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WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a former tenured professor of constitutional law, today released the following explanation on why the 23rd Amendment, which allows the federal district to participate in the Electoral College, does not need to be repealed before Congress could grant statehood to the District of Columbia. Norton said, “Those who make such an assertion are conflating a policy choice and a constitutional requirement.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) received a response today to her April 26th letter to Acting D.C. Postmaster Eddie Masangcay regarding undelivered and delayed mail throughout the District of Columbia. Norton wrote after learning of mail being lost or severely delayed at a time when mail delivery is particularly important during the pandemic and with mail containing life-saving medications, tax and financial documents and bills.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that she has been designated as one of the limited number of Members of Congress to attend tomorrow President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress. “While COVID restrictions mean this year’s event will be smaller than the annual addresses in the past, I’m looking forward to hearing President Biden speak directly to the American people and describe his full vision for the country,” Norton said. “But the size of the crowd does not define the significance of the event. President Biden’s strong endorsement of D.C. statehood makes this year’s joint session particularly meaningful for D.C. residents.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that Republicans are increasingly nervous about the District of Columbia statehood bill because of House passage last week, a Democratic-controlled Senate, and a recent nationwide poll showing 54% of Americans support D.C. statehood. “Republicans have been busy looking for ways to stop the D.C. statehood momentum,” Norton said. “On April 22, the day the House passed the D.C. statehood bill, Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced a bill to retrocede D.C. to Maryland, an admission that the District is treated unequally. Marshall’s bill has no support from either the District or Maryland. In fact, a huge majority of D.C. residents (86%) voted for statehood in 2016, and Maryland’s highest-ranking member of the House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a leading supporter of D.C. statehood, wrote a Washington Post op-ed in strong support of D.C. statehood. Retrocession would be inconsistent with the 2016 vote and the District’s pursuit of self-determination. Retrocession concedes that the size of the federal district can be reduced by simple legislation, as the D.C. statehood bill would do. D.C. statehood does not require a constitutional amendment. Under the Constitution, Congress has the authority to admit new states, and every new state was admitted by Congress.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act of 2021 today. Since 1994, Norton has introduced a version of the bill, which would require the United States to sign and ratify an international agreement to disable and dismantle America’s nuclear weapons upon certification that other nuclear powers have begun elimination of theirs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to Acting District of Columbia Postmaster Eddie Masangcay about the significant increase in delayed and undelivered mail throughout the District that D.C. residents have reported to her office. In the letter, Norton asked for a response in writing by April 30, 2021, detailing how the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) plans to address the problem.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) sent a letter on April 20, 2021, requesting that the U.S. Botanic Garden display hemp plants.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced the community project funding requests that she submitted for the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. Members were allowed to submit up to 10 requests. Norton received a total of 80 requests and submitted 10. Norton said she regrets that she could not submit many worthy requests. The House Appropriations Committee established very narrow eligibility criteria for the projects, and unfortunately, many of the proposals Norton received did not meet the criteria. Norton will learn which requests, if any, may receive funding when the committee releases the appropriations bills. For a project to receive funding, the funding must be included in the version of the appropriations bill that is passed by the House and Senate and signed into law.