
It’s day eight of the government shutdown, and D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray warned the Obama administration that the city is barely holding on.
Gray penned a letter to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, demanding that he free “innocent bystanders,” like District residents, from the shutdown order.
“Time is running out,” Gray said. “I have done all I possibly can to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of District residents is not endangered by a crisis that our city has had no hand in creating.”
The mayor, who is an alumnus, has adamantly opposed the shutdown. He ordered D.C. agencies last week to remain open, even though the city’s checkbook technically closed Oct. 1.
Gray argued that because D.C. does not have a vote in Congress, its residents – and its budget – should not be impacted by the fiscal crisis.
The House passed a bill last week allowing city leaders to spend tax dollars during the shutdown, but the Senate blocked the measure. The bill would have relieved the District until Dec. 15.
So far, Gray has scraped together funds to remain open despite the shutdown, though the city’s $140 million reserve fund may soon drain from the city’s emergency budget.
Employee paychecks totaling $98 million are due Oct. 15.
This is simply unconscionable. And it is long past time for the District’s budget to be decoupled from the federal budget. 5/5
— Vincent C. Gray (@mayorvincegray) October 8, 2013
In a Tuesday press conference, Obama renewed his call for the House to pass legislation ending the shutdown. “Let’s stop the excuses,” Obama said.
Gray will head to the Hill on Monday, flanked by D.C. council members and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., to continue laying out his demands.