Eleanor Holmes Norton: “First I want to thank my good friend from New York State for the way she has always understood and championed with…”

“First I want to thank my good friend from New York State for the way she has always understood and championed with respect to the District of Columbia, which also happens to be the capital of the United States. But, as she said, it is more than the Capitol and this building. It is where almost 700,000 Americans live. Mr. Speaker, I must strongly oppose that portion of the bill providing for consideration of H.R. 5233. Understand the spectacle we have ongoing here. A strong Republican House is actively sponsoring a bill that repeals a local law, a local law that in this case authorizes the District of Columbia government to spend its own local funds without congressional approval. Who do the Republicans think they are, that the people I represent should ask for their approval to spend, and to process funds that they had nothing to do with raising? Understand, no Federal funds are involved, not one penny, but those pennies, over $7 billion--and I want people who come to the floor to tell me if their State raises $7 billion on its own. Over $7 billion. These are our pennies. Not a cent of Federal money is even implicated. Let's go back to Republican principles to understand what is happening on this floor today because it is going to happen twice.…”