Now that Mayor Bowser has released her budget, the D.C. Council will spend the next several weeks tinkering with the plan before a final vote.

Yes, but: With a slowing economy, it will be harder than before to fund some ambitious programs.

What’s next: The council is expected to give a final budget vote at the end of May.

Here are three budget fights we’re watching:

🚌 Free Metrobus

D.C. has a bumpy path toward becoming the largest city in the nation to make public buses free.

Driving the news: Bowser’s budget proposal did not set aside money for the program, leaving the D.C. Council to look for funding.

Catch up quick: The free public transit idea was spearheaded by council member Charles Allen along with chair Phil Mendelson. But getting it done is complicated.

• Eliminating fares for Metro buses in D.C. and creating 24-hour service on some routes will cost about $45 million annually, according to the chief financial officer’s estimate from last December.

Buses were initially supposed to become free this summer, but lower-than-estimated city revenues threw a wrench in that plan.

What we’re watching: Allen and Mendelson are still optimistic about finding funding to eliminate bus fares later this year.

🧑‍🍳 Domestic workers

The D.C. Council last year passed a bill that would extend workplace protections to domestic workers, including gardeners, nannies, cleaners, and personal assistants. But a lack of funding in the mayor’s budget threatens its implementation.

Catch up quick: The bill would require employers to provide D.C.’s estimated 4,000 domestic workers a written contract before the first day of employment.

Yes, but: The estimated cost of implementing and enforcing the new regulations is $2.5 million through fiscal 2026. Bowser’s budget left out the funding after the chief financial officer last year said there wasn’t enough money for it.

• Without funding, no part of the law can be implemented.

👶 Baby bonds

Bowser’s budget has no continued funding for D.C.’s “baby bonds” program — once heralded as a major investment in ending intergenerational poverty.

Catch up quick: In 2021, D.C. approved $32 million over four years to implement a program that would provide a trust fund to eligible children born to low-income D.C. families. The fund would receive an initial $500 deposit and then annual $1,000 deposits until the child turns 18.

Yes, but: The mayor’s budget, which doesn’t include funding for the program beyond fiscal 2023, is “effectively ending the program before the government was able to launch this support,” the DC Fiscal Policy Institute writes in a blog post.

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Demolition of a 1960s-era Rosslyn building is making way for new luxury towers.

Why it matters: The RCA Building will be replaced with a 27-story building with 423 apartments, adding more housing in the office-heavy neighborhood.

Driving the news: Jefferson Apartment Group is the developer of the 1901 N. Moore St. site. Plans approved by Arlington County in 2021 envision a rooftop pool, ground-level retail, and restaurant space. Unit sizes range from studios to three bedrooms with a den.

• The north tower will have unobstructed views of the District.
• The two towers will be connected at the base, up to a fourth-floor outdoor terrace, and via a top-floor “amenity bridge” with a glass floor.

What’s next: Initial units are expected to be complete in summer 2025.

The demolition means bidding adieu to another one of the neighborhood’s skywalks, a quintessential Rosslyn relic that’s basically a pedestrian bridge.

Zoom out: There are 2,600 units in the works throughout Rosslyn, UrbanTurf reports.

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🍺 Brixton on U Street will be replaced by Whitlow’s, the casual tavern’s fourth space since getting its start in downtown at the end of World War II. (Washingtonian)

🚨 A friend of the Rand Paul staffer who was stabbed on H Street NE describes intervening to tackle the attacker from behind. The staffer, Phillip Todd, survived the random attack after trauma surgery. His friend was unhurt. (Washington Post)

🚧 D.C. plans to resurface 76 miles of roads, redo 65 miles of sidewalks, and fix 126 alleys this year, officials said. (WTOP)

🅿️ Underground sensors in Arlington County under a new pilot program will be able to alert apps about open parking spaces. (NBC4)

Roy McGrath, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s ex-chief of staff, died yesterday in a confrontation with the FBI in Tennessee, his lawyer said, after he went on the run over charges he defrauded the state. (CNN)

Local bagel shop founder (and White House chief of staff!) Jeff Zients starts his morning early: 20 minutes of transcendental meditation at 4:30am, reports Axios’ Hans Nichols.

Why it matters: Zients is a Kensington native, a former Obama official, and an entrepreneur who co-founded Call Your Mother deli. He became President Biden’s chief of staff in early February.

Behind the scenes: After his daily meditation and ritual workout, Zients is at the White House by about 7am.

• His new management approach puts more officials directly before the president and appears to be leading to some faster decisions by Biden.

Yes, but: There has been at least one unforced error in Zients' tenure so far — Biden infuriated vulnerable House Democrats when he announced that he would not veto Republicans' D.C. crime bill after first indicating he opposed it.

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💼 Check out who’s hiring on our Job Board.

1. Communications Officer, Digital Media at Walton Family Foundation.
2. Manager, Residential Customers Solutions & Strategy at Edison Electric Institute.
3. Benefits Analyst at Intelsat.
4. Director at Evergreen Strategy Group.
5. Senior Manager, Public Relations (Commercial Real Estate Team) at The Brand Guild.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

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A beautiful, warm week lies ahead of us. It’s officially spring in the District.

• Why not catch a baseball game? Or attend the Cherry Blossom Bash around The Yards?

Enjoy it!