Press Releases
October 28, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to redesignate the D.C. Mayor as Governor, the D.C. Council as the Legislative Assembly, the D.C. Councilmembers as Representatives and the Chair of the D.C. Council as Speaker. These are the titles used in the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth constitution, which the District adopted in 2016 in anticipation of passage of a bill to make D.C. the 51st state. Norton introduced the bill to highlight that D.C. is prepared to make the transition from district to state. D.C. residents pay full federal taxes and D.C. operates as the functional equivalent of a state, providing state-, county- and city-level services, despite being denied voting representation in the House and Senate and full local self-government.
October 27, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released a statement after learning that the National Park Service (NPS) returned the statue of Confederate General Albert Pike to its place near Judiciary Square over the weekend. It had been in storage for five years after being pulled down by protesters in 2020.
October 21, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to require federal agencies to include the amount they spent on advertising contracts with small disadvantaged businesses(SDBs) and businesses owned by women and minorities in the previous fiscal year, as well as projections of their spending for the upcoming fiscal year, in their annual budget justifications.
October 14, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to repeal the authority of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the District of Columbia. GAO, a federal agency that conducts investigations and audits for Congress, has the same authority over D.C. that it has over federal agencies. GAO's authorizing statute defines D.C. as a federal agency. In addition, GAO's authorizing statute and the D.C. Home Rule Act require GAO to engage in specific types of oversight of D.C.
October 9, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the government shutdown closed the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to reopen these agencies and to exempt them from future shutdowns to prevent interruptions in local D.C. land-use decisions. Although Norton has introduced bills to remove NCPC’s and CFA’s authority over local D.C. land-use decisions, the agencies’ jurisdictions remain until her bills are enacted.
October 7, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the federal government shutdown closed the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), federal agencies which play a significant role in D.C. land-use decisions, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that she plans to introduce a bill to reopen these agencies and to exempt them from future shutdowns to prevent interruptions in local D.C. land-use decisions. Although Norton has introduced bills to remove NCPC’s and CFA’s authority over these decisions, their jurisdictions remain until her bills are enacted.
October 6, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced the District of Columbia Clemency Home Rule Act, which would give D.C. exclusive authority, as the states and territories have, to grant clemency for D.C. crimes.
September 30, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced her bill to exempt from federal government shutdowns agencies that have jurisdiction only over District of Columbia matters but are exclusively or primarily funded by the federal government and not under the District's control. Norton emphasized that these agencies are essentially D.C. agencies that have nothing to do with federal issues or congressional shutdown matters. They provide critical criminal and civil justice services to the District and should continue to function during a federal government shutdown to protect the safety and well-being of D.C. residents.
September 23, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution supporting the designation of September 23, 2025, as "Mary Church Terrell Day," recognizing Mary Church Terrell's lasting contributions to the civil rights and women's rights movements. Terrell moved to the District of Columbia in 1887 to become a teacher at M Street Colored High School, now known as Dunbar High School, which is Norton's alma mater.
September 23, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As students return to campus for the fall semester, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her annual resolution to designate September as “National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month.”