D.C. parents protest Congress' funding bill over a $1B cut to the city's budget

Source: NBC News

March 13, 2025, 4:54 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — School was out on Thursday, so D.C. parents decided it was time for a field trip to Capitol Hill. There, they lobbied against Congress' temporary government funding bill that could slash the city's budget by more than $1 billion and leave public schools vulnerable to cuts.

Parents mobilized one another to call members of Congress, show up at senators' offices and lobby Senate staffers who have children in D.C. public schools. They coordinated their actions through PTAs, group chats and email listservs, while also urging family members outside of the district to contact their members of Congress.

One text in a group chat of D.C. parents noted that a Senate Republican staffer had children at their school, adding that there was a movement to corner her. Another parent told NBC News that parents have been working to figure out which Capitol Hill staffers with children in public schools could be reached.

Some parents have been leveraging relationships with people who may hold sway on the Hill. "Parents have described staffers who they are either personal friends with or former colleagues that they have reached out to personally," Emma Kelly, a D.C. public schools parent, said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/dc-parents-protest-congress-proposed-1b-cut-city-budget-rcna196230