DC Vote and Statehood Movement Allies Release Letter Urging Congress to Leave Their #HandsOffDC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 11th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – DC Vote, the nation’s leading advocacy and education organization working for DC Statehood, along with over 70 allied organizations released a letter earlier this morning addressed to both the Senate Committee on Appropriations and its respective counterpart in the House of Representatives. The letter asked the two committees to remove all language usurping local control and imposing the will of Congress onto the 700,000 residents of Washington, DC from the District of Columbia FY2024 appropriations. 

This latest coalition of groups included in DC Vote’s letter is urging Congress to reject these interferences and allow for the right of the people of the District of Columbia to govern themselves. 

After the letter was publicly released, DC Vote’s communications director Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“All across the country, Americans are debating local issues that affect their lives. However, what isn’t up for debate is who gets to fundamentally decide these questions. DC’s locally elected leadership should decide what is best for the people of the District of Columbia and not random representatives and Senators from arbitrary places like Georgia or Arizona. The Mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia were elected by DC residents to represent our interests and needs and they don’t interfere or impose their values on any other jurisdiction in the country. So why do it to DC? Americans living in the District have no vote in Congress to cast against this ongoing, relentless attack on democracy and we urge both Appropriations Committees to pass the FY2024 District of Columbia appropriation without any interference in the local laws or programs of the District and allow the people of DC to govern themselves.”

The letter reads:

Dear Senators and Representatives: 

We, the undersigned organizations, urge the Appropriations Committees to remove all language which has the effect of usurping local control and imposing the will of the Congress onto the local 700,000 residents  of the District of Columbia from the District of Columbia FY 2024 Appropriations. Legislative budget “riders”  go against the intent of the Home Rule Act and remove the limited home-rule it intended. 

The 118th Congress has seen a marked increase in Congressional interference than in the recent past and  we urge Congress to reject these engagements and allow for the right of the people of DC to govern  

themselves. In just six months, Congress has chosen to weigh in on: 

• Revisions to the local DC Criminal Code 

• The District’s ability to issue traffic tickets for illegal right turns on red 

• The District’s ability to utilize cameras for traffic safety 

• Renaming a local street 

• Qualifications for voting in DC local elections 

• Methodology for conducting local DC elections 

• The ability to implement a taxation and regulation program for adult-use cannabis 

• DC’s autonomy to cover reproductive and sexual health care including spending local funds and  

protecting employees from discrimination for their reproductive health care decisions 

• The District’s Death with Dignity Act 

• The DC local version of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act 

These local laws were enacted to address concerns that are important to the more than 700,000 residents who call Washington, DC home. When Congress attempts to impose legislative riders, they seek to overturn the work of our locally elected officials and ignore the voices of our neighbors.

Right now, Americans are debating these and other issues in communities throughout this country. But, what is not up for debate is who gets to decide these questions. DC’s locally elected leadership should decide what is best for the people of the District of Columbia. The Mayor and the Council of the District of  Columbia were elected by DC residents to represent our interests. Congress does not impose its views on  any other local jurisdiction, and Americans in DC have no vote in the Congress to cast against this ongoing, relentless attack on local democracy. Until such time that the residents of the District achieve full equality  through Statehood, we expect Congress to allow District residents to manage their own affairs without  interference or meddling.  

The undersigned organizations, collectively representing millions of Americans, advocate on diverse issues and are united in our opposition to the inclusion of any language in the appropriations bill that overrides, limits, or otherwise usurps local government decision-making by the District of Columbia. We urge the Committees to pass the FY 2024 District of Columbia Appropriation without any interference in the local laws or programs of the District and allow the people of DC to govern themselves.  

