Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, and I thank all of the speakers here today for expressing their opinions. Today, I rise in support of retaining local budget autonomy for the District of Columbia and to express my strong opposition to H.R. 5233, Clarifying Congressional Intent in Providing for DC Home Rule Act of 2016. Now, this partisan bill would repeal a District of Columbia referendum that allowed the District to implement its own local budget without affirmative congressional approval. While this bill passed the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on a party-line vote of 22-14, I would remind this body that the committee's last four chairmen--including Republican Chairmen, Representatives Tom Davis and Darrell Issa, who have studied and had substantial oversight over the D.C. government--each worked to give the District of Columbia budget autonomy. Now, some of my colleagues here may argue that the District of Columbia will loose its financial discipline under budget autonomy; however, this could not be further from the truth.…”