District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry is reportedly planning to flout congressional orders to make deep cuts in his budget, instead putting out a blueprint that counts on receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid.

City administrator Michael Rogers said overall spending next year will be about the same as this year. He said no major layoffs will be proposed, though there will be some shrinkage in the number of city workers through attrition.And he said Barry will push ahead with plans for the federal government to begin paying more of the city's Medicaid bills and gradually take over the program.

The strategy does not appear to meet congressional orders to cut spending in the midst of the city's financial crisis. Tight financial controls could be imposed on the district as a result.

Congressional leaders have said they won't consider any plan for the federal government to eventually take over the Medicaid program unless the city cuts costs aggressively to deal with its financial crisis.

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In the face of a $722 million budget deficit, Congress is moving to establish a financial and management control board to oversee city spending.

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