Budget showdown on Monday, July 28; OpaVote ballot for July 18 General Body Meeting resolutions sent Tuesday; Socialists holding electoral training Intensive this weekend
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
DC left-labor alliance grapples with DC austerity budget; tipped workers call for support over new threat to I82
DC’s working class is poised for a showdown over potentially devastating funding cuts in the 2026 District budget. While the budget has been approved from the fetid proposal originally cooked up by Mayor Bowser, significant cuts still remain which are set to launch DC's working-class into an austerity regime.
At time of writing, cuts to DC Healthcare Alliance will strike adults over the age of 26, beginning with a moratorium on new enrollment on August 1 to culminate with no adult coverage at all in 2027. This program currently covers 27,000 residents who are ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare, including many undocumented immigrants who have no alternative without this program. Migrant rights groups and their allies are asking the public to call Councilmembers Mendelson, White, Pinto and Frumin using a call script to demand the preservation of Alliance.
Broader cuts to Medicaid will move approximately 25,000 people off coverage and into a new program on the DC Health Care Exchange, where they will no longer be covered for dental care or eye care, mental health benefits, or specialty services like chemotherapy. Councilmember Parker (Ward 5) has proposed a capital gains surcharge on the 1% to raise revenue to restore cut funding (something Maryland recently passed) — but political support on the council appears fragile even though DC’s top 5% now stand to gain $568 million in federal tax cuts. Despite the need to raise revenue, no other councilmember has put forward a tax increase. (More on Medicaid cuts from NBC Washington.)
The social safety net cuts draw a stark contrast with proposed handouts for the billionaire playground that is the new RFK Stadium development. Though the 2026 budget does not actually include the RFK stadium deal, it does contain $500 million in funding to start preparing the site for construction. Ahead of a public hearing on Tuesday, July 29, Chairman Mendelson announced the Council will vote on August 1 for an altered agreement that was made behind closed doors, steamrolling community input. Amid dissent over what the RFK Stadium site should be if DC values building real community wealth (including from Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen), the Council appears to be sticking to the same playbook: stoking a sense of fear and false urgency to privatize public land (providing one of the largest taxpayer subsidies to billionaire Josh Harris in the process). Socialists are joining a front against this deal at 9am on Tuesday, July 29, one hour before the public hearing. Locals can register here to show community strength and demand a community-focused vision of RFK development: social housing, grocery stores, parks, healthcare, and more.
Meanwhile, the Tipped Workers' War continues... bar and restaurant workers stormed the Wilson Building every day this week to maintain pressure on the Council to defend Initiative 82. Through their maneuvers, workers unearthed a “compromise” being floated by liberal Councilmembers Allen and Henderson. Shockingly, the proposal would delay a full phase-in of Initiative 82 for a decadewhile capping the subminimum wage at 75% of the local minimum wage, assuming RAMW wouldn't exploit this extended timeline to launch further attacks (unlikely). Under the sham "compromise," workers would receive between less than $0.50 yearly with smaller spikes every two years — unacceptable. (The timeline set by I82 was approved by ~74% of DC voters in 2022 due to the campaign waged by Metro DC DSA.)
Organized workers have been clear that any change to I82 that does not maintain elimination of the subminimum wage in a reasonable timeframe is, in fact, a repeal. Workers are planning to join an alliance of locals, labor allies and the Fair Budget Coalition at the Wilson Building on Monday to challenge any sham proposals circulated in the final budget vote — all willing to demand full implementation of I82 are invited to attend. Here are the next steps allies can take to aide the workers' war:
Familiarize yourself with what the data says on I82’s effects so far — wages and employment are up. The Council's own budget office says the restaurant industry is strong and stable. There is no economic sense to repeal or compromise.
