Report to the CPUSA Frederick Douglass (Washington DC) Club Conference, May 9, 2026.

Comrades, it has been a year, to say it bluntly. The people of the District of Columbia have been on the frontline of preventing a fascist dictatorship and our party club in DC has taken the responsibility of taking leadership in that fight. We also lost several of our veteran comrades in 2025 and that has absolutely taken a toll on our work locally where we lost several decades of organizing experience in the district.

With the return of the Trump government in DC, we expected his administration to focus on going after his perceived political enemies and to engage in a major assault on the immigrant community in full fascist fashion. And he has largely kept his promises, but with major resistance here and throughout the entire country.

Beginning with Elon Musk and the billionaire-led “Department of Government Efficiency” otherwise known as “DOGE,” the Trump government began a full frontal assault on federal agencies charged with protecting civil rights, the environment, taxes, job protections and social benefits. Over 300,000 federal workers either were fired or took the “fork in the road” buyout and left the government. 72,000 of those jobs were based in the DC region and the district’s unemployment rate has risen as a result, which now has one of the highest rates in the country with Black workers being the most impacted. The Trump government additionally engaged in the largest union busting effort in U.S. history by signing an executive order effectively cancelling the union contracts of 1.3 million federal workers, something not seen since Ronald Reagan’s busting of the PATCO union in the 1980s.

But federal workers fought back and are continuing to do so. Federal workers responded through a range of tactics: early protests at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) demanding an end to intimidation and mass layoffs; solidarity benefit gatherings that gave rise to the Federal Worker Solidarity Emergency Fund, launched by the Community Service Agency (CSA) of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, to support workers affected by the cuts; whistleblowing against the administration’s attack on civil rights protections, especially in housing discrimination; fighting against the rollback of their collective bargaining contracts; advocacy on the Hill, where workers shared their stories directly with members of Congress and pushed for passage of the Protect America’s Workforce Act (PAWA); and support for the federal shutdown, effectively a strike against their employer for its destruction of democracy.

The main vehicle for this fightback has not necessarily been the leadership of the federal labor unions, though some of the smaller locals and district councils have engaged in a militant fightback — like the CFPB Union (NTEU Local 335) and AFGE District 14 — but has been the Federal Unionists Network (FUN), an organization of rank-and-file union members and unorganized federal workers aiming to breathe life back into the federal sector of the labor movement.

At the same time that the federal government was beginning to be dismantled, the Trump government set its eyes onto DC. Two things happened early on that signaled the local government’s appeasement of the Trump administration.

The first was Mayor Bowser’s immediate removal of Black Lives Matter Plaza; the second was MPD’s collaboration with DOGE to evict the former leadership from the U.S. Institute of Peace. Symbolically, the removal of BLM Plaza signaled a shift towards white supremacist domination in DC and a backlash against the 2020 George Floyd Rebellion, especially given that the administration had virtually made the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) illegal and was quickly stripping away federal civil rights protections and equal opportunity.

Shortly after, Republicans in Congress stripped $1.1 billion from DC’s budget and began treating DC like a federal agency. Free DC, in which our club prioritized participation last year, led the fight on the Hill against this major budget cut and fought vigorously for it to be restored. These cuts also contributed to job loss and frozen wages for local DC government workers. Furthermore, Trump issued an executive order in March, initiating the “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” task force, which led to Park Police making arrests at federal parks around immigration and drug use by regular park goers, particularly targeting Latinos and Black families.

Due to the massive federal cuts imposed on the district under the Trump administration, Mayor Bowser unveiled what organized labor described as a pro-business “MAGA Budget” targeting programs that many working class residents across Washington, DC depend on. The proposal slashed funding for the DC Healthcare Alliance, a lifeline for the immigrant community, and cut Medicaid funding that supports poor, disabled, and elderly residents throughout the district. It also reduced emergency rental assistance for tenants facing eviction and housing instability amid rising rents. The budget further cut the pay equity fund, which raises wages for early childhood educators — a workforce made up largely of Black women and women of color — and eliminated the DC child tax credit, a policy designed to reduce childhood poverty.

