What is Happening Now

DC residents are facing record rents, dangerous disrepair, or public housing left vacant and distressed while developers and corporate landlords profit. The DC Housing Authority has left units unlivable for years, has failed to move people into affordable housing, or ignores disability rights. Tenants are seeing rent control loopholes like voluntary agreements and vacancy increases, and cuts to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) that send families toward eviction. Residents are facing weak housing code enforcement, utility shutoffs that trap people in poverty, and voucher abuse where landlords are charging unjustifiable rents. Residents have seen TOPA rights or rent control protections being stripped away, and construction that prioritizes the wealthiest residents over everyone else.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve safe and reliable homes they can afford, whether they rent or own. Families should be able to remain in their neighborhoods when a building is sold and not be pushed out by displacement. Seniors and long time tenants deserve tools like Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and the financial support to age in place with dignity. Renters deserve strong protections, a real Tenant Bill of Rights, and an Office of the Tenant Advocate that can stand up to predatory landlords, especially in the lowest income neighborhoods. Every worker in the District deserves a fair shot at home ownership or the ability to save without being rent poor, and a chance to build wealth in their own community.

Oye Fights For

As Councilmember, Oye will fight to make housing in the District affordable, stable, and centered on people, not corporations. He will restore and fully fund ERAP, pair it with a right to counsel in eviction cases, and strengthen protections against rent gouging, illegal fees, and utility shutoffs. Oye will defend and restore TOPA, fully fund the First Right Purchase Program, and champion social housing and community land trusts so public investment stays affordable.

Oye will strengthen rent stabilization. He supports reducing the maximum yearly increase to the consumer price index; currently, the cap is CPI+2 percent. He will also advance legislation expanding rent control and stabilization to much newer buildings. In addition, Oye will fund proactive inspections and bring aggressive oversight to DCHA and DHCD so the housing system serves tenants rather than slumlords or developers.

What DC Deserves

DC deserves a health care system that treats care as a human right and makes sure every person in every ward can see a doctor, get medication, and stay healthy without barriers. Residents deserve reliable Medicaid and a strong DC Healthcare Alliance that covers primary care, dental, vision, chronic disease management, long term care, and mental health services. People deserve public clinics with no cost to the patient, located in and near the neighborhoods where they live and work, and reimbursement rates that keep providers and pharmacies open East of the River. And every resident, including trans and queer neighbors, deserves reproductive and gender affirming care that is protected, accessible, and close to home.

Oye Fights For

Dr. Oye will fight to restore DC Medicaid, fully restore the DC Healthcare Alliance, and guarantee dedicated, recurring funding so these programs cannot be dismantled again. He will work to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates so residents can keep their doctors and pharmacists close to home, especially East of the River. Oye will push to reform pharmacy benefit managers, end spread pricing, synchronize formularies, and lower drug costs across the District. He will expand public clinics with no cost to the patient and support universal health care as part of a single payer Medicare for All vision. He will direct his constituent services office to help residents fight medical debt. And he will strengthen Shield Laws, protect reproductive freedom, and ensure every trans and queer resident can safely access the care they need in the District.

What is Happening Now

DC faces government budgets that strip health coverage from 25,000 residents and weakens one of the District’s most important public health programs. People often have to choose between food and treatment, or to be pushed into medical debt for the care they need to survive. Residents see pharmacy benefit managers inflate drug prices and are presented with policies that force doctors to stop taking Medicaid because reimbursement rates are too low. Immigrant families who should feel safe accessing the services they need are met with barriers to preventive care. And DC residents face attacks on reproductive care or gender affirming care that put lives at risk.

