Norton and Democratic Majority Will Fight to Defeat House Bill Introduced to Permanently Ban Local D.C. Funding for Abortion

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today condemned a bill introduced by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) to permanently prohibit the District of Columbia from spending its local funds that have been approved by Congress on abortion services for low-income women. Norton said she will work with her colleagues in the Democratic majority to ensure the bill is not taken up in the House. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Senate companion bill, which was brought up for a procedural vote yesterday and soundly defeated by Senate Democrats.

"It has become an unwelcome and redundant tradition for Representative Smith to introduce his anti-choice, anti-D.C. bill each Congress, but we have always prevented it from becoming law," Norton said. "We have usually had to rely on the Senate to defeat this far-right bill, as Senate Democrats did yesterday, but now with a Democratic-controlled House, we can guarantee this bill goes nowhere."

Smith's bill would also permanently ban federal funding for abortion, prohibit D.C. and federal government employees from providing abortions, prohibit abortions in D.C. and federal government facilities and define the D.C. government as part of the federal government for purposes of abortion. Currently, the District is subject to an appropriations rider for fiscal year 2019 that prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortions for low-income women.