Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I come to the floor to alert Members who interfere with the local funds of a local jurisdiction, not your own, in this…”

“I come to the floor to alert Members who interfere with the local funds of a local jurisdiction, not your own, in this case the District of Columbia, that this year, it will be highlighted in your own district. The debt limit discussions spotlight our differences, but one idea always has enjoyed the broadest support in this country and in this House. The Federal Government does not interfere with local matters, especially local funds not raised by the Federal Government. The Framers formed a federal government only after trying a confederation, but it became clear that there were some matters of overarching concern that could be arbitrated only by a true national government. But, they were at great pains to reserve maximum freedom at the local level where people live. Nothing is more local than the local funds a jurisdiction raises on its own from its own local taxpayers. You raise the funds, you get to say how they will be spent. The principle applies to all. No second class citizens on local matters, especially local funds, and that includes the 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia. Congress ceded its power to run the District of Columbia in 1973 when it passed the Home Rule Act. It still approves the D.C. budget, but it does not change that budget.…”