Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I thank my good friend from New York for yielding to me. I have something special to say. Mr. Speaker, as the United…”

“I thank my good friend from New York for yielding to me. I have something special to say. Mr. Speaker, as the United States has increasingly drifted into war without the usual congressional authorization, I appreciate that today's resolution permits the House to assert its appropriate role. I only ask that the residents of the District of Columbia be permitted to be heard in the same way as other Americans. My colleagues will not only speak today, they also will vote the will of their constituents. Although District residents are already serving in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere, I am limited to speaking without a vote. What an outrage, especially to our veterans. That outrage is amplified, considering that District residents pay $12,000 annually per capita in Federal taxes, more in Federal taxes than the residents of any State in the Union, to support our government in war and in peace. Regardless of what is decided on this resolution, Mr. Speaker, District residents will be there for America, as they have been for every war ever since the Nation was created. It is time that the Congress was there for District residents. Nearly 200,000 D.C. residents have fought for America's freedom in time of war, yet our residents, including our veterans, are still denied a vote in the national legislature that sent them to war. In fact, D.C.…”