Norton to Introduce Bill to Give D.C. the Same Number of Appointments to U.S. Service Academies as States
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that she will introduce a bill that would give the District of Columbia the same number of appointments and nominations to the U.S. Service Academies as states. Currently, each Member of the House and each senator is allocated five positions to each of the military academies, the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy, and are allowed to nominate 10 people for each appointment as it becomes vacant as individuals graduate or otherwise leave the relevant academy. Therefore, since D.C. has no senators, D.C. is deprived of 10 appointments to each service academy.
"This bill will provide equality for the residents of the District who choose to serve their country by applying to a service academy," Norton said. "It is remarkable that D.C. residents volunteer to serve a country that denies them statehood, congressional voting rights and full home rule. District residents have fought and died in every American war, and our residents, who pay all federal taxes, including paying more federal taxes per capita than the residents of any state, deserve to have the same opportunity to attend our prestigious service academies as residents of the states.
"The District's population is larger than that of two states and is in line with the six states that have a population under one million. District residents have fought in every American war, including the war that led to the creation of the nation itself, the Revolutionary War. D.C. service members have helped secure voting rights for people throughout the world, yet have always been denied those same rights when they returned home. District residents deserve equality at the service academies."
In addition to introducing her bill to grant D.C. statehood, Norton has introduced bills to reduce the federal government's control over local D.C. matters and to expand D.C. equality. This bill is the 27th Norton has introduced this Congress in her Free and Equal D.C. Series.
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