Bowser’s proposed DC budget sacrifices the working class to appease capital; Ballots sent to members in good standing to vote for convention delegates; Join Stomp Out Slumlords to defend TOPA and tenants’ rights
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is
produced by local members of the chapter's Publications Working Group. The Weekly Update publishes every
Friday at 9am. Want to fight fascism from the heart of empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
UP FRONT
Bowser’s proposed DC budget sacrifices the working class to appease capital — "freeze" of I82 being floated by DC Council
This Tuesday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her long-awaited budget proposal. Bowser has dubbed this plot the “Growth Agenda” — an excellent name. Under this regime, wealth inequality, poverty, economic precarity, and gentrification would be certain to grow.
Included in the proposal are cuts to Medicaid that would knock over 25,000 poor residents off insurance coverage. The nascent Baby Bonds program would be snuffed out, along with the expanded child tax credit. Benefits for paid family leave would be dialed back. And new restrictions on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) support would be imposed.
Bowser is moving to reintroduce a repeal of the District’s sanctuary status. DC’s sanctuary status, which prevents the DC government from working with ICE unless there is a judicial warrant, allows immigrants to come forward with abuse in the home or workplace without fear of deportation or arrest. If sanctuary status is repealed, countless working-class immigrants will again be scuttled to the shadows, where they can be exploited and abused by the mayor’s imperial clients.
The good news (if you like gambling and cops): Poker, blackjack, and commercialized bingo would be legalized. DC will get a shiny new jail. And the police will get a new horse unit.
Bowser’s “Growth Agenda” is the platform of carceral urbanism. It is a regime designed to submit all life and culture in the District to the demands of capital, which seeks to extract all profit from working people through rent hikes, wage suppression and needless inflation. All life unexploitable by capital, in this proposed budget, is deemed excessive — expansions of the police and the carceral system make it easier to extinguish counter currents. The agenda is a naked attempt to appeal to the Orange Emperor and his corporate suitors. Rather than fight back, Bowser rolls over. The mayor’s defenders say that this is just being pragmatic so that District “autonomy” is not threatened. Autonomy over what?
Also proposed is a repeal of Initiative 82, which is slowly phasing out the sub-minimum wage and increasing wages for service industry workers. Corporate restraunteurs – sheparded by lackeys of the National Restaurant Association – are behind the repeal. Votes for a full repeal look dim, but Councilmember McDuffie (At-Large) has come to the corporatists rescue – he is now floating a “freeze” of Initiative 82, which would hold tipped-workers base pay obligation at $10/hr. Raised as emergency legislation, this is expected to be voted on next week.
Working people will be testifying and organizing over the next few weeks to steel the DC Council against Bowser’s grotesque agenda. The DC Council has the ability to realign this budget to represent DC values and protect the city’s workers and tenants. On Monday, June 2nd, locals are planning to rally at the Wilson Building to demand the protection of sanctuary status (at 9:30am, Room 500). On June 4th, restaurant and service workers are planning to testify to prevent the repeal or freeze of Initiative 82. Additional excursions to the Wilson Building are being planned by activist collectives over the coming weeks — future updates will cover the Wilson Building battles. The Fair Price Fair Wage Coalition is also calling on all workers and DC residents to make calls to the DC Council to stop the freeze of I82. Callers are directed to focus on Robert White (At-Large) — his number is 202-727-8210. The votes are there to stop the freeze, but it will likely come down to one vote. (Check here for talking points.)
Ballots sent to members in good standing to vote for convention delegates — vote by June 3 at 11:59pm
OpaVote Ballots have been sent to members in good standing for the 2025 DSA National Convention Delegate Election for the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America. In this election, the chapter will select its delegation to the 2025 DSA National Convention. Delegates are the elected representation of their chapters at the national convention — able to vote on amendments and resolutions, participate in floor debate, and attend trainings.
