DC Vote Condemns Congressional Attempt to Overturn DC’s Local Tax Laws

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 13, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeannette O’Connor
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC (Feb. 13, 2026) – DC Vote issued the following statement in response to Senate passage of H.J. Res. 142. The resolution attempts to overturn a December 2025 Washington, DC, law that reestablished a child tax credit and earned income tax credit for DC residents, among other provisions.
 
DC’s approach is consistent with actions taken in at least 10 other states, including Alabama, Virginia, and Maryland, which have separated their tax rules from specific provisions of the federal tax code.

“Yesterday, Congress attempted to override a locally passed DC tax law and to create an immediate fiscal crisis for the District, without a single vote from the more than 700,000 DC residents,” said Stasha Rhodes, Senior Policy Advisor, DC Vote.”

“Let’s be clear, Congressional meddling in DC is only possible because DC has long been denied statehood. It is past time to bring the right to self-governance to the people of DC.”

“This is not an oversight. It is Congress attempting to substitute its judgment for local self-government.”

“Overturning this law would cost the District of Columbia hundreds of millions of dollars in local revenue, putting funding for schools, public safety, infrastructure, and DC’s child tax credit and earned income tax credit at risk – credits that are projected to reduce child poverty in the District by 20 percent.”

“What’s more, changing DC’s tax policy in February could throw the tax season into disarray, requiring many residents to refile their taxes and potentially delaying tax rebates to everyday American taxpayers living in Washington, DC.” 

The Washington Post reported yesterday that, before the vote, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson posted a notice saying the tax bill Congress was trying to overturn had already become law because Congress’s 30-day review period ended Wednesday. Congress and the council often count those days differently, and it has not been tested in court. Mendelson did not say if the council will challenge Congress’s action, and the DC attorney general’s office declined to comment. DC Vote would welcome such a challenge.