On October 17, 2026, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted in the Washington Business Journal about D.C.’s debt service ratio and the proposal to add a roof to Audi field:
Yesim Sayin, executive director of the D.C. Policy Center, said the fact that the debt cap is projected to come in close to 12% in 2032 is a sign the District is carefully balancing its budgetary needs.
At the same time, Sayin said, the District’s budget over the past few years was artificially boosted by one-time factors, including Covid-19 funds, and Sayin predicts its spending will come down as those one-time sources are depleted. Since the debt cap is a ratio of debt service payments to total expenditures, reducing overall expenditures could put more pressure on the District to keep its debt service payments in line.
“That tension is going to be very high because our spending is not going to grow,” she said. “We do not have the revenue base to support it.”
Read more: D.C. nears debt cap as sports venue bonds pile up