After weeks of advocacy and rallying inside and outside the Wilson Building, local budget organizations like the Fair Budget Coalition in alliance with community leaders, labor unions and progressive organizations were able to win back some of these cuts through the DC Council. The DC Council also moved to decouple parts of the district’s tax code after Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” passed over the summer in order to prevent major losses in local revenue that funds public services like schools, housing programs, healthcare, and transit.

As noted, the returning Trump administration made DEI and equal opportunity virtually illegal. This included attacks on Black history in the Smithsonian museums and budget cuts leading to a possible closing of the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum.

The Black community began to fight back against this, the most significant attack on African Americans since Jim Crow.

But the Black community began to fight back against this, the most significant attack on African Americans since Jim Crow. And, in DC, the faith community took up the national call to begin a boycott of Target stores in and around the district. This was spearheaded by the late Rev. Graylan Hagler alongside a coalition of progressive Black clergy, in alliance with community organizations including our Communist Party club. The effort marked a notable shift in the district, which hadn’t seen a significant African American-led boycott effort probably since the Free South Africa movement in the 1980s. The coalition held a weekly informational picket in front of the Target store in Columbia Heights and maintained its presence for nearly a year.

Come August, the entire situation in the district shifted. Trump and his military henchmen had failed at sustaining a military occupation in Los Angeles, CA, beginning in June and Congress passed his “Big Beautiful Bill” in July, leading to the ballooning of ICE’s budget which is now larger than most militaries in the world.

Due to DC’s lack of statehood, Trump, alongside his then-DOJ leader Pam Bondi and Hitler-inspired advisor Stephen Miller, claimed to “take over” DC and announced a surge of federal law enforcement and activation of the DC National Guard alongside nine Republican states sending in their Guard troops.

This led to the formalization of collaboration between DC government and federal law enforcement. The then-police chief Pamela Smith and Mayor Bowser instituted executive orders to exploit a loophole in the district’s Sanctuary Values Act that allowed for DC police to collaborate with federal immigration enforcement. From August to October, DC neighborhoods uptown and in Southeast were occupied by federal law enforcement, with immigration agents kidnapping immigrant workers throughout Columbia Heights and other neighborhoods with large immigrant populations and assaulting Black youth at metro stations and in gathering locations like Navy Yard. This occupation, while being litigated in the courts, is still ongoing to this day.

The federal occupation created two issues of public debate in the district: immigration enforcement and the criminalization of Black youth. Community watch patrols were set up by neighbors to report sightings of ICE and other federal agents. Boycott movements began intensifying with Free DC launching a boycott of Amazon and Whole Foods in response to their collaboration with ICE and Trump, and their investment into data centers which are driving up utility costs in the region.

The Boycott Target DC Coalition began including anti-ICE and anti-DC occupation messaging in its weekly pickets of the Columbia Heights store due to kidnappings of delivery drivers in front of the store. In October, Ward 1 councilmember Brianne Nadeau attempted to address the issue of the collaboration between local police and federal law enforcement by hosting a public roundtable hearing to listen directly to impacted residents. This was the first time that the DC government began responding more publicly to Mayor Bowser’s collaboration with Trump and the ongoing occupation crisis in the district that was affecting the economy and instilling fear among residents. As a result of the hearing, and a later hearing held by Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George introduced legislation to close the loophole in the Sanctuary Values Act to prevent local DC police from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement. This bill has yet to have a hearing.

Local DC government is having one of its largest shake ups since Home Rule was enacted in 1973.

At the end of 2025, Mayor Bowser announced that she would not be seeking another term as mayor, opening up an opportunity for progressives in the district to take the mayor’s seat. Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau (W1) and Anita Bonds (At-Large) both announced that they would also not be seeking additional terms in office. Longtime House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton also announced that she will be retiring, and council members Robert White (At-Large) and Brooke Pinto (Ward 2) both announced that they will be seeking the seat, opening up potential special elections for their seats. And, finally Ward 4 socialist councilmember Janeese Lewis George stepped into the ring to replace outgoing mayor Muriel Bowser, earning the support of the district’s major unions and progressives. At-large councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who had been serving on the council as an independent, stepped down from his seat to run for mayor against Lewis George. Former DSA leader Aparna Raj is jumping into the ring to have a socialist in the Ward 1 seat.

