Norton to Speak at Unprecedented White House Rally Calling on Administration to Preserve Home-Rule
Norton to Speak at Unprecedented White House Rally Calling on Administration to Preserve Home-Rule
June 23, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC -- No one can remember District residents protesting at the White House about anti-home rule riders, but Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will give remarks at DC Vote White House rally to call on the administration to protect D.C.'s home-rule rights on Saturday, June 25, at Lafayette Square Park, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. DC Vote will lead District residents and a coalition of 100 local and national organizations in demanding an end to repeated and undemocratic congressional interference in the District's affairs. Norton said that the DC Vote rally is especially timely because the D.C. appropriations bill was passed by the full appropriations committee today and is headed to the House floor with a prohibition on city spending for abortions for low-income women, which must be removed.
"Saturday's rally will make history and serve notice that all branches of government are responsible for protecting the District's rights to local self-governance, particularly its right to spend local funds as it sees fit," said Norton. Saturday will mark the first time I have seen residents and national organizations alike, assemble at the White House to call on an administration to step up to help protect the city's home-rule, and Saturday may well be the first time that a rally has been designed not only for protest, but for fun for all ages, complete with musical performances, poster face-making, and the like. Our families are enthusiastic supporters of democracy for D.C., but those with kids have trouble coming to rallies. A Saturday of fun and protest will be perfect for kids, parents, and the rest of us."
Today, the House Appropriations committee rejected an amendment to strike the abortion rider from the fiscal year 2012 D.C. Appropriations bill. Norton is pleased that with the critical help of a new coalition of national organizations, no new riders were added to bill, but she said the "city cannot be satisfied until we have returned to the clean D.C. appropriations we achieved when Democrats controlled the House."