José E. Serrano: “When I became chairman of this committee in the past, I think I was the first chairman ever to say that I wanted less…”

“When I became chairman of this committee in the past, I think I was the first chairman ever to say that I wanted less power rather than more power. The reason I said that was because I didn't want to oversee the District of Columbia as chairman of the committee as one overseeing a colony. For me, that was very important, since I was born in the colony of Puerto Rico and I now represent the Bronx, New York, in Congress. So it is very personal for me that I should not do to others what I don't like people doing to my birthplace. Let's understand something. This is not a constitutional question any longer. In my opinion, and I have been saying this for years, this is about the ability to say that you stand for things that you really don't stand for in your own districts. So people who can't control the budget in their district go to the newspapers and say: I am very strong on controlling spending. And when you ask them where, they say: Oh, in the District of Columbia. And then they will tell you: I oppose the needle exchange programs. And they say: Where? We have one here. They say: Oh, but I do it in the District of Columbia. And they say: And I stop women from getting their health services in order and getting abortions. They say: But it is legal here. They say: No, but I did it in the District of Columbia. What has happened is that D.C.…”