What is Happening Now

DC residents, sadly, have had a public safety system that continues to rely on strategies that have failed for decades. DC residents fund the largest police budget in District history while the root causes of violence go unaddressed. Black youth, immigrants, and unhoused neighbors  are over policed and criminalized for poverty, fare evasion, or survival. Students face armed police in schools when the support they need is mental health care, academic help, and stable housing. Residents continue to see secretive police surveillance, expanded pretrial detention, and training programs that militarize local police.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve to feel safe in their homes, schools, neighborhoods, and places of worship. Every resident, whether they are Jewish, Muslim, gay, Black, Asian, immigrant, or unhoused, deserves to know the District will take threats and harm seriously. People deserve crisis responses that actually help them, including mental health workers, trained de-escalators, youth workers, and violence interrupters. Young people deserve counselors, teachers, and nurses, not a school to prison pipeline. Families deserve a District that invests in their well being, creates real opportunity, and ensures every student can attend UDC without tuition so they can build a better future.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight for a community first approach to safety that invests in people before punishment. He will expand violence interruption, youth employment, mental health crisis response, and community based programs, and direct agencies to use trained responders instead of armed officers for mental health emergencies. He will remove police from DCPS schools, hire more counselors and nurses, and cosponsor legislation to move traffic enforcement to civilian agencies.

Oye will continue hosting expungement clinics, advance legislation to strengthen reentry supports, and make UDC tuition free so every student has a path to opportunity. He will oppose expansions of pretrial detention, reject efforts to create new crimes or longer sentences, and repass the Revised Criminal Code Act when Congress allows. Oye will end all MPD cross training with the Israeli military. He will shift resources toward stable housing, education, after school programs, job training, and harm reduction. 

What is Happening Now

The District is facing escalating federal interference from Congress and the President that directly threatens DC’s right to self government and daily stability. DC residents pay federal taxes and serve this country, yet remain disenfranchised without voting representation or statehood. Congress continues to override DC laws, block budget decisions, and restrict our ability to raise and spend local revenue. These actions create real economic and social instability, putting jobs, health care access, and housing at risk. Federal immigration enforcement is expanding aggressively, with ICE flooding neighborhoods and workplaces, separating families and undermining community trust. The absence of statehood leaves DC residents uniquely vulnerable to these abuses, denying them their basic democratic protections every other American receives.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve full democratic rights and the ability to govern ourselves without congressional interference. That means control over our budget, laws, and public land, respect for voter initiatives, and strong protections against federal overreach. Residents deserve a local government that defends immigrant communities, protects civil liberties, and refuses to enforce harmful federal agendas. DC deserves statehood so our residents have equal representation in Congress and the power to protect our own communities. Until that day, the District deserves leaders who will use every legal and political tool available to defend home rule and prevent federal attacks from undermining daily life.

Oyes Fights For

Oye is already doing this work as DC’s U.S. Representative. As a Councilmember, he will continue organizing aggressively for DC Statehood while defending home rule. He will oppose congressional overrides of DC laws and budgets, defend voter approved initiatives, and decouple District policy from harmful federal actions whenever possible. Oye will use the Council’s oversight authority to enforce the Sanctuary Values Act, block cooperation with ICE, expand language access, and fund immigrant legal defense. He will organize in coalition with labor unions, civil rights organizations, municipalities, and state leaders nationwide to push back against federal interference and build durable momentum for Statehood.

What is Happening Now

DC seniors, the foundation of our communities, are under pressure from every direction. Federal attacks under Trump and his allies threaten Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid through proposed budget cuts, privatization schemes, and weakened consumer protections. Prescription drug costs remain too high, while scams and fraud targeting older adults are becoming more aggressive and sophisticated. Locally, proposed cuts to the Department of Aging and Community Living put meals, transportation, caregiver support, and senior wellness programs at risk. Rising property taxes, housing costs, and utility bills are forcing seniors out of the neighborhoods they built. Too many older adults, especially Black seniors east of the Anacostia River, face food insecurity, limited health access, isolation, and displacement when they should be aging with dignity, stability, and respect.

What DC Seniors Deserve

DC seniors deserve to age in place safely, affordably, and in community. They deserve secure Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits protected from federal raids and privatization. Seniors should be able to afford their medications, keep their homes, access nutritious food, and rely on transportation, legal help, and health care without barriers. They deserve protection from scams, clear tax assistance, and relief from rising property taxes and utility costs. DC seniors deserve policies that honor their contributions, support independence, and ensure they can remain active, connected members of their communities for as long as they choose.

