Norton Thanks Raskin, 97 House Members for Letter Supporting D.C. Coronavirus Funding Fix

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) for leading a letter today with 97 other House members calling on House leadership to retroactively fix the treatment of the District of Columbia as a territory instead of a state in the state stabilization fund in the third coronavirus response bill, which deprived the District of $750 million.The letter notes that the District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding because the District, unlike the territories, pays the same federal taxes as states.The letter further notes that the District pays more in federal taxes than 22 states.

"I could not be more grateful to my good friend Representative Jamie Raskin for leading this letter on his own, without any request from me," Norton said. "The District of Columbia has no better friend in Congress than our regional partner Jamie Raskin, who initiated this letter as an act of personal leadership to show that the District has many allies in the House. Senate Republicans and the White House deliberately chose to treat the District as a territory in the third coronavirus response bill. With mounting support the District is receiving for correcting this treatment from House Democratic leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and our allies in the House and Senate, I am optimistic we will be able to retroactively fix this treatment in the fourth coronavirus response bill."

Last week, 25 senators, led by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Thomas Carper (D-DE), sent a letter to Senate leadership requesting the retroactive fix for D.C.

The House letter is here

The Senate letter is here

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