Call the office of CMs Henderson and Allen to tell them to respect the will of voters and to stick to their promise to respect and defend I82. (IG Call script)
This austerity regime marks a bleak future for the city's working masses. As social benefits and worker protections are abandoned, disposable income will follow — plummeting the city into economic dystopia. The rulers of this dystopia will be the billionaires, the bankers, the restaurant groups, the landlords, the fascists. Can a left-labor alliance unite itself and fight back?
DSA MEMBERS: OpaVote ballot for July 18 General Body Meeting resolutions sent Tuesday — ballots due today, July 25, 11:59pm
The OpaVote ballot for the July General Body Meeting has been emailed out with the subject line “2025 July General Body Meeting Ballot” and is open until 11:59pm on July 25 (today).
Members can choose to abstain on any or all questions by leaving them blank or by selecting “Abstain.”
Ballots
were emailed to members in good standing (i.e., members who are current
on dues) and who joined more than 30 days before the July 13 GBM, as
well as all members in good standing who attended the July 13 GBM. If
you believe you’re eligible but haven’t received a ballot, or if you have any other questions, please let the Steering Committee know in the #steering channel of the chapter Slack or at [email protected]. Make sure to check your spam folder for ballots as well.
The deadline to submit your ballot is TODAY — July 25, 2025, at 11:59pm EST.
Socialists holding electoral training Intensive this weekend — July 26 and 27
Building off socialist
Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary victory in NYC, just last week, Twin
Cities DSA member and Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh won the DFL endorsement
for Minneapolis mayor. Socialists are mobilizing for a better world in
cities across the country — and DC comrades are organizing to make sure
the District is next. On July 26 and 27,
Metro DC DSA will be holding a two-day electoral training to prepare
for local races this fall and into 2026. Mamdani’s win and Fateh’s
endorsement not only showed that democratic socialists can run and win,
they inspired hope in those seeking to bring about a socialist future.
Come learn why electoral politics is an important part of DSA’s strategy
and get trained up for the election cycle this fall — no experience necessary.
Day 1
will focus on local elections coming up and their strategic importance,
and will also feature some NYC DSA comrades who organized Zohran
canvasses about how this win fits into DSA’s theory of social change.
This is especially for new people and those looking to explore/discuss
electoral politics.
Day 2
focuses specifically on chapter members who want to help run the
door-knocking operations for our endorsed general election campaigns. No
existing skills are required, just a commitment to growing our
electoral machine. Guest speakers from Mamdani’s campaign will join us
to speak about his campaign’s victory over establishment Democrat Andrew
Cuomo.
BRIEFS
Rockville City Council and mayor fail tenants, vote to ban future discussion of rent stabilization
This Monday, Mayor
Monique Ashton and the majority of the Rockville City Council — Council
Members Barry Jackson, Adam van Grack, Marissa Valeri, and Kate Fulton —
denied Rockville tenants the same protection renters enjoy in the rest
of the county when they voted against capping rent increases to 6% and voted
to ban any future discussions of rent stabilization. Council Members
Izola Shaw and David Myles stood with tenants and voted for the cap on
rent increases and against banning discussion of rent stabilization.
This vote came after council members received hundreds of testimonies
and letters from city residents of all walks of life requesting rent
stabilization to protect communities and families. Nearly 50% of the
city’s residents are renters; the majority of Rockville renters are
rent-burdened. The Montgomery County branch of Metro DC DSA will
continue to build tenant and worker power in Rockville and Montgomery
County despite this setback. Join the branch picnic on August 3 in
Wheaton to get involved. RSVP here.
Rockville Renters United, the coalition of organizations and tenant leaders leading this fight, has issued a statement condemning the vote and outlining next steps.
Abolitionists organizing backpack drive — first spread the word, then distribute the backpacks
Many local families struggle
to afford basic school supplies each year. That’s why Metro DC DSA’s
Abolition Working Group is hosting its 2nd annual Free Backpack Drive on
Saturday, August 9. At a fundraiser held earlier this week, over
$6,000 was raised for the backpack drive. The Abolition Working Group
will be using these funds to distribute backpacks filled with school
supplies to ALL students — no questions asked, no barriers.