Oye Fights For

As a pharmacist and DC’s elected U.S. Shadow Representative, Oye understands both how the federal government works and how federal decisions directly impact seniors’ health and financial security. He will fight to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from federal cuts and privatization efforts, and will work to decouple DC policy from harmful federal actions whenever possible. Oye will fully fund the Department of Aging and Community Living, restore caregiving, transportation, and senior wellness programs, and expand Safe at Home so seniors can age safely in their own homes. He supports lowering prescription drug prices, protecting Medicare drug negotiation authority, and reforming pharmacy benefit managers that drive up costs. Oye will restore ERAP funding for low-income seniors, strengthen property tax relief, expand free tax preparation and anti-fraud programs, defend paid family leave for caregivers, and support immigrant care workers. Seniors deserve dignity, stability, and a real voice in shaping DC’s future.

What is Happening Now

DC residents are forced to breathe polluted air and live near waterways like the Anacostia and Potomac that carry the burden of runoff, toxins, and decades of neglect. Residents fear extreme heat, dangerous air quality days, and flooding that threaten their health and daily life. Communities East of the River absorb the greatest environmental harm while better resourced areas receive the benefits of cleaner infrastructure. The District continues to allow new fossil fuel projects that undermine public health. Residents face climate disasters without strong protections, clear planning, or the support needed to recover for the DC government.

What DC Deserve

DC residents deserve clean air, safe water, and healthy neighborhoods, whether they live East of the River, Uptown or West of the Park. Every community deserves to be protected during extreme heat, severe storms, flooding, and the rapid weather changes we know are coming. Families deserve a government that plans ahead, strengthens infrastructure, and invests in systems that keep homes, schools, and public spaces safe as the climate shifts. People deserve parks, trees, shade, and green space that cool their blocks, and stormwater systems that prevent dangerous flooding. And the District deserves a clean energy future that cuts carbon pollution, expands renewable power, and creates union jobs and affordable social housing that keep communities strong and stable.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight for a climate resilient District that protects residents and cuts pollution. He will push to accelerate decarbonization goals, strengthen the Carbon Free DC strategy, and move the District toward full clean energy by expanding community solar, weatherization, and building retrofits that reduce carbon emissions. He will defend and strengthen building energy performance standards, oppose new fossil fuel pipelines, and support municipalizing utilities so energy decisions serve people, not corporate shareholders. Oye will invest in trees, parks, cooling centers, and stormwater infrastructure to protect neighborhoods from extreme heat and flooding. He supports a Green New Deal for Social Housing, all electric public fleets including school buses, and full decarbonization across universities like UDC so the District becomes a national model for climate justice, resilience, and renewable energy.

What is Happening Now

DC is facing an education system where funding depends on politics instead of need, and where early educators rely on unstable grants instead of guaranteed support. Students attend schools that emphasize testing while dollars flow to outside contractors, oversized construction projects, and administrative budgets that grow faster than classroom funding. Families are spending a large share of their income on early care because reimbursements ignore the real cost of providing it. Children see police in their schools and practices that feed the school to prison pipeline. DC residents carry some of the highest student debt in the country, even as the District holds billions in reserve.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve an education system that supports every learner from birth through college and recognizes that in the District, adult and continuing education are essential parts of opportunity. Families deserve affordable, high quality early childhood care funded like the rest of public education so they are not pushed into debt. Students deserve strong neighborhood schools with enough teachers, counselors, and mental health staff to help them grow as whole people. Educators deserve fair pay and stable funding. And every young person deserves to know they can attend UDC for free and begin the next chapter of their life without student debt.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight to fund early childhood education through the per student formula so care and learning from zero to three receive stable, predictable support. He will fully fund the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund and expand it to all early educators, including part time and mixed delivery staff. Oye will strengthen universal child care, expand afterschool programs, and grow community schools that offer nutrition, tutoring, and mental health care. He will remove school resource officers to interrupt the school to prison pipeline and increase school funding East of the River. And he will make UDC tuition free for DC residents so every student can build a future without debt.

