Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I strongly oppose this amendment. This amendment would prohibit the District of Columbia from using its local funds to…”

“I strongly oppose this amendment. This amendment would prohibit the District of Columbia from using its local funds to carry out the section of D.C.'s Immunization of School Students Act of 1979 that required students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. D.C. has already repealed this section. While the repeal of the section expires on January 23, 2024, yesterday the D.C. Council passed legislation that would permanently repeal this section. Nevertheless, how D.C. spends its local funds, which consist of local taxes and fees, should be a decision for D.C., not Congress. If D.C.'s locally elected officials want to spend local D.C. funds to carry out COVID-19 vaccine requirements for students, they should have the authority to do so. If they do not want to spend D.C.'s local funds to carry out COVID-19 vaccine requirements for students, they should have the authority not to do so. D.C.'s locally elected officials are accountable to D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like the decisions of their locally elected officials, they can vote them out of office. D.C. residents, the majority of whom are Black and Brown, are capable of governing themselves. If House Republicans cared about democratic principles or D.C. residents, they would bring my D.C. statehood bill, which would give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government, to this floor. Congress has the constitutional authority to admit the State of Washington, D.C.…”