Earl Blumenauer: “I can only imagine the frustration that the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) must feel talking…”

“I can only imagine the frustration that the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) must feel talking about the special benefits that are accorded to the District of Columbia; for indeed what we have done, the District has special obligations that no other local government in the country has. It has the burdens of both a city and a State and it does not have the tools that we give the rest of America. On top of that, Congress is interfering unnecessarily, making that job even harder. Not only does it add unnecessary and outdated riders, but the budget that we are discussing here today is $22 million below last year's funding level. The funding that remains is not fairly distributed to the city's most urgent economic and educational priorities. I care specifically about livable communities, and I would like to reference two: one, the New York Avenue Metro station and Poplar Point in Southeast District of Columbia. The proposed Metro station at New York and Florida Avenues is the linchpin of proposed new economic development activity for the District. We here in the District every day experience poor air quality, choking traffic. We hear about problems of sprawl and economic development. The proposed Metro station represents an important step in bringing jobs and people together in a location that is convenient for commuters and does not increase sprawl or require massive additional infrastructure investments in outlying areas.”