What is Happening Now

DC residents live in a District where wages fall behind the cost of rent, groceries, and transportation while unemployment remains among the highest in the nation. Workers fear subminimum wages, stolen overtime, unpaid tips, and sudden deactivations that wipe out their income. Workers are misclassified as an independent contractor and denied basic protections. Far too often, employees are pressured to work while sick or rush back to work after giving birth because their employer does not offer adequate paid leave. Federal workers have been harmed by sudden mass firings and turn to a local government that overlooks their contributions and treats their economic security as someone else’s problem.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve jobs that pay a real living wage and allow every worker to stay and thrive in the District. Every person working in DC, tipped, hourly, gig, government, or contracted, deserves stable schedules, fair pay, and safe conditions on the job. Workers deserve One Fair Wage so no one relies on a subminimum tipped wage or unpredictable income to survive. They deserve protection from wage theft, misclassification, and abusive practices that undermine their rights. And federal workers who were laid off or pushed aside deserve a local government that supports them, values their experience, and helps them rebuild their careers here at home.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight to raise the minimum wage to at least 20 dollars an hour on the way to 25 dollars, and ensure wages keep pace with the cost of living. He will defend and complete One Fair Wage for tipped workers and strengthen enforcement against wage theft, misclassification, and unpaid overtime. Oye will push for clear pay transparency and fair compensation standards for gig and delivery workers. He will expand apprenticeships and pathways into union jobs, require strong labor standards on public projects, and ensure District agencies model fair scheduling and safe workplaces. And he will create targeted support for federal workers harmed by mass layoffs so they can remain in the District and rebuild their careers with dignity.

What Is Happening Now

DC’s transportation system too often prioritizes cars and out of town commuters over residents who rely on buses, walking, and biking every day. Bus riders, disproportionately Black, low income, and seniors, face long wait times, unreliable service, unsafe stops, and streets designed for speeding instead of safety. Seniors struggle to reach wellness centers, medical appointments, and community programs. Ward 7 and 8 residents experience the longest commutes and the worst infrastructure, while highway expansion and road widening continue to drain resources from transit. Metro faces chronic funding instability because Maryland and Virginia have failed to match DC’s commitment. Traffic enforcement is still centered on MPD rather than safety outcomes, and unpaid tickets and dangerous driving go unchecked, slowing buses and putting lives at risk.

What DC Residents Deserve

DC residents deserve an affordable transportation system that reliably connects us to work, school, health care, community life, and recreation. Buses should be fast and frequent, with protected lanes that actually move people. Streets should be designed for safety, not speeding, so pedestrians and cyclists can travel without fear. Seniors and people with disabilities deserve accessible transit, safe sidewalks, and lighting so they can remain active in their communities. Transit must be affordable so cost is never a barrier to opportunity. DC also deserves stable, dedicated funding for Metro and buses so service is not threatened by annual budget fights or regional inaction. Transportation should cut pollution, improve public health, and serve the people who live in the District first.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight for a transit first District that centers DC residents, seniors, families, and workers. He supports the DMV Moves regional funding plan, which would invest $500 to $600 million annually beginning in FY28 with a sustainable 3 percent growth rate, and will push Maryland and Virginia to match DC’s commitment so Metro has stable, long term funding. Oye supports dedicated revenue options, including sales or income based contributions, to prevent service cuts and fare hikes. He will expand and enforce bus priority corridors, invest in safer bus stops, sidewalks, lighting, and fix deteriorating roads and potholes across the District. He supports moving traffic enforcement out of MPD into a civilian safety system and will oppose highway expansion that drains resources from buses and transit reliability.

