Norton Says Sen. Marshall’s Proposed Amendment to Senate Budget Resolution Underscores Need for D.C. Statehood
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that the amendment to the budget resolution under consideration in the Senate underscores the need for statehood for the District of Columbia and urged senators to vote against the anti-D.C. amendment. One introduced by Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS), would allow for funds to be spent to retrocede the residential areas of D.C. back to Maryland in lieu of statehood.
"Marshall's amendment and the idea of retrocession have no support from either the District or Maryland," Norton said. "In fact, a huge majority of D.C. residents (86%) voted for statehood in 2016, and Maryland's highest-ranking member of the House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a leading supporter of D.C. statehood, wrote a Washington Post op-ed in strong support of D.C. statehood. Retrocession would be inconsistent with the 2016 vote and the District's pursuit of self-determination. While I continue to advocate for D.C. statehood, I will also fight proposals like Senator Marshall's that seek to legitimize a solution that neither D.C. nor Maryland want."