Norton Releases Remarks from DC Vote Press Conference on Disapproval Resolution

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton released her remarks ahead of this morning's press conference with Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and DC Vote opposing the disapproval resolution that the House is expected to vote on tomorrow. The live stream will be available for viewing here.

"The resolution before the House tomorrow, which would overturn a duly enacted local tax law of the District of Columbia, is nothing short of deliberate administrative and fiscal sabotage of the nation's capital," Norton said.

Norton's full remarks follow.

Remarks of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) at DC Vote Virtual Press Conference

2/3/2026

The resolution before the House this week, which would overturn a duly enacted local tax law of the District of Columbia, is nothing short of deliberate administrative and fiscal sabotage of the nation's capital.

The D.C. law at issue did three straightforward things: It restored D.C.'s child tax credit, strengthened an existing earned income tax credit, and decoupled the District's tax code from selected provisions of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act. None of this is radical. None of it is unprecedented. Nearly half the states, red and blue alike, have passed laws decoupling their states' tax codes from portions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Yet Congress has chosen to single out the District for punishment.

This resolution is not about oversight or fiscal discipline. It's about power - who wields it, and who is denied it.

Congress has never overturned a revenue-raising law for D.C. Doing so now would be a reckless escalation with real and lasting consequences. It will threaten D.C.'s credit rating, forcing it to pay higher interest rates and costing taxpayers millions. Last year, when Congress cut D.C.'s local budget by one billion dollars, D.C.'s rating was put on negative watch. This disapproval resolution poses an even greater danger. It will sow chaos in the middle of tax filing season, likely forcing the District to halt tax filings altogether while it scrambles to rewrite forms, systems, and guidance.

That is not oversight. That is not governance. It is sabotage, and the damage would be severe and intentional.

The D.C. law targeted by this resolution is projected to generate six hundred million dollars in local revenue over the next four years. If Congress overturns it, the District will be forced to fill that hole by cutting critical programs that residents rely on every day.

This resolution doesn't merely target the District's government or its adult taxpayers. It would wipe out D.C.'s child tax credit, a policy projected to cut child poverty by 20%. Republicans are aware and are proceeding anyway. They're willing to harm children in the nation's capital to score political points, and the public should understand that clearly.

More than 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C., the majority of whom are Black and Brown, are worthy and capable of self-government. If D.C. residents disagree with the decisions of their elected council, they can vote their leaders out. That's how democracy works. Members of Congress from distant states, who don't live or pay taxes in D.C. and are not accountable to D.C. voters - and who often don't even understand how D.C. functions - have no business overriding local laws and stripping District residents of their right to self-government. Free D.C.

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