Ahead
of the event, abolitionists will fan out across DC over the coming
weeks to raise awareness of the backpack drive. These efforts begin on
Sunday, July 27 and will continue on Sunday, August 3. Comrades will
meet at the Eastern Market Metro Station entrance at 701 Pennsylvania
Ave SE, do a quick poster tutorial, and then disperse to locations along
the Orange and Silver/Blue lines to spread posters everywhere. All
interested in aiding in back-to-school efforts can RSVP here.
We Power DC beginning anti-Pepco canvasses — Saturday, July 26 at 11am
Tired of paying hundreds of
dollars a month to a billion-dollar company for your electricity? 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 the group on Saturday, July 26
at 11am to talk to neighbors in Ward 1 about public power. Training and
materials will be provided — wear comfortable shoes for walking and
bring friends. We will meet at the north end of Malcolm X Park. RSVP here.
David Schwartzman, Presente! Memorial — Saturday, August 2 at 3pm
David, friend and comrade,
member of Metro DC DSA, DC Statehood/Green Party, the DC Fair Budget
Coalition, and numerous other organizations, passed away at 81 on July
1. A celebration of his life
will be held on Saturday, August 2 from 3 to 6pm at the Josephine
Butler Center (2437 15th St NW). Come celebrate David’s life, share
favorite memories, and connect with the community to continue his
progressive legacy — as David said, “Be as Radical as Life Itself!”
Carpooling
to and from the event is strongly recommended as parking is very
limited. There are also nearby transit options. For those who didn’t
know David, this obituary from the Washington Post gives a hint of the breadth of his engagement.
NoVA socialists organizing fiber arts group — first meeting August 2 at 10:30am
Join fellow fiber arts
comrades — no experience required — at NoVA DSA’s first fiber arts group
meeting on August 2. This group aims to promote, celebrate, and build
community around the fiber arts, including knitting, crocheting, sewing,
embroidering, felting, and needle-punching. This group is a way for
members to develop fiber skills, mitigate burnout, and connect
organizers who normally work in different realms.
Organizers
believe having a fiber arts community strengthens socialists’ bonds as
organizers and community members while also curating a low-barrier space
where organizers can exchange ideas and be creative.
Attendees at the inaugural meeting will discuss plans for skill building and projects for helping the community. RSVP here.
Stomp Out Slumlords all-hands meeting — Monday, July 28 at 6:30pm
Join Stomp Out Slumlords,
MDC DSA’s tenant organizing project, for an all-hands meeting. We will
share updates on the fight to stop the RENTAL Act and protect TOPA, hear
from various tenant leaders and organizers on the fights in their
buildings, and discuss building-level organizing challenges. The meeting
will be at 6:30pm at the MLK Library in downtown DC. RSVP here.
Want to stay current? Weekly Updates, like the one you are reading, are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are available on our website. 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 Summer 2025 issue is available here. Check out the Socialist’stopic-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 local chapter workspace? MDC
DSA members are encouraged to join our all-member Slack for real-time
info on working group and campaign events, strategy/tactic exchange, and
inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues
receipt to get Slack access.
DMV LEFT COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Stop Starving Gaza day of action today, July 25 | NoVA protest against GHF
TODAY,
July 25, there will be a protest in Northern Virginia against the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US organization that has been
operating concentration camps in Gaza disguised as aid sites where they
displace and kill Palestinians. The protest will begin at 5pm at
Peterson Lane Park in Vienna. Attendees will directly confront the war
criminals behind the GHF and will demand that they dismantle the
organization and let aid into Gaza immediately to break the siege and
end the Zionist-induced famine. More info, including details on a
Telegram channel for the event, here.
Anti-Authoritarian Campus Campaign Bootcamp on July 26 | Democracy in Action
Tomorrow,
on Saturday, July 26, from 10am to 6pm, Democracy in Action invites new
and trained students to join a day-long campaign planning retreat and
kickoff. If you’re a student looking to organize a campaign on your
campus to resist Trump’s autocratic attacks on your freedoms as
students, learn more and sign up here.
