David Obey: “I have seen the Congress for many years treat the District of Columbia almost as its private plantation. The very first…”

“I have seen the Congress for many years treat the District of Columbia almost as its private plantation. The very first fight I ever had in this House was when the Congress tried to hold up money for construction of the D.C. subway until they could reach agreement that the District of Columbia would proceed to build more highways and another bridge into Georgetown. I thought that kind of leverage was improper then, and I think it is improper now. We have a problem when Congress tries to impose its own judgment on how the city ought to run. We are providing governance without representation, because when we make decisions that affect the lives of people in the District of Columbia, they have no remedy if we make the wrong decision because they cannot vote us out of office. That is why it is essential for the Congress to exercise restraint in its oversight of the District of Columbia. This bill, in my view, is the worst effort that I have ever seen on the part of the Congress in all of the years I have been here.”