standalone bill – if they really want to do it," Schumer said.

The vote will happen Friday so we don't have much time. I strongly suggest DC supporters contact Chuck. Encourage your New York contacts to reach out too.

Love DC? Speak up.

Call Schumer’s office: (202) 224-6542

(None of my calls went through Friday morning, but you may have better luck.)

Email Schumer’s staff:

mike_lynch@schumer.senate.gov

emily_sweda@schumer.senate.gov

kai_vogel@schumer.senate.gov

meghan_taira@schumer.senate.gov

jon_cardinal@schumer.senate.gov

raymond_omara@schumer.senate.gov

Email Schumer’s wife, Iris:

irisweinshall@nypl.org

Here's what you could say:

DC's 700,000 residents are overwhelmingly Democrats. DC residents have supported the senator's party, and he should support DC.

This bill will strip $1 billion from DC’s budget. It will slash funding for public safety, schools and emergency services.

DC should not be sacrificed.

Please urge the senator to do the right thing and defend DC's right to spend its own tax dollars on services that save lives and protect visiting New Yorkers. Whether it’s a standalone bill or an amendment, we need a solution today.

Thank you.

What do our Mayor and Council think?

Mayor Bowser, Council Chairman Mendelson and many of our councilmembers have been largely silent on what DC residents should be doing right now. It’s frustrating that they have been mostly unwilling to share guidance or insight on DC’s best paths forward. Some of them think that there’s little hope and are focused elsewhere. This feels like a failure of leadership.

I continue to look for solutions and am grateful for everyone else who hasn’t given up.