Norton Congratulates D.C. Statehood Champion Van Hollen on Appointment as Chair of D.C. Appropriations Subcommittee

Feb 18, 2021
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today congratulated her friend Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) on his appointment as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which has jurisdiction over District of Columbia appropriations. Van Hollen is a longtime champion of statehood, voting rights, home rule and equal funding for the District. 

“The District of Columbia is fortunate to have an able and extraordinary ally like Senator Van Hollen, who is a champion not only of D.C. statehood, voting rights and home rule, but also of equal federal funding for D.C.,” Norton said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Van Hollen in his new role as Chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.”

“For too long, Congress has short-changed residents of the District of Columbia and meddled in their local affairs,” said Senator Van Hollen. “As the Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, I am eager to right these wrongs as we work to secure the District the representation and resources it is owed. I look forward to continuing to partner with the tireless fighter for the people of the District of Columbia, Congresswoman Norton, in these efforts.” 

In his role as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Van Hollen has tirelessly advocated for equal federal funding and home rule for the District. Last month, days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Van Hollen and Norton reiterated their call for Congress to fully fund the District’s emergency planning and security fund (EPSF) in the future, including the $80 million the EPSF was shortchanged in the enacted fiscal year 2021 D.C. appropriations bill. Van Hollen also fought to provide D.C. $755 million in retroactive CARES Act fiscal relief to fix D.C.’s treatment as a territory instead of a state for fiscal relief in the CARES Act.
 
Last month, Van Hollen and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) reintroduced the D.C. statehood bill, the D.C. National Guard Home Rule Act, which would give the District’s mayor control over the D.C. National Guard, and the D.C. Police Home Rule Act, which would repeal the President’s authority to federalize the D.C. police department.
 
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