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Norton Thanks 100 National and Local Groups, DC Vote for Letter to Congress Calling for Equal Treatment of D.C. for Coronavirus Funding

August 4, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked 100 national and local groups for sending a letter calling on Congress to retroactively fix the treatment of the District of Columbia as a territory rather than a state for fiscal relief in the CARES Act, which deprived the District of $755 million, in the next coronavirus relief bill. The letter, led by DC Vote, was signed by leading national civil rights, labor, environmental and democracy reform groups, as well as by local D.C. groups.

"D.C. must be made whole and also treated as a state for future coronavirus fiscal relief," Norton said. "I am deeply grateful to DC Vote and the 100 other national and local organizations for showing Congress the strong, across-the-board support for equal treatment for D.C. Collectively, these groups have millions of members and supporters in every state and congressional district, ensuring D.C. is not alone in this fight. With the support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has made ensuring equal coronavirus funding for D.C. a top priority, allies in the House and Senate, led by Senators Chris Van Hollen and Tom Carper and 100 outside groups, I am increasingly optimistic D.C. will be made whole."

The Republican-led Senate and White House, which primarily drafted the CARES Act, intentionally treated the District as a territory rather than as a state for fiscal relief, even though the District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding. This District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding because it pays the same federal taxes as states. In fact, the District pays more federal taxes than 22 states and pays more per capita federal taxes than any state.

The House-passed Heroes Act provided the $755 million in retroactive CARES Act funding, treated D.C. as a state, city and county for fiscal relief, since D.C. operates as each level of government, and authorized D.C. to participate in the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility, which supports short-term borrowing by states, cities and counties.

The letter is here.