What is Happening Now

DC residents live in a District where workers are punished for organizing, silenced in the workplace, or threatened for joining a union, or where speaking up against harassment or unethical practices puts their jobs at risk. Residents face outdated laws that strip government employees of their right to strike or hide negotiations from union members. Workers face misclassification, gig work loopholes, and low road contractors winning public subsidies while paying substandard wages. The District allows employers to intimidate workers, block collective bargaining, or retaliate against organizers. No worker deserves unsafe conditions, unfair discipline, or barriers to legal support when their rights are violated.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve strong labor laws that protect their rights at work and guarantee their voice on the job. Every worker deserves the freedom to organize, bargain collectively, and strike without fear of retaliation. Public workers deserve the same rights and protections as everyone else, including real negotiation power and transparent contract processes. Workers deserve a District that defends fair scheduling, paid leave, telework options where possible, and due process protections against unjust discipline or firings. And they deserve a government that uses its budget and contracting power to support union labor, responsible contractors, and workplaces that treat every worker with dignity and respect.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight to pass a strong Workers Bill of Rights and create a District Department of Labor and Worker Rights to enforce it. He will work to restore the right to strike for DC government workers, strengthen collective bargaining, and reform management rights doctrines that weaken labor power. Oye will support a District level PRO Act, hold employers accountable for union busting, and bring bad actors before public hearings when needed. He will require project labor agreements and prevailing wage standards on publicly supported projects, expand apprenticeships with unions, and ensure workers have clear, fair, and enforceable protections in every workplace in the District.

What is Happening Now

Immigrants in DC have been targeted by ICE in schools, workplaces, or homes, and have had local police participate in operations that violate community trust and terrorize families. Immigrant residents are often excluded from food, housing, health care, or legal protections because of their status. Families face confusion, misinformation, and language barriers that keep them from essential services. DC residents too often live in fear that federal agents will use District systems, shared data, or local agencies to track, detain, or deport them.

What DC Deserves

DC residents deserve a District where every immigrant is treated with dignity and can live, work, learn, and seek help without fear. Immigrant families deserve to access schools, clinics, shelters, legal services, and public programs safely, regardless of status. People deserve strong language access so they can receive information and services in the language they speak without barriers. Immigrant communities deserve protection from racial profiling, harassment, and federal intimidation. And every person who calls DC home deserves equal rights, due process, and a local government that stands up to federal overreach and defends their place in our District.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight to make DC a true sanctuary city where immigrant residents are protected in both law and practice. He will prohibit MPD and all District agencies from cooperating with ICE or participating in deportations, and he will oppose any migrant detention facility in DC or transfer of residents into detention camps. He will expand sanctuary protections across schools, clinics, shelters, and public programs so families can seek support without fear.

Oye will strengthen language access enforcement, increase funding for immigration legal services, and ensure assistance programs serve every resident without double standards or residency barriers. He will defend universal voting rights for noncitizens and expand civil rights and due process protections so immigrant communities can participate fully and advocate for themselves safely.

What is Happening Now

District businesses are struggling while subsidies flow to outside developers and large corporations. Owners lose customers because of federal shutdowns, rising commercial rents, or construction projects they hear about only after the bulldozers arrive. Entrepreneurs face confusing licensing processes, grant programs that favor well resourced applicants, or language barriers that shut out immigrant business owners. Creative and retail businesses are often pushed out of the District by rising costs or lack of support. Too many small businesses closed their doors because the District made growth harder for them, and easier for large corporations and billionaires.

What Washingtonians Deserve

Washingtonians deserve a District where small businesses are valued as essential to our culture, our economy, and our neighborhoods. Local shops, restaurants, makers, and creative businesses deserve predictable rules, timely communication from government agencies, and access to capital that does not depend on connections or wealth. Immigrant and Black owned businesses deserve equal access to District programs and the chance to build real stability and generational wealth. Small businesses employ a large share of District residents, and every corridor from Minnesota Avenue to Georgia Avenue to Columbia Heights deserves vibrant storefronts, strong foot traffic, and a government that sees local businesses as partners in building a thriving and creative District.

Oye Fights For

Oye will fight for a small business economy rooted in local ownership, fair access, and real partnership with the District. He will require agencies to give advance notice on construction, inspections, and regulatory changes that affect storefronts, and he will build a true one stop system for permits and licensing so owners do not spend weeks navigating bureaucracy. Oye will expand Main Street programs and corridor support across all wards, increase grants and technical assistance for small, immigrant owned, and Black owned businesses, and strengthen community lenders that help entrepreneurs access capital. He will ensure District development deals prioritize local businesses in contracting and retail leases. And he will protect creative and cultural businesses by investing in the District’s creative economy, supporting affordable commercial space, and making sure local shops and makers are the first to benefit from economic growth.