New: With complaints about rising utility bills growing louder, DC regulators just approved a pipe infrastructure project that will likely drive gas bills even higher.
Many environmentalists fear it'll lock DC into using fossil fuels it's supposed to transition away from:
wamu.org/story/26/03/...
Some news toward the bottom of this story: Several prominent labor unions (like @ufcw400.org @32bjseiu.bsky.social Unite Here 25) are launching an outside spending group backing Lewis George dubbed "Safe and Affordable DC".
McDuffie will surely benefit from biz-aligned groups in the near future.
New: Kenyan McDuffie is ramping up his campaign amid speculation from supporters/opponents alike that his mayoral bid got off to a slow start.
Bowser was among those fretting about his lack of visibility. McDuffie says it's early yet, but the primary is in just 3 months:
wamu.org/story/26/03/...
No delays to tax filing...BUT he still won't count the roughly $600 million in revenue for the city's budget.
Essentially he's saying the mere risk of litigation is enough reason to keep this money out of the revenue estimate. Can't imagine the council/mayor will be pleased.
Seems like we're not going to hear more on this from the CFO today (despite Bowser's letter asking for clarity).
After this closed-door meeting, I asked @cmzparker5.bsky.social the q on so many DC taxpayers' minds: Should I file my taxes? In short, his answer is yes. His comments:
Both of these bills are now set to pass, so the fight starts over who gets credit: especially with the delegate race involved.
@freedcproject.bsky.social charges Pinto only took action once White moved his bill. She said today she's worked for weeks...but White said he never heard about it
Bowser's folks feel this means the CFO essentially hasn't decided how to interpret the AG's opinion so they're throwing up their hands, essentially making a decision better left to the mayor/council.
The full letter:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
Now Bowser responds: She feels it's "inexplicable" that the CFO wouldn't include $ from the decoupling. She wants clarity on his stance by Tues (when the tax bill expires).
A senior admin official says "in this scenario, everybody loses." The AG's opinion irks Congress, and no $
The latest twist in the DC tax saga: Despite the AG’s opinion, CFO Glen Lee says he WON’T count revenue from the decoupling bill due to “uncertainty” around Congress’ vote. This will have major impacts on DC’s budget…but at least the city’s revenue picture has slightly improved.
Notably, Jeffrey Carroll said this week that MPD couldn't collect this data.
This new bill, backed by 8 CMs but not Pinto/Mendelson, also requires the release of BWC footage, setting up some dispute about exactly how to manage the process. The bill:
dccouncil.gov/wp-content/u...
Body-Worn Camera Transparency for Use of Force Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026 (PR 26-) Body-Worn Camera Transparency for Use of Force Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 (Bill 26-) Councilmember Pinto and Chairman Mendelson 2. Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026 (PR 26-) Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 (Bill 26-)
Next week is shaping up to be a big one for bills on MPD's work with federal agencies.
Pinto's bill requiring the release of BWC footage from shootings involving federal officers on the agenda AND other CMs have a bill to require MPD to collect data on feds present at arrests.
We’re talking the DC tax mess and local elections on Politics Hour this week. Join us!
TIL it’s National Chili Day: @kenyanmcduffie.bsky.social is at Ben’s (temporary) U Street location handing out free chili and mingling with voters/business owners.
New: Anita Bonds was the foremost fighter against ranked choice voting. So there's a certain irony that RCV will play a huge role in the crowded race to replace her.
With 10 declared candidates and no obvious frontrunner, who can stand out? I looked at the state of the race
wamu.org/story/26/02/...
It also mentions "undescribed acts under FBI investigation" between 9/23 and 1/24...as rumors flew about a raid on White's campaign office.