Delegates are apportioned by the national office proportional to a chapter's size. This year, the Metro DC chapter was allocated 46 delegate(s) and 5 alternate(s) for the 2025 convention. There are 75 candidates running for these seats. Pursuant to standing rules, all candidates for delegate were required to receive five nominations and be members in good standing in order to run. This is a ranked choice vote. Voters should rank the candidates in the OpaVote ballot, which members in good standing should have received via email, in order of preference. Most candidates are running on one of three slates (Red Slate, DSA for All, and Popular Power), with several independent candidates also running. For information about the candidates' stances, please visit the #2025-national-convention channel in the chapter Slack.
To gain access to the chapter Slack, please email [email protected], and include a copy of your most recent dues receipt.
When voting, please do not leave the ballot page once opened. You will not be able to return to the ballot page once it has been opened. Please double check your ballot before you submit, and make sure you see a confirmation page. Ballot administrators will not be able to fix, or even see, your vote after it has been submitted. If you run into any issues, please contact the Internal Election Commission by emailing [email protected].
The deadline to submit this ballot is Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025, at 11:59pm.
Join Stomp Out Slumlords to defend TOPA and tenants’ rights; TOPA canvasses taking place this Saturday, May 31 and all summer
This week, tenants, including Metro DC DSA chapter members, pushed back against proposals to water down the DC’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act at the DC Council and at a TOPA townhall with DC Councilmember Robert White. Now the work continues. Stomp Out Slumlords, MDC DSA’s tenant organizing project, is planning tenant canvasses all summer to preserve DC's TOPA rights, which are currently under attack from Mayor Bowser's proposed RENTAL Act. Since this legislative push by the developer lobby threatens tenants (and so much organizing around the District), SOS is pivoting from the usual anti-eviction canvasses for the next few months in order to build tenant opposition to this horrendous bill. SOS will canvass buildings in wards across the District that are critical to stopping this bill from passing in the council.
Join SOS this Saturday, May 31st, at 1:30pm for the first of many canvasses at The Berkshire apartment building near American University. As always, there will be a quick orientation and training before pairing up and knocking doors. We'll ask tenants to call their councilmember, email Housing Committee Chair Robert White, and collect personal stories about tenants' experiences with and without TOPA. RSVP here.
SOS also has canvasses on June 21st, July 12th, and August 2nd, locations TBD, so please mark your calendars.
The DC Council is still accepting written and recorded testimony on TOPA and the RENTAL Act, so submit your testimony here.
BRIEFS
Metro DC DSA 2025 general election endorsement process and timeline — questionnaires due June 4
Endorsement Questionnaire (see the endorsement webpage for details) due by Wednesday, June 4
Endorsement resolution deadline on Saturday, June 7
First read of endorsement resolution at General Body Meeting on Sunday, June 8
Candidate or ballot measure campaign Q&As week of Sunday, June 15
Second read and debate of endorsement resolution at General Body Meeting on Sunday, July 13
All who wish to submit a request for endorsement in the 2025 general election cycle must return their completed endorsement questionnaire to [email protected] by the June 4 deadline.
Sign-up for Internationalism Working Group’s second teach-in session about global empire — June 8
This session will explore how the global trade system has been structurally designed to exploit the Global South and keep it trapped in a permanent state of dependency and underdevelopment. We’ll also explore how the US dollar upholds the United States’ dominant position within this system, and how this enables the United States to impose sanctions as a devastating tool of imperialism. Learn more about the IWG’s second session and RSVP here.
New PG County branch newsletter aims to strengthen leftist media and engagement in the county
The first monthly Prince George’s Branch newsletter, the People’s Bulletin, was sent last week. The branch committee’s aim is to widen the readership to other members of the county’s progressive-left community. Read it here.
Join the Program Development Commission’s listening session on May 31 at MLK Library in DC
Join the Program Development Commission for their second listening session this Saturday from 3:30 –5pm, and share your thoughts on the chapter’s work, organizing culture, and future goals for the next two years. Can’t make the listening session but want to provide input? Fill out the PDC’s survey — and share it around your network. The PDC wants to hear from as many voices as possible as they work to build a comprehensive two-year chapter program.
