UPDATE: Mayor’s FY26 proposed budget was released on May 27, and public hearings will be held between 5/29 and 6/17. Committees will make changes between June 23 and 25, and the final budget is expected to pass in July. The spreadsheet below is updated with the new hearing schedules and links.
The DC Council is in the middle of the budget process to make decisions about how DC spends its money – from food assistance and school meals to grants for food businesses. In April and early May, each Council Committee will be holding public hearings to hear residents’ thoughts and suggestions on the next year’s proposed budget. Residents’ voices are crucial to shaping a budget that supports an equitable, healthy, and sustainable food system and programs. You can register to testify live, submit written testimony, or contact Committees and councilmembers throughout the budget process . To help you prepare, we compiled resources below.
Which Budget Hearing to sign up for?
Use the graphic below to identify the agency and council committee that oversees the program or issue you want to give feedback on. As the updated hearing schedules become available, we will update the spreadsheet below with dates and links to register and submit your written testimony. (If the spreadsheet doesn’t automatically show up correctly below, please click this link.)
Learn more about the programs each agency is covering below:
How to sign up for live testimony and submit written testimony
If you are testifying live, you must register on the Council website 2 days before the hearing. If you need language or ASL interpretation, you must register and request on the registration form 5 days before. For step by step instructions on how to register for live testimony and submit written testimony, watch the video tutorial below or click here.
Resources
- Use the FPC guide to the DC Budget on Food to learn about the budget process, identify the food-related program or issue you want to give feedback on, which agency and committee oversee, and steps on how to share your thoughts with decision makers.
- Learn about the impacts of key locally-funded initiatives across our food system in FY24 in this two pagers: FY2024 District Food Programs Impact By Numbers