Mitch Landrieu: “I am pleased to present this conference report that truly is a bipartisan, bicameral compromise on the District of…”

“I am pleased to present this conference report that truly is a bipartisan, bicameral compromise on the District of Columbia, which is a very important center, a very important capital, a very important symbol for our Nation, home to almost 500,000 people who live here, but a center where millions of people work and where even more millions visit and, in some ways, call home because it is the Capital of our Nation. This bill reflects for the first time in 5 years a budget that is no longer under the control of the control board. That control board did an excellent job under tremendous leadership, and I commend them for their great work over these 5 years, working with us in Congress and with the Mayor and the city council to reshape and reform the District's finances, which for the time are in pretty good shape. There are no deficits at this present moment. But as my colleagues know, there are some challenges ahead and the trends would cause us to be very alert on that score.”