Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I strongly oppose this profoundly undemocratic, paternalistic resolution. The House of Representatives, in which nearly…”

“I strongly oppose this profoundly undemocratic, paternalistic resolution. The House of Representatives, in which nearly 700,000 District of Columbia residents have no voting representation, is attempting to nullify legislation enacted by D.C.'s local legislature, whose members are elected by D.C. residents. By scheduling this vote, I can only conclude that the Republican leadership believes that D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are either unworthy or incapable of governing themselves. The dictionary defines democracy as ``a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.'' D.C.'s lack of voting representation in Congress and Congress' plenary authority over D.C. are the antithesis of democracy. I remind House Republicans that they once professed support for local control of local affairs. Their fiscal year 2016 budget said this: ``America is a diverse Nation.…”