Press Release: Regional Business Community calls upon Congress to allocate a minimum of $1.25B for the District of Columbia

News Release — Federal City Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2020

Contact: Maura Brophy 

Washington, DC– Tonight, more than 250 members of the Business Community of the Metropolitan Washington region have signed a joint letter urging members of Congress to allocate a minimum of $1.25 billion to the District of Columbia for the purposes of COVID-19 relief and to ensure adequate support for the District for the purposes of relief going forward. 

The attached letter, which was organized by the Federal City Council, demonstrates support from regional businesses of all sizes and calls upon Congress to act to address this critical issue. 

**** 

April 20, 2020 

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

317 Russell Senate Office Building

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510 

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

235 Cannon House Office Building

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20510 

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer

322 Hart Senate Office Building

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510 

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy

2421 Rayburn House Office Building

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20510 

Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leaders Schumer and McCarthy: 

As Congress works to address the devastating effects of the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, we applaud your efforts to keep our communities safe and to protect workers, businesses, and the broader economy from the impacts of this crisis. 

As representatives of more than 250 members of the Business Community of the Metropolitan Washington region, we write today to express serious concern over the allocation of funding for the District of Columbia in the CARES Act. The relief package allocated at least $1.25 billion in direct payments to every state, but allocates only $500 million to the District of Columbia by treating it the same way as a territory. We urge you to correct for this funding shortfall in future legislative action and ensure adequate support for the District of Columbia for the purposes of relief going forward. We ask you to consider the following information in the context of this critical issue: 

• The District of Columbia is being hit especially hard during the crisis. As of April 20, the District has almost 2,800 confirmed coronavirus cases, which outpaces nearly two dozen states. It has also been designated as an emerging “hot spot” for the virus. 
• The District is not only the Nation’s Capital in which the Capitol and White House are located, but it also is also home to more than 700,000 residents—making it more populous than some states—and, as a densely populated urban center, the District is especially vulnerable to the spread of the virus. These residents need access to the same support that has been granted to other parts of the country. 
• Due to strong oversight and sound fiscal management, the District entered this crisis in a strong financial position, but it is already experiencing significant economic losses due to the ongoing public health emergency. The District’s tourism, hospitality, and restaurant industries, along with its world-class colleges and universities, are already suffering, as are small businesses throughout the District. Current estimates project revenue losses of more than $600 million by the end of September. 
• The District’s contributions to the federal government are unique and substantial. Not only do DC residents contribute more federal income taxes on a per capita basis than any other state or territory, but the District is also the seat of the federal government and is thus obligated to protect the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. 
• This deadly virus is not limited to any particular geographical boundary. Jeopardizing the District’s ability to respond to the crisis puts the entire region at an increased risk. 

It is critical that the District of Columbia receives the funding it needs to ensure that adequate services can be provided both to official federal Washington and to District residents and visitors. As members of the business community of the Metropolitan Washington region, we urge the federal government to ensure that the District of Columbia receives no less than the minimum allocation of $1.25 billion provided to each state in the CARES Act via the Coronavirus Relief Fund program, and to ensure adequate support for the District in all future Congressional actions taken to rescue and recover from this global health pandemic. This aid is essential to the District government’s ability to protect its residents, federal employees, and its economy. 

The undersigned organizations support this important effort—and support is still growing. We come together to urge you to support this policy change and the region’s collective response to this public health and economic crisis. 

Sincerely,

Federal City Council

Greater Washington Board of Trade

District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce

Greater Washington Partnership

The 2030 Group Greater

Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Marriott International, Inc.

Graham Holdings Company

United Bankshares, Inc.

WC Smith Urban Land Institute

EDENS

Hines

Washington Gas

The Donohoe Companies, Inc.

Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington

Hoffman + Associates American Beverage Association ECS Federal, LLC

Akridge

CityBridge

Washingtonian Magazine

HOK Inc.

Winged Keel Group, Inc.

Savills, Inc.

Finn Partners, Inc.

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Martin Diamond Properties

Miller & Long DC, Inc.

Jackson & Campbell, PC

The LINE Hotel

Hickok Cole Architects, Inc.

The Wilkes Company

Akin Gump Strauss

Hauer & Feld LLC

Fort Lincoln Realty

SRB Communications, LLC

SmithGroup

Bennett Group

The Levy Group

EYA, LLC

Wingate Hughes Architects, PLLC

Roadside Development

Goulston & Storrs

Doggett Enterprises, Inc.

Georgetown Suites Hotel

Bazilio Cobb Associates PC

SRB Communications

Carr Properties

STUDIOS Architecture

Abdo Development LLC

Julyan & Julyan

The Hill Group, Inc.

Landmark Parking, Inc.

Gorove/Slade Associates Inc.

The Concordia Group

Community Three Development

Georgetown University

Trinity Washington University

Howard University

Trent & Co.

