House to vote on bill that would restrict D.C.’s power to raise taxes

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on new legislation that would significantly curb the District of Columbia’s authority to pass local tax increases. The measure has sparked backlash from city officials who see the move as an attack on local governance.

What we know:

Under current law, tax changes approved by the D.C. Council take effect after a standard congressional review period unless federal lawmakers step in to block them.

The proposed legislation would reverse that structure, making it so any District law that raises taxes or fees would require approval from both the House and the Senate within 60 days. Without that approval, the measures would be automatically blocked.

House Republicans have argued that the measure is needed to curb unnecessary tax hikes enacted by the District's Democratic leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted tax reduction as a central message for House Republicans heading into this fall's midterms.

"You're going to see that on display this week on the floor," Speaker Johnson said. "We've been saying this is a contrast, saying for months, this is between common sense and crazy in the mid-term, and now it’s common sense versus communism."

Dig deeper:

Local leaders are denouncing the move, with D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson criticizing House Republicans for rushing the bill to a vote without holding any hearings.

"The bill is very damaging to the district. It would reinsert Congress into the minutiae of governing," Mendelson said. "Because it requires that any change to our tax code would have to get affirmative approval from Congress."

Even if the bill clears the House tomorrow, it still has to pass the Senate and get President Donald Trump’s signature to become law.

Leaders react to proposed bill 

What they're saying:

The legislative clash comes as local lawmakers prepare for upcoming budget debates.

Chairman Mendelson is planning a hearing this fall focused on raising new revenue, and Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, the District's Democratic nominee, has also spoken in favor of new taxes.

In a statement shared with FOX 5, Lewis George called the bill "unfair, unjust" and said it "moves us in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton called the legislation completely unnecessary.

A spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser said her office is currently "evaluating" the proposed bill.

FOX 5 also reached out to Representative James Comer for comment.