Sincerely, 

DC Vote 

All* Above All Action Fund  

American Association of University Women 

American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia 

American Ethical Union 

Anacostia Coordinating Council 

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action 

Better Organizing to Win Legalization 

Black Voters Matter Fund 

Brookland Huddle for the Future 

DC Democratic Party 

DC Developmental Disabilities Council 

DC Federation of Community Associations  

DC Fiscal Policy Institute  

DC for Democracy  

DC Justice Lab 

DC Statehood Coalition 

DC Voters for Animals 

Death with Dignity 

Defending Rights & Dissent 

DemCast USA 

Democrats for Education Reform DC            

Drug Policy Alliance

Endangered Species Coalition 

Family Values@Work Action 

Fourth Branch Action 

Friends of the Earth 

Get Money Out – Maryland 

Greenpeace USA 

GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic 

Harriet’s Wildest Dreams 

Human Rights Campaign 

Indivisible 

Indivisible Northern Nevada 

Indivisible Santa Fe 

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG)

League of Conservation Voters 

League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia 

League of Women Voters of the United States

Life By Design 

Long Live GoGo 

Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO

Moms Rising

NARAL Pro-Choice America

National Employment Law Project

National Council of Jewish Women

National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)

National Partnership for Women & Families

National Women’s Law Center 

Neighbors United for DC Statehood 

Netroots Nation 

Oregonizers 

People For the American Way 

Planned Parenthood Federation of America 

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan  Washington, DC 

Public Citizen 

Public Justice Center 

Rebuilding Independence My Style
RepresentUs 

ROC United 

SEIU 32BJ 

Sierra Club 

Statehood4DC 

The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund 

The Workers Circle 

United Church of Christ 

URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity  

Venice Resistance 

Voices for Progress 

Voters of Tomorrow 

Washington Ethical Society 

Who Speaks For Me? 

Women Lawyers On Guard Action Network, Inc. 

Women’s Bar Association of the District of  Columbia 

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 10th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – This week, overly aggressive members of Congress will be introducing the American Confidence in Elections Act which, despite its name, does nothing for everyday Americans OR increase confidence in elections. The ACE Act would be a massive federal overstep into the governance of Washington, DC – a jurisdiction with tax paying residents who are majority people of color. 

DC Vote, the nation’s leading advocacy and education organization working for DC Statehood released the following statement:

“The democratic processes in DC work. More than 700,000 residents are represented by a Mayor, Council, School Board and other local officials chosen by the people. In election after election within the District the people have cast their votes, had them counted and elected a government. The failures of our elections lie first in Congress interfering in the outcome and second in Congress denying us our right to choose Senators and a voting Representative.” 

Patrice Snow, DC Vote’s communications director finished, “As if it’s not bad enough with the budget riders that would dictate how the District governs ourselves, we will also see an unprecedented attempt to control our elections. How does this power grab help anyone living in the 435 congressional districts around the country? DC must be granted Statehood to ensure that its residents have the right to self-governance and expand and strengthen democracy. It is unjust that Congress, with no voting representation from DC, can override the will of the people and their elected representatives.” 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 8th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – The Supreme Court of the United States just released their decision in the all-important Alabama v. Milligan case. DC Vote’s communications director Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“In light of the Supreme Court decision today in Alabama v. Milligan, it is clear arbitrarily drawn lines that dilute Black political power are unconstitutional. A key example of this is right here in the nation’s capital where specific federal policies and actions have led to the District having a Black plurality yet no voting representation in Congress. The only way to clean this stain on American democracy is through DC Statehood. The Statehood proposal before Congress is also constitutional, preserving a national capital for all Americans to take part in while finally enfranchising the 700,000 residents in the surrounding area.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 1st, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability announced a joint hearing next Wednesday titled, “American Confidence in Elections: The Path to Election Integrity in the District of Columbia.” After the announcement, DC Vote’s communications director Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“The fact that this Congress is even holding a hearing to examine local elections in Washington, DC would be laughable if it wasn’t so predictable. This is nothing more than a continuance of a pattern where elections and democracy are being undermined in predominantly Black and Brown communities across the country. Why would Congress need to interfere in local elections in Washington, DC where our election system is one of the best in America? Simply because we are an easy target due to our lack of Statehood.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 25th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – Today President Biden kept his promise and vetoed the disapproval resolution that was passed by both the House of Representatives and Senate to overturn the local police accountability act. In light of this positive development, DC Vote’s communications director Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“DC Vote and the DC Statehood community thanks President Biden for standing up for the District’s autonomy this time and vetoing this latest attack. We urge the House and Senate to uphold the veto and stop with the political games at the expense of DC’s equality.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 19th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – Still upset about being owned by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser during Tuesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins assaulted a local activist just some 24 hours after the hearing because the local activist dared to use his “personal access” to question Higgins.

