Mark Souder: “as my friend from Wisconsin knows my issue on this commitment goes far beyond the District of Columbia. This doesn't…”

“as my friend from Wisconsin knows my issue on this commitment goes far beyond the District of Columbia. This doesn't have anything to do with the goal of being a city council member in the District of Columbia. I believe any type of funding of heroin needles is counterproductive, and there are plenty of medical experts on both sides who will make that argument either direction. But evidence is increasingly proving that the one group of doctors, the one group of researchers and the 7 years of legislation here are being proven correct, and time will prove them even more correct. But I do want to address the underlying fundamental question on whether we have a right to legislate in the District of Columbia. Obviously, the Constitution from the founding of this country has treated the District of Columbia differently. It's our national capital. We have increasingly given them more flexibility. I think that that is, generally speaking, a good thing. But we don't have a Fort Wayne, Indiana, appropriations bill that comes to the floor. We get some funding, but there are not special bills that come from taxpayer dollars all over America. Nor is there a northern Wisconsin funding bill that comes to the House floor.”