Redbrick LMD

Western Development Corporation

BELL Architects, PC

Compass Realty

Corenic Construction Group, LLC

Marcus Asset Group, Inc.

SCahill LLC

Flywheel Development LLC

Bohler DC

Dantes Partners LLC

Perseus TDC

Bundy Development Corporation

CSG Urban Partners LLC

Lourenco Consultants Inc.

Eagle Integrated Solutions LLC

Teass Warren Architects

UIP Property Management, Inc.

Property Group Partners Development, LLC

David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc.

Critical Systems, LLC

Pillar Construction, Inc.

Republic Properties Corporation

Colonial Parking, Inc.

Studio Crowley Hall pllc

Taylor Adams Associates

Guggenheim Parking Inc.

Broughton Construction Company LLC

Friedman Capital

The Excalibur Group

D. H. Lloyd & Associates Inc.

Bridging Technologies LLC

RMS Investment Group

J Street Companies

Eastbanc Technologies

Adrian L. Merton Inc.

Oliva Consulting, Inc.

American Management Corporation

Linda Roth Associates Inc

Tildora Systems LLC

Sustainable Facilities Management Services

Smoot Construction of DC

National Mall Coalition

Destination DC

JMA Solutions, LLC

AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia

Plenary Enterprises

Cordia Partners

Dinan Associates

Bluestone Lane

TransitScreen

The Phoenix

Sweet Science Coffee

OceanPro Industries Ltd

Hopscotch Ventures

Ideal Electrical Supply

DP Consultants, Inc.

Clear Real Estate Services, LLC

City Permit

Urban Pace

Misra Law PLLC

Atlantic Services Group, Inc.

Halcyon Georgetown LLC

Hemphill Artworks LLC

Lars Etzkorn Law PLLC

Oculus Realty, LLC

Inscape Studio

Reston Limousine Service

District Cutlery

Healing Hands Physical Therapy Services

Al’s Twin Air, LLC

Abstract Orange

The Ford Agency, Inc.

Dimples Dental Suite

Jefferson Apartment Group

Fitness Destino LLC

Modern Trousseau DC

J R Jennings Enterprises LLC

Olivia Macaron

CMIT Solutions of Capitol Hill

Natural Healing Products LLC

Nai Xander, Inc.

Peak Technology Solutions, Inc.

Lyn-Phill Construction, LLC

O Museum in the Mansion

Executive Contractors LLC

Green Step LLC

Shepherd Electric Supply of Washington DC LLC

PT2SO Investments LLC

Global Government and Industry Partners, LLC

PIR Marketing

Help Unlimited Temps

DC Fire Protection LLC

Premium Title & Escrow, LLC

XediaLabs

Alpha Power and Alarm Company

Daylily Landscaping LLC

A&A Rental Station

JLA Law

Code IT Inc.

Church Hall DC

EMB International, LLC

The Jackson Investment Company, LLC

Cultural Tourism DC, Inc.

Georgetown Business Improvement District

Capitol Riverfront BID

District of Columbia Hospital Association

Eastern Market Main Street

Hayat Brown LLC

H.H. Leonards, Associates

Prognosis, LLC

CNM Global LLC

Newton Grange Consulting

Venturi

Danna’s Joy LLC

Carleton Holdings

Ristorante Piccolo

14th Mini Market

727 Market

7-Eleven 14th St NW

Agua 301

All Souls Bar

Ambassador Restaurant

Brightwood Mart

Cafe Divan

Capitol Hill Exxon

Capitol Hill Care Pharmacy

Cinder Neighborhood BBQ

Columbia Heights Pharmacy

Dollar 1

Eclectic Café

Elsa Kitchen

Exxon Columbia Heights Gas Station

Georgetown Exxon

Georgetown Shell

Here’s The Scoop

Jamaican County Kitchen

Keren Cafe & Restaurant

Lamont Market

Metro Motor Towing

Naanwise Indian Cuisine

Neighborhood Pharmacy

Parkers Exxon

Peaches Kitchen

Penn Ave Exxon

Petworth Market

Pho Viet

Pizza Mart

Rolands Grocery

Rosemarino d’itali

Say Cheese!

Seven Market

Sospeso

The Coffee Bar

Sprig and Sprout

Teddy’s Roti Shop

Toki Underground

The Corner Market

The Capital Candy Jar

Carleton Holdings

DC Life Safety, LLC

Center for the Creative Economy

National Federation of Federal Employees of the IAM-AW/AFL CIO

NRGCO Court Reporters and Transcribers

CCS LLC

College Track

Washington Performing Arts

Essential Media Partners

Wiles Mensch Corporation – DC

Align Development

The Nicholson Project

DMV Food Truck Association

Blossom Dentistry PLLC

Russin & Vecchi PC

Multi-Therapeutic Service, Inc.

Il Canale

Harris & Associates LLC