Some Chilly Reactions As Budget Is Frozen

The fifth floor of the John A. Wilson building was packed with hundreds of residents Monday when the D.C. Council voted to freeze $46 million in city funds in addition to cutting $130.7 million from the District's $5 billion budget.

The council session was on the day that President-elect Barack Obama visited the White House. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) couldn't resist evoking Obama's name as one reason for the budget freeze. "The last thing this city needs is to mess up its finances now. There is too much at stake," Evans said.

Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) eagerly picked up the mantle for the needy.

"I am going to urge us to postpone the vote today," Barry said. "This is too much money and too much potential program impact to vote today. If this declaration passes, I will move to put $21 million back in the budget."

For a brief moment, Barry sparred with Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who, despite a few rhetorical jabs, maintained his cool.

"No one here today is happy to be here," Gray said. "It has been very painful to reduce, delay and cut programs. Trying to duck the reality of the situation will only continue the pain."

Although Gray said the council was "acting very responsible" by tinkering with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's proposals to close the $131 million budget gap, neither Fenty nor his people had much to say about the vote.

The mayor said simply that the city planned to "abide" with the council's decision.

Fenty (D) didn't even register any complaints regarding the funding of the Housing First program, which was among those initiatives that had part of its budget frozen this week.

Since Oct. 1, the city has placed about 400 formerly homeless people into permanent supportive housing, but Gray said Monday night that the cuts and funding freezes mean some of the city's future programs are on hold.

"We are not cutting existing programs, we are not funding new programs," Gray said. "This is to lesson the pain that people will experience."

The Washington Interfaith Network was among the community groups in the council chambers trying to argue that the brunt of whatever pain there is will fall to the city's low-income residents.