City of Rockville updating landlord-tenant code, tenants continue pressure for rent stabilization — hearing June 16, canvass June 7
After over a year of pressure from tenants to pass rent stabilization, the city of Rockville is working to update its landlord-tenant code. While the city is not officially considering rent stabilization in this update, the Montgomery County branch of Metro DC DSA still encourages Rockville tenants and residents to complete the city’s survey and emphasize the need for housing affordability as well as anything else that you need as a tenant. On June 16th, the Rockville City Council and mayor will discuss the updates to the landlord-tenant code, and tenants will join the hearing to tell the council that they need rent stabilization. RSVP for the hearing here.
Rockville Renters United continues to distribute rent stabilization yard signs across the city. Join the Montgomery County Branch for a canvass on June 7 at noon, starting from the Twinbrook Metro, to give out yard signs. RSVP here.
Canvass with We Power to win public power in DC — June 4
Are you tired of paying hundreds of dollars a month to a billion-dollar company for your electricity? Us too. That’s why We Power DC is campaigning to create a publicly owned utility that will ensure lower bills, good union jobs, and clean energy for all. Join We Power on Wednesday, June 4 at 6:30pm to talk to neighbors in Ward 1 about public power. Training and materials will be provided — wear comfortable shoes for walking, and bring friends.
Let's Talk About Sex (and Socialism) on June 13
Join your comrades from Metro DC DSA’s Socialist Feminist Section for a chance to practice new avenues of connection with yourself and others to fuel your spirit and uplift your socialist practice. On Friday, June 13, meet for Bryant St Market’s happy hour and grab food and drinks while engaging in an activity designed to foster energized and authentic connection beyond our professional and political selves. This will be followed by a history of sexual politics in leftist movements, concluding with an optional trip to The Crucible for Dungeon 101, an opportunity to learn about BDSM in a dungeon environment (designed for newcomers and beginners). RSVP here.
Pack, Party, Pride — volunteer training and wheatpasting opportunities available ahead of June 14 event
Ready for Pride Month? Join DSA comrades on Saturday, June 14th, from 7 – 10pm for Pack, Party, Pride! Celebrate pride by helping pack 2,000 reproductive and sexual health care kits at our pride-themed care kit event. All proceeds go towards paying for the costs of these care kits, and earns a raffle ticket from one of our lovely vendors. Buy a ticket here.
The Bodily Autonomy Working Group has opportunities for comrades to help publicize and facilitate Party, Pack, Pride on the next two Wednesdays and Sundays, respectively. For those interested in helping on the day of the event, two volunteer sessions will cover logistics, what volunteers do, and how you can get involved. Everyone is welcome. RSVP for either session on Wednesday, June 4th or Wednesday, June 11th at 7pm. For those interested in helping spread the word, the Bodily Autonomy Working Group will be hosting two wheatpasting sessions, one on Sunday, June 1st at 1pm, meeting at the Brookland metro station, and the second on Sunday, June 8th at 1pm, meeting in Dupont Circle.
Are you a socialist of faith looking to connect with others? Fill out the religious socialism interest form
Religious MDC DSA members are looking for comrades to organize faith-based socialist activities in the DMV. Whether you belong to a specific faith or are spiritual but non-denominational, you're encouraged to fill out this religious socialism interest form so comrades can get in touch.
INFO ACCESS
Want to fight fascism from the heart of the empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism! Our next New Member Orientation is an in-person session on Wednesday, June 4, 7 – 8pm. Learn about the Metro DC chapter — branches, working groups, campaigns, current activities, and enduring values — right here.
Want to stay current? Weekly Updates, like the one you are reading, are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are here. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update, the go-to source for the DMV left. The MDC Dispatch is the chapter’s new video news series, published on the first and third Sunday of each month. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and submit your Update or Dispatch suggestions or DMV scandal tips to our tip line. The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers in-depth analytical/opinion articles on a quarterly schedule; the Spring 2025 quarterly issue now leads the queue. Check out our indexed and searchable archive to see what we write — and what you can write. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to [email protected].