Full filing is here:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
The Government’s opposition simply ignored the five specific examples of “other acts”evidence bad acts by Mr. White that are in addition to its allegations in the Indictment. Suchevidence, which the defense culled from its review of the discovery and specifically sought topreclude in this motion, is as follows:1) travel expenditures from CHS 1, which the Government referenced in the case agent’saffidavit in support of its Complaint in this case (ECF No. 1-1) as CHS 1 “corruptly givingWHITE gifts including travel to the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas, Nevada;2) campaign contributions from CHS 1;3) bribes relating to contracting by the company “Intralot” belonging to CHS 1;4) Failures to comply with D.C. campaign finance law and disclosure requirements;5) Undescribed acts under FBI investigation between September 2023 and January 2024.The Government should not be able to take back its prior statement that it had nointention of introducing any of these five items at trial and has intentions of introducing alleged2019 and 2020 government contracting bribery conduct as intrinsic evidence. The Governmentshould be restricted by this Court’s order from introducing further evidence if it keepsinvestigating Mr. White in the lead-up to trial and gives later notice. It is simply not fair to puton Mr. White later on the burden of preparing to meet these allegations and/or argue theirinadmissibility on the merits under Rules 403 and 404(b).
Very interesting: Trayon White's attorney writes in a new doc that prosecutors have discussed introducing evidence of "bribes relating to contracting by the company Intralot."
The informant who allegedly bribed White had a piece of Intralot's infamous sports betting contract...
Raymond says she’s also won the backing of former Ward 3 CM Mary Cheh.
It’s gonna be tough for anyone to stand out in this 10-candidate field so I’ll be very curious to see who else starts to win serious support
A bit surprising to see former Ward 7 CM Yvette Alexander (on the left in this Insta story) speaking at a recent event for Janeese Lewis George. The pair isn’t exactly aligned on many issues: Alexander was a big Bowser/RFK booster, opposed same sex marriage for years, etc.
Notably, no McDuffie on this list as I'm hearing lots of people wondering when his campaign will get more visible.
He missed last week's big Anacostia gathering to attend a fundraiser with Bowser pal Ben Soto, multiple sources tell me, which many see as a big missed opportunity.
New: AG Brian Schwalb is out with an opinion that Congress' disapproval of tax decoupling has no effect. He thinks Congress missed its 30-day deadline...and didn't apply changes to the 2025 tax year.
They say the CFO can leave current rules in place. Will he?
www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
New: A messy tug-of-war has broken out over ~$52m in unspent money.
The Council created a "contingency list" last year to guide where excess revenue would go, but Bowser won't spend it. She says the childcare subsidy needs it instead to fill gaps: will lawmakers go along?
wamu.org/story/26/02/...
This had a big influence on the council's recent debate about whether to join the lawsuit over Bowser's continued refusal to release these documents, which lawmakers hope will show how much $ agencies think they need.
Here's the full order:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
CONCLUSIONFor the foregoing reasons, it is this 11th day of February, 2026, herebyORDERED that Plaintiff Terris, Pravlik & Millian, LLP (“TPM”)’s Motion for Contemptand for Further Injunctive Relief, filed November 12, 2025, is GRANTED IN PART. It is furtherORDERED that the District of Columbia is adjudged in contempt of the Order issued bythe Court on July 23, 2021, requiring it to produce to TPM, and to post online, all documentsrequested in TPM’s October 18, 2019, FOIA request. It is furtherORDERED that the District shall, within 21 days of the entry of this Order, produce toTPM and post online all documents requested in TPM’s October 18, 2019 FOIA request. That is,the District shall produce the following documents for fiscal years 2019 through 2026 related to(a) the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and (b) District of Columbia PublicSchools (DCPS): (1) actual copies—not summaries—of the agencies’ budget requests for fiscalyear 2019, including “Form B”; (2) any similar documentation describing in detail the agencies’budget needs or requests for fiscal year 2019; and (3) information identifying corresponding totalsfrom the final approved budget. It is furtherORDERED that, if the District fails to produce to TPM and post online all documentsrequested in TPM’s October 18, 2019, FOIA request within 21 days of the date of this Order, theDistrict shall be subject to a daily fine of $1,500, payable to the Clerk of the Court, until suchproduction is made. It is furtherORDERED that TPM’s request for further injunctive relief is HELD IN ABEYANCEpending further Order of this Court.SO ORDERED.___________________________Julie H. Becker
An update on the long-running fight over DC budget documents:
A judge held the city in contempt last week for refusing to hand over these agency budget requests. They ordered the city to post them publicly and will fine it $1500 per day it misses a deadline to do so.
