Newsletter: Wednesday October 29, 2025
Norton Introduces D.C. Government Title Equality Act to Highlight that D.C. is Prepared to Transition from District to State |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) 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. |
Norton Statement on Return of Statue of Confederate General Albert Pike to Judiciary Square |
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. |
Norton Introduces Legislation to Repeal Government Accountability Office’s Authority Over D.C. |
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. |
Norton Introduces Bill Requiring Federal Agencies to Report on Advertising Spent with Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Those Owned by Women and Minorities |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) 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. |