Clarifying Congressional Intent in Providing for DC Home Rule Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for outlining his position.

We are a nation of laws. The gentleman has indicated a court has ruled on this issue--an opinion with which he disagrees--and we have a mechanism for overturning or clarifying or changing such a ruling, and that is the court system. That case may well reach the Supreme Court.

I rise in opposition to this piece of legislation, which, in my opinion, is an exercise in hypocrisy. Why do I say that? That can be a harsh word. We are witnessing the party that proclaims itself to be the champion of local autonomy and less Federal Government involvement in local affairs--we hear that all the time--bring to this floor legislation that would do exactly the opposite.

The District of Columbia's over 700,000 American citizens deserve a form of home rule not characterized by constant and intrusive micromanaging by congressional Republicans or Democrats.

Now, if I were to ask unanimous consent that we substitute the District of Columbia and perhaps include Milwaukee, Wisconsin--now, I am not going to ask for that--I am sure I would get objection. Or, if I might ask that Salt Lake City be substituted or perhaps even Baltimore, Maryland, my own city in my State, or maybe even Charlotte, North Carolina, those of us who represent those four cities would stand and say: This is not your role, Congress of the United States.

Speaker Ryan just released a statement in which he said: ``The current D.C. government needs to be reined in.''

From where? From balanced budgets? From surpluses in their budgets? Reined in? They are a model, I would suggest, of fiscal responsibility. Not always, but today. But then again, none of our jurisdictions have always been such a model.

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Mr. HOYER. I would say to the Speaker, in response, quite the opposite. The government and the people of the District of Columbia need to be allowed to chart their own course, which is what I think most of you say on a regular basis.

It is a mystery to me--and ought to be a mystery to every American who believes in the premise that people ought to govern themselves--why House Republicans are determined to strip that ability from the 700,000 Americans who live in our Nation's Capital. They pay taxes. They pay taxes to their local government. And we want to make that decision.

I understand what the court has said and that courts may rule that way, but shouldn't we have the patience to let the court system decide whether or not this referendum of the people of the District of Columbia is adjudged to be appropriate? The locally raised revenues from taxes and fees do not originate from the Federal Government, but from the hardworking residents of Washington.

The District of Columbia has proven Congress' wisdom in enacting the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act time and again by managing its affairs in a fiscally responsible, democratic way.

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Mr. HOYER. The gentleman is very generous, and I appreciate it.

I would say to my friends, the District of Columbia deserves the same respect that any of our governments deserve and that, in fact, we demand for them. And I always lament how the District is demeaned.

When I was the majority leader, I made sure that Ms. Norton had a vote on the floor of this House and that the Virgin Islands' Representative had a vote on the floor of this House. One of the first things you did when you took the majority was take that away.

It was not a vote that made a difference. It was a vote that was symbolic. But it gave them the opportunity to have their name as our equals, as Americans, on that board and express their opinion.

Let us not take this degree of autonomy away from them. Let us respect these local citizens as you would want your local citizens respected.

I urge the defeat of this legislation. If the courts tell us that they could not do this, so be it, but let us let the system work its will.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, which is an exercise in Republican hypocrisy.

We are witnessing the party that proclaims itself to be a champion of local autonomy and less Federal Government involvement in local affairs bring to this floor legislation that would do exactly the opposite.

The District of Columbia deserves a form of home rule not characterized by constant and intrusive micromanaging by congressional Republicans.

Speaker Ryan just released a statement in which he said--and I quote: ``The current D.C. Government needs to be reined in.''

I would say to the Speaker in response: Quite the opposite; the government and people of the District of Columbia need to be allowed to chart their own course.

It is a mystery to me--and ought to be a mystery to every American who believes in the premise that people ought to govern themselves--Why House Republicans are determined to strip that ability away from the 670,000 Americans who live in our Nation's Capital.

The locally raised revenues from taxes and fees do not originate from the Federal Government but from hardworking residents of Washington.

The District of Columbia has proven Congress's wisdom in enacting the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act time and again by managing its affairs in a fiscally responsible, democratic way.

That is what this bill is, Mr. Speaker--a reminder to the people of this city that they remain unrepresented in this House and a Federal colony within a nation dedicated to democracy and fair representation.

When Democrats were in the majority, we worked to give District of Columbia residents a greater voice in the Committee of the Whole.

And when Republicans took the majority, one of the first acts was taking this small but important democratic tool and indication of respect away from the District's representative and the other representatives of our U.S. territories.

Now Republicans want to erode the District of Columbia's hard-earned right to govern itself.

I thank my friend the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, Ms. Holmes Norton, for her impassioned defense of Washingtonians' unalienable right to have a say.

And I will continue to stand with her to demand that right be recognized--and in seeking for the District of Columbia the real budget autonomy, home rule, and representation in Congress that its people deserve.

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