Today, as the city faces one of its most challenging fiscal environments, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the District will continue to build on the success of the city’s public schools by investing in a 2.55% increase to the uniform per student funding formula (UPSFF) foundation level. The proposed increase, which brings the foundation level to $15,455, will support close to 100,000 students projected to enroll in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools next year and will cover salary increases achieved through the last Washington Teachers’ Union contract. “We have the fastest-improving urban school system in the nation because we have stayed focused on what works for our students, educators, and families. We’ve invested in a system that works for our community,” said Mayor Bowser. “I’m proud of those investments, but I’m even prouder that we have results to show for them – higher graduation rates, higher teacher retention rates, increased enrollment, and the largest increase in proficiency rates since the pandemic. This budget is an investment in our students’ continued progress.”
School budgets are out: @mayorbowser.dc.gov wants to increase how much the city spends per student by 2.55%.
Normally, this wouldn't be news (Bowser's often proposed increases to the UPSFF in the past) but it's notable as last year's budget called for cuts in FY27. That means cuts come elsewhere...
The end of the Housing Production Trust Fund as we know it? @robertwhitedc.bsky.social and @brianneknadeau.bsky.social are proposing a major overhaul to the city’s chief affordable housing loan fund, breaking it up into separate accounts, changing what the $ can be used for and who can invest in it
Hagler was a force in local politics for a long time and (despite some recent health issues) he remained engaged on all kinds of stuff: I was just texting him last week about the mayoral race (he was backing JLG).
What a loss for DC. RIP.
New: It's deja vu all over again in DC now that Congress has again blown up the city's budget.
Could DC get this blocked in court? Or maybe pass tax changes blocked by Congress back into law somehow? It's all on the table. Here's what local leaders are debating right now:
wamu.org/story/26/02/...
Washington, D.C. — Amid repeated failures by the D.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) to keep energy bills down, a coalition of consumer, housing, and climate advocates is urging the D.C. Council to pause new appointments to the Commission until after the new mayor takes office on January 2. Advocates will testify at the February 27 public oversight hearing of the PSC, emphasizing how higher energy bills are straining D.C. residents and the need for new leadership at the PSC. “To build a more affordable energy future in D.C., we should use new architects. January’s 13% gas rate hike is only the latest chapter in a history of lax oversight and deference by the D.C. Public Service Commission to let utilities jack up their rates no matter the cost to District residents,” said Claire Mills, D.C. Campaigns Manager at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Time and time again, Chair Thompson and Commissioner Trabue have sided with Washington Gas and Pepco instead of with hardworking D.C. residents, rubber-stamping nearly half a billion dollars in excessive spending that allows these companies to increase profits for their shareholders. With affordability top of mind for D.C. residents this election season, voters deserve a say in choosing a leader who will hold utilities accountable and help bring costs down. That means no reappointments before the November election.” Since 2021, under Chair Emile Thompson’s leadership, the Commission has approved $398.5 million in utility spending by both Pepco and Washington Gas. That included a controversial multi-year electric rate hike approved in November 2024 that increased D.C. electric bills by $7.54 per month in 2025 and $3.80 per month in 2026, and a 13% gas rate hike approved in December 2025 that boosted Washington Gas’s return on equity to 10.5%, an industry high. The PSC has continued to approve spending requests from Pepco and Washington Gas even as both utilities face lawsuits from consumer advocates alleging mismanag…
A group of climate advocates including @wepowerdc.bsky.social and CCAN are calling on the council/mayor to hold off appointing any new Public Service Commission members until after the election: two are up this year.
I've heard growing frustration with the PSC as gas/electric rates creep up:
In addition to his ties to Bowser, McDuffie will also likely face attacks from JLG/her allies over some of his donors' Republican leanings.
For instance, there's David Carmen, major GOP lobbyist and Trump donor. He also raised cash for McDuffie in 2022:
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/5650...
