The Public Record
Eleanor Holmes Norton is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for the District of Columbia since 1991. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been a strong advocate for D.C. statehood and local autonomy. Throughout her tenure, Norton has focused on issues such as civil rights, education, and public safety, often emphasizing the unique challenges faced by residents of the District of Columbia. She has been vocal against federal interference in local governance, arguing for the rights of D.C. residents to have representation and control over their own affairs.
And, of course, it would be compounded if, in fact, there was free access to military-style weapons which would make it much, much easier to mow down people in such a crowd if you happen to be either a crazy person or a person intent upon…
But I ask this question because, to the extent that the Federal Government is supposed to be paying for a central facility...
I would like it for the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County and the other regions in the national capital region, if you will.
Are you funded to retrain all sworn officers of the Metropolitan Transit Authority?
That is an important point, as well. On the other hand, it is a contamination point that I think would most interest the Federal Government.
In light of the fact that the testimony here has been that a gun attack would be more likely than any other attack in the District of Columbia today given risk analysis, could I ask that you assure this Subcommittee that such discussions…
I do want to thank you for that testimony, because it is another one of the absurdities of how easy it is for the bureaucrats to simply answer, when you ask for funding, 'Sorry, we only fund for-profit.'
Mr. DeAtley, would you, within 10 days, get to this Committee a record of the funds from Washington Hospital Center, non-Federal sources, District of Columbia, Washington Hospital Center and other non-Federal sources that have already been…
Nobody knew what was happening in the tunnel, and nobody is able to tell me who should have known or what we should do about it.
we are going to pass the D.C. House Voting Rights Act. We are not letting anything stand in the way of that.
It looks like between now and a fully interoperable system we are into jerry-built systems, at some considerable risk, I take it, to homeland security.
We are very glad you live in the region so that even when Congress is dismissed, you are willing to travel from Prince George's to be able to offer the very, very important and helpful comments and questions you have offered this afternoon.
One of the things I am most interested in, Ms. Mathes, is whether, in the event of an evacuation, absent some kind of event with gases so noxious that they were being released all over the District of Columbia...
Including, for example, if somebody, you know, these incidents that we had here; and the one which is most indelibly in our minds, of course, is the incident that occurred here in the Capitol.
I want you to know this is one Member--I think I have my whole region with me--going to try to get those additional resources for what was a Herculean job Metro did.
The, perhaps, most pathetic, most tragic part of Katrina had to do with people who could not take care of themselves, and these were patients, trauma patients who were in hospitals.
I would ask FEMA, through your disability coordinator established by statute after Hurricane Katrina, to consider real-time exercises throughout the United States, of course, but particularly in this region, where we are more vulnerable…
How would you handle bus travel? Do bus drivers assume any responsibility--they are not law enforcement officers--for people carrying weapons?
I need to know, could this happen tomorrow? Are you satisfied with what is on the ground?
Most of the money to do decontamination... you do not have the funds presently to decontaminate individuals, officials, residents, and the like?
Politicians like Eleanor Holmes Norton
