WASHINGTON — Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposed 2025 budget which cuts D.C.'s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) by more than half prompted a sparring match with Chairman of the Committee on Housing Robert White.
The mayor's proposal reduces funds for ERAP from $41 million to $20 million.
"We haven't gotten back in the city, in the rhythm, of everyone paying their rent and utilities," Bowser said during her testimony before the D.C. Council.
Bowser's recent proposal exceeds the $8 million that her team suggested in the 2024 budget.
After pushback from the council, the ERAP program ended up with a $21 million allotment.
The mayor's comments regarding the use of emergency funds garnered a strong reaction from At-Large Councilmember Robert White who called into question why the executive was making cuts to the high-demand program.
"Is that because you believe that half of ERAP applicants are using the program fraudulently?" White said.
Mayor Bowser doubled down on her comments saying, "I believe that there are people that are using ERAP that can pay their rent."
ERAP provides low-income tenants who are facing eviction with money for overdue rent. The program also supports tenants with security deposits and the first month's rent for those moving into new apartments. The amount paid depends on a household's income and available resources.
A family of four in D.C. would have to make less than $61,000 a year to be eligible for these benefits, according to DC's ERAP website.
Applicants can apply once a year and are eligible for up to five months of rent payments.
For example, an ERAP graph shows that for a two-bedroom in Columbia Heights, a tenant would get a maximum of $2,760 a month.
In January when the ERAP applications opened, the high volume of people crashed the city's website. In a manner of four hours, 3,500 people applied for the rental assistance benefits.
Following the mayor's statements about the misuse of ERAP funds, Councilmember Robert White requested that the mayor's team present evidence to back her statements.
"I think you need to have more conversations with people struggling in this city mayor," White told Bowser.
The mayor said excessively funding the program was resulting in tenants refusing to pay their rent because they thought the government would do it for them.
White called Bowser's argument an 'absolute illogical jump' and told the mayor, "I'm not sure who you are talking to that is facing that, but I am seeing a lot of people that can't pay their rent who are not trying to gain the system."
DC officials say the ERAP Program would need up to $100 million of the budget to meet the City's current yearly demand.
The Mayor says she given her team until October to revamp the ERAP program so it is solely focused on emergencies.
Watch Next: Mayor Bowser outlines 2025 fiscal year budget