The irony that Congressman Higgins used his limited time during the May 16th hearing on Washington, DC to ask Mayor Bowser, “Is there any other municipality… that has access to our seat of government as the citizens of Washington, DC?” and then the very next day assaults a local activist who simply followed his instructions is almost more than we can bear. 

In light of this week’s developments, DC Statehood organization DC Vote, American Civil Liberties Union of DC, and People For the American Way released the following statement:

“During his time on Tuesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Clay Higgins made it a point to lay out all Members of Congress serve in Washington, DC which gives the 700,000 tax paying District residents unfettered, personal access to them. However, when a local citizen used such access to question the congressman, Higgins intentionally assaulted and battered him,” said Patrice Snow, DC Vote’s communications director.

Snow continued, “Does Congressman Higgins want local activists to be able to use their close proximity to federal officials to lobby them or not? And if they do choose to take advantage of said access, does he plan to physically assault all of them? The congressman has a history of unjustifiably beating bystanders without consequence to his personal or professional reputation. So we at DC Vote and in the DC Statehood movement are now calling on the Metropolitan Police Department and the Capitol Police to investigate yesterday’s assault. One of our mottos we use in the fight for DC autonomy is #HandsOffDC. We never thought in a million years it would be applied literally to a Member of Congress.”

Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU-D.C., finished, “We are alarmed by the incident involving Rep. Higgins. When a government official seemingly uses the power of their office to physically intimidate a person to stop them from exercising their right to freedom of speech, it has a chilling effect on our democracy. It’s a serious concern when Jake Burdett is physically pushed out of a public forum for advocating, as is his first amendment right. This action risks creating an environment where people may feel fearful of expressing their opinions or challenging their representatives. No individual, regardless of their office, should feel exempt from accountability.”

Svante Myrick, president of People For the American Way, finished,“We are appalled by Rep. Higgins’s physical assault on Jake Burdett. It is shocking to see a member of Congress forcefully shoving and pushing a peaceful member of the public, especially when that member is trying to stop the person from exercising their constitutional right to express their views to elected representatives.  The attack is made even more bizarre by the fact that Rep. Higgins argued just one day earlier that D.C. residents enjoy extensive opportunities to address lawmakers in person and make their views known. We join with other civil rights organizations that are calling for the Metropolitan Police Department and the Capitol Police to investigate this assault.” 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 16th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – The Senate just voted to pass H.J. Res 42, Ohio Senator JD Vance’s disapproval resolution to overturn DC’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. On the other side of the Capitol, the House Oversight Committee, under the leadership of Kentucky Rep. James Comer, held a hearing with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other District leaders on supposed rising crime rates in the District. Due to today’s developments on Capitol Hill, DC Vote’s Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“Today was a consequential day for Washington, DC and her 700,000 tax paying residents. First, in the House Oversight Committee, Kentucky Rep. James Comer and his colleagues attempted to attack DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and US Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves on crime. However, Mayor Bowser correctly countered that the way to solve many of DC’s problem is Statehood. In fact, DC Statehood is one of the few ways to build a better and stronger democracy.”

“And then in the Senate, Ohio Senator JD Vance introduced his only second piece of legislation as a United States Senator and it wasn’t to help the people of Akron or Cleveland but rather to repeal legislation lawfully passed by the DC Council. The disapproval resolution of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which doesn’t affect a single Ohioan, has no legal impact because it was brought to the floor after the 60-day Congressional review period. Quite simply, Senator Vance is using DC to send a political message. But we have a feeling the people of Youngstown and Cincinnati, Ohio want JD Vance to figure out how the Senate works first by introducing legislation within a legal timeframe before performing political stunts that does nothing to help his constituents living in Ohio’s 88 counties.”

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