A Communion for Cuba on July 27 | African Medical and Political Solidarity
Looking
for a way to celebrate the anniversary of the 26th of July movement? On
Sunday, July 27, at 1:30pm, join African Medical and Political
Solidarity at Petworth Library for drummers, food, music,
Pan-Africanism, anti-imperialism, and community! Attendees are invited
to bring medical aid donations, including vitamins, antibiotics,
antibiotic ointment, digestive medicines, and over-the-counter pain
medicines. More info on Instagram here.
Active Bystander Skills for ICE on July 30 | Free DC
In
partnership with an immigrant justice organization, Free DC is holding a
virtual training on Wednesday, July 30 at 7pm for immigrant justice
allies to learn how to be actively involved if you witness ICE
interacting with or detaining a neighbor. Learn what information to
record, what you can ask, and how to actively support the situation
without increasing your own risk for arrest. Sign up here.
Free Expungement Clinic on July 31 in Rockville, MD | Minorities for Medical Marijuana
Join
Minorities for Medical Marijuana for an expungement clinic, including
free legal support from licensed attorneys, step-by-step guidance on the
expungement process, on-site application assistance, and follow-up
support and access to community resources (employment, education, mental
health, reentry). The clinic will run from 4:30 to 7:30pm at the
Twinbrook library in Rockville. The Montgomery County Branch of Metro DC
DSA is co-sponsoring this event. RSVP 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.
Labor Change Will Hurt Workers, Spare Violators: Employers will have far less incentive to comply with an anti-wage theft law under a new Department of Labor rule. Workers have suffered for years from “an unlawful but not uncommon practice known as wage theft.
The sorely insufficient funding for the U.S. Department of Labor’s
enforcement divisions has long hamstrung its efforts to combat high
rates of employer non-compliance. The Department of Labor’s ranks have shrunk significantly
due to the Trump Administration’s efforts to slash the federal budget,
compounding the challenges created by policies designed to undermine the rights of workers. All this has further blunted the agency’s ability to enforce the laws designed to protect them.” The Progressive — and a footnote: This year, Maryland was named the worst state in the nation for wage theft.
Israeli Knesset Hosts Conference on Plan to ‘Occupy Gaza’ and ‘Relocate Gazans’: “There is a purpose to this war, and it’s a criminal one,” wrote Israeli journalist Gideon Levy in Haaretz this past weekend. “…far-right politicians and settlers openly discussed a “proposed plan” to cleanse the Gaza Strip of Palestinians and annex it for Israel.
At the conference, titled “The Gaza Riviera–from vision to reality,”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a member of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense ministry, said “We will occupy
Gaza and make it an inseparable part of Israel.”
As Frank Zappa said, “The torture never stops.”
Last week the National Education Association collective made an
historic decision. This week, an executive committee of the NEA reversed the vote of the whole body
to stop using material provided by the Anti-Defamation League in their
classrooms. Axios describes the pressure campaign that brought the
about-face.
Democratic socialist in Maryland legislature ready to ‘fight like hell,’ says party moving in his direction: As
self-described “democratic socialist” candidates are seeing greater
success in races around the country, one Maryland lawmaker who embraces
the label believes Democratic Party voters are shifting
in his direction. Del. Gabe Acevero, a 34-year-old member of the
Democratic Socialists of America, represents Montgomery County in the
Maryland General Assembly. He was first elected in 2018 — long before Zohran Mamdani
and Omar Fateh gained national attention for winning the Democratic
mayoral primary in New York City and an endorsement from the Minnesota
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minneapolis’ mayoral race,
respectively. As the electorate becomes younger and more progressive,
Acevero said that establishment Democrats should “be cognizant” of what
that constituency wants if it plans to win elections. Baltimore Su
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.
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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
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