Members — want to stay updated in our workspace? MDC DSA members are encouraged to join our all-member Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, convo, and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access.
Save the Block on May 31 | Save Chinatown Solidarity Network
Join the Save Chinatown Solidarity Network for an afternoon of education, celebration, art, and action in Chinatown. On Saturday, May 31, from 3 – 6:30pm at Chinatown Park, recognize Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Month by fighting to protect Chinatown small businesses. There will be music, vendors, food, art, a documentary screening, and more. Learn more on Instagram here.
GarbageFest on May 31 | Food Not Bombs
Join Food Not Bombs DC on Saturday, May 31, from 5 – 9pm in Takoma Park for a night of live music and good ol' fashion DIY fun as they celebrate mutual aid and raise money. Get tickets here.
Teach-in & Social Hour for Jews and friends of Palestine on Sunday, June 8 | Alexandria for Palestine
Are you interested in learning more about Jewish solidarity with Palestine but you don't know where to start? Maybe you haven't found community yet? Bring your curiosity and good will to learn about and discuss antisemitism, Zionism, and Palestinian solidarity on Sunday, June 8 from 1 – 3:30pm in Alexandria. RSVP for details.
DC Joy Day on June 14 | Free DC
On Saturday, June 14, from 12 – 5pm at Anacostia Park, Free DC, and Harriet's Wildest Dreams are hosting DC Joy Day, a community celebration with music, performances, kids activities, and more. Bring a cooler, invite your friends, and make it clear that DC communities are about connection and joy, not fear or weapons of war. Learn more on Instagram here.
DC launches database for rent stabilized units | DHCD
After years of delays, the District is (finally) launching a database on June 2 that will make it easier to tell whether a building is rent stabilized. Once live, the database will live here.
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES are articles and opinion pieces of interest to DMV leftists but not, generally, appearing
in local media. They should have links without paywalls. Readers are invited to submit candidates at our tip
line.
The Inflation Reduction Act has helped create good union jobs in the clean energy sector. Republicans want to derail this progress to pay for tax cuts for the rich. The building trades are starting to fight back, and environmentalists should join. Jacobin via Portside
Abolition Journal’s Sterling K. Johnson spent time with abolitionist attorney Viktoria Zerda for a conversation exploring current strategies for migrant justice and the horizon of border abolition in this moment. Abolition Journal
“As Democrats cast about for a strategy to thwart President Donald Trump’s agenda, rebrand their party and take back power, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (caveat: former CIA who doesn’t think Americans know what oligarchy is) recently offered one intriguing idea: Build a shadow Cabinet. The shadow Cabinet, as envisioned by the Michigan Democrat, could be composed of the ranking members of congressional committees who could then take the lead in challenging the Trump administration. It’s a common feature of opposition politics abroad…” Ranking members? Maybe a wider, more varied choice, the writer suggests. POLITICO
Many of the veterans of Vietnam, like your immediate correspondent, are getting along in years but losing none of our anger. Here’s from the lead editorial in the latest Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) quarterly, The Veteran: “We hoped our waning years could be spent securing our legacy for future generations. Instead, we get a fresh shit sandwich every day. Oftentimes, more than one. This is not the revolution many of us imagined and hoped for many years ago. The destruction of our government is appalling. The transformation into an oligarchy is happening before our very eyes. The rampant destruction of our current government structure, with a madman-led oligarchy emerging from the ruins, is almost beyond belief.” Fresh organizing is urged.
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is produced by
local members of the chapter's Publications working group. The Weekly Update publishes every Friday at
9am.
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
Thinking about it, but want to get this email Update every Friday? SIGN UP
HERE
The flame of thought, the magnificence of art, the wonder of discovery, and the audacity of invention
all belong to revolutionary periods when humanity, tired of its chains, shatters them and stops inebriated to
breathe the breeze of a vast and free horizon. - Virgilia D'Andrea
Sent via ActionNetwork.org.
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