With all of this said, the local DC government is having one of its largest shake ups since Home Rule was enacted in 1973. And, there is a good chance that the council and mayor’s office shifts towards the political left and progressive politics in a major way. Though, the elephant in the room is how Trump and the federal government will respond to a socialist mayor and a large progressive bloc in the DC council. Will they reenact the Control Board of the ’90s or do something worse? The midterm elections in the fall will be extremely important in determining the future of DC Home Rule.

Another important achievement has been the revival of the DC Working Families Party. Previously active in DC from roughly 2013–2022, it had been responsible for achieving DC’s fair elections program and paid family leave. Across the country, particularly in New York, Philadelphia, and Delaware, they have become a major force in challenging big money in politics and establishment Democrats. In Philly specifically, they have two independent WFP members on their city council and currently sit as the opposition minority party, a model we want to replicate in DC.

We must not lose sight of important fights in front of us right now, the elections and the budget in the first place.

The Communist Party has historically supported tangible and realistic third-party efforts, particularly those which are led by organized labor in alliance with people of color, as part of its efforts to build a broad working class and anti-monopoly party that can compete in elections and challenge the two-party system. Our party does not stand in contradiction to the Working Families Party, in fact we are working directly within it and aim to strengthen it to the highest level — which is base building and winning power throughout all eight wards of this city and creating space for potential Communist candidates in future elections.

We must not lose sight of important fights in front of us right now, the elections and the budget in the first place.

Mayor Bowser has once again unveiled a big business budget that prioritizes downtown redevelopment and stadium projects while scaling back programs that directly support working class families during an economic crisis. This makes the current budget fight one of the most important organizing opportunities facing our club. From now through June, comrades should actively support Fair Budget Coalition mobilizations at the Wilson Building targeting the mayor and other key decision-makers, while helping defend the programs that working people across the district depend on.

The election of Janeese Lewis George as mayor should be of primary importance for our club members in DC and for ensuring that the progressive bloc widens and strengthens within the DC Council.

Let’s also not minimize the reality we face when it comes to civil rights and the gutting of voting rights in the South. MAGA is attempting to consolidate its power and this is a moment where the issue of DC Statehood needs to be raised to the highest level.

While the club in DC has made many important strides over the past several years in deepening its ties to the Black church, labor and community leaders, we are still relatively isolated from the working class in the district, Black workers in particular. Our club, in alliance with our work in the Claudia Jones School, needs to do whatever it can to break from this isolation and begin engaging with issues that affect district residents directly, like the issues of childcare, utilities, immigration, unemployment, housing, and more, while not losing sight of the most immediate crisis being the federal occupation.

This means prioritizing the development of our party collectives and leaders, deepening our ties east of the river, and building relationships with labor unions representing nurses, federal workers, restaurant workers, hotel workers, and more as well as partnering with labor constituency groups like Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW).

The CPUSA Labor Commission’s campaign to raise the issue of a Union Day of Solidarity in DC is one that we should take on. We also cannot forget the issue of peace while a genocide is still being committed in Palestine, billions of dollars are being used in bombing civilians in Iran and across the region, and Cuba’s revolutionary government being choked. Connecting the military occupation on our streets in DC to what is transpiring overseas is important and raises the importance of building ties with progressive veterans organizations like Common Defense and Black Veterans Project.

Our participation in these struggles will not only build the movement and raise our party’s consciousness on issues facing Black, brown, women, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ workers, but will also create the ties needed to grow our party and break it from its isolation in the district. The party should be known among neighborhoods in the district where our work is concentrated.

We have a world to win, but need to defeat these fascists in order to widen the space for us to organize.

Long live the Communist Party of the District of Columbia!
Long live the working class of Washington, DC!
Long live the struggle for democracy and socialism!

The opinions of the author do not necessarily reflect the positions of the CPUSA.

Images: The Story — The Last Battlefront by Ted Eytan. Creative Commons. Frme-3oXgAAolqt by CPUSA. CC BY-NC 2.0. Free DC by Free DC Project. Public domain. FR4uDJhWUAAzk-I by CPUSA. CC BY-NC 2.0.