Norton Thanks 102 National and Local Groups for Letter to Congress Supporting D.C. Coronavirus Funding Fix

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked 102 national and local groups for sending a letter today calling on Congress to retroactively fix the treatment of the District of Columbia as a territory rather than a state in the state stabilization fund in the third coronavirus response bill, which deprived the District of $750 million. 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.

"Momentum is building to retroactively fix the treatment of D.C. in the state stabilization fund in the third coronavirus response bill and to also ensure that D.C. is treated as a state for future coronavirus state stabilization funding," Norton said. "I am deeply grateful to DC Vote and the 101 other national and local groups 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 and, now, 102 outside groups, I am increasingly optimistic D.C. will be made whole."

The Republican Senate and the White House, which primarily drafted the third coronavirus response bill, intentionally treated the District as a territory rather than a state in the state stabilization fund, even though the District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding. The 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.

In the last two weeks, more than 120 members of the Senate and House have joined letters urging congressional leadership to retroactively fix the treatment of D.C.

Today's letter is below.

The House letter is here.

The Senate letter is here.

April 14, 2020

Dear President Trump and Congressional Leadership:

The tyranny of taxation without representation laid upon the people of the colonies by the British Crown was the fuel that sparked the American Revolution. More than two-hundred years have passed since the United States declared our independence from that oppression. Yet, for the more than seven hundred thousand people who call Washington, D.C., home, this unjust system remains.

The CARES Act, recently passed and signed into law, has brought that injustice into stark relief. The people of D.C. pay all the taxes everyone does, and the federal government treats D.C. as a state in hundreds of ways. However, the CARES Act includes D.C. with the territories, which shortchanges the tax-paying residents of Washington, DC out of $725 million of needed aid to fight the coronavirus.

D.C. is not a territory. D.C. bears all the responsibilities of citizenship and deserves the benefits. This is not a time for opponents of D.C.'s efforts to secure Statehood to make a political statement.

Washington, D.C., like every state in the nation, is dealing with unprecedented challenges and, like every state, needs the full support and resources of the federal government to ensure the safety and well-being of D.C.'s residents.

We, the one hundred undersigned organizations, demand that in the next coronavirus relief bill Washington, D.C., be made whole and receive the discretionary funding that was awarded to each state in the CARES Act.

Sincerely,

American Ethical Union

American Family Voices

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

American Federation of Teachers

American Postal Workers Union

Americans for Democratic Action

Anacostia Coordinating Council

Audubon Naturalist Society

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Brookland Huddle for the Future

Can't Stop! Won't Stop! Consulting

Center for Disability Rights

Center for Environmental Health

Center for Popular Democracy

Clean Elections Texas

Clean Water Action

Coalition to Preserve, Protect & Defend

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

D.C. Hunger Solutions

D.C. Statehood - Yes We Can!

Daily Kos

DC Chamber of Commerce

DC Democratic Party

DC Environmental Network

DC Marijuana Justice

DC NORML

DC Statehood Coalition

DC Statehood Green Party

Death with Dignity National Center

DemList

Democracy for America

Democracy Initiative

DEMOS

End Citizens United Action Fund

Endangered Species Coalition

Food & Water Action

Friends of the Earth

GLAA

GreenLatinos

Greenpeace US

Hip Hop Caucus

Human Rights Campaign

Indivisible

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Justice For Muslims Collective

League of Conservation Voters

League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia

League of Women Voters of the United States

Metro DC PFLAG Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

NAACP

NARAL Pro-Choice America

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)

National Council of Jewish Women

National Education Association

National Employment Law Project

National Equality Action Team

National Federation of Democratic Women

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

National Organization for Women, DC Chapter

Neighbors United for DC Statehood

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics

New Progressive Alliance

NORML

Our Revolution

People For the American Way

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC

Poder Latinx

Pride at Work

Public Citizen

Public Justice Center

Rachel Carson Council

Rural Coalition

SEIU

SEIU 32BJ

Sierra Club

Small Planet Institute

Stand Up! for Democracy in DC (Free DC)

Subcontinental Drift

Sunrise Movement DC

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The United Methodist Church - General

Board of Church and Society

UNITE HERE Local 25

United We Dream Network

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity

Ward 2 Democrats

Ward 3 Democrats

Ward 7 Democrats

Ward 8 Democrats

Washington Ethical Society

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

Washington Parks & People

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