Home Rule
Home Rule Does Not Protect DC Citizens
DC has a larger population than Vermont and Wyoming.
We contribute more in federal taxes than 20 other states.
We have NO representation. We have NO autonomy.
Not being a state strips us of our constitutional rights of representation
Republicans have always refused to give DC Statehood because of racism and political power. They don’t want two more democratic senators and they don’t want representatives giving minorities a louder voice.
Home Rule gives us a voice in the local rules and laws that affect our daily lives. But it is limited.
At any time, Congress can pass a law that directly affects DC, it can overrule laws we have enacted, or it can forbid us from spending money on laws we have passed.
That used to be a rare recourse for politicians. The people in power now have no qualms about stripping away our democratic rights.
They will interfere one way or the other
Congressmen from around the nation introduced over 100 bills affecting DC in 2024.
Congress froze $1.1 billion in local tax dollars, refusing to allow the funds to be spent on an already-approved local budget.
Congress can affect “riders” to DC’s FY26 budget meaning that they won’t approve our funds to be spent unless other laws are attached to the budget resolution: laws that would affect our schools, civil rights, environmental laws, etc….
Multiple members of Congress and the Administration have said we do not deserve ANY voice in our local laws.
What does it mean to be a state?
Governors are empowered by the Constitution to check federal powers. Blue states have almost unlimited power to protect their citizens from bad federal laws.
How Could you be affected?
Having say over the laws that govern your everyday life is a key part of a free society.
DC has always embraced a set of values that respect our diversity and protect our communities while allowing for strong individual rights.
Congress could turn this upside down.
We have limited power
Congress ultimately has control to pass whatever bills it wants that will override our local laws. They can do this through normal processes or by attaching riders to our budget.
What does democracy mean if it doesn't include the fundamental right to representation in government?
"Taxation without representation" was the rallying cry that gave birth to America 249 years ago. Our Founding Fathers declared that living in a state where the will of the people was determined by a king was tyranny.
DC is at risk of losing our local voice and/or having Congress overrule all of our free will.
- Dissolution of Office of the Mayor
- Dissolution of the City Council
- Dissolution of ANC Representatives
- Dissolution of Office of the DC Attorney General (AG Schwalb)
- Control of DC Metropolitan Police Department
- Determination of How DC City Budget Is Allocated
- Authority Over Fiscal Policy Affecting DC's Bond Rating
- Control of Building Projects, Such as Stadiums and Parks
- Control Over Property Tax Rates & Minimum Wage
- Control Over Local Health Initiatives & Environmental Regulations
Blue States are passing laws to protect the will of their citizens. They have taken to the courts to challenge federal overreach into their laws.
The 10th Amendment gives states almost unlimited power to protect their citizens from bad federal laws.
States have full autonomy and authority over:
- Public and Private School Systems
- National Guard, State, and Local Police
- State Judicial System, Criminal Prosecution, and Criminal Code
- Social Services Delivery including Housing, Food Aid, Health Care
- Transportation and Infrastructure
- Environmental Protections, Initiatives, and Natural Resource Management
- Local Services Delivery such as Trash Collection and Licensing
Not true with DC – They are taking ALL of our power.
states can protect their citizens' voices & values
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis launched the group ‘Governors Safeguarding Democracy’ to push back against the threat of this administration, to pool resources between them, and to make sure their citizens are safe.
States can protect public safety
Governors can call up their national guard to protect their citizens - only the Executive can call up DC's national guard.
They also can maintain strict gun safety regulations, control conecal-carry laws, bring suits against gun manufacturers and fund research on gun violence.
States Can protect public health
States can stockpile vaccines and abortion medication, offer medical school students from red states a transfer to their schools, loosen rules for telemedicine, reiterate vaccine requirements for schoolchildren, expand their own health departments and pool resources to fund medical research. In short, they can develop an alternative model of responsible health-care governance.
States can protect workers
If and when the federal government starts to roll back overtime and worker safety rules, governors can maintain pro-worker standards under state law. They can expand apprenticeship programs and copy Shapiro’s initiative of eliminating unnecessary college degree requirements for state jobs.
JB Pritzker has said anyone convicted for Jan 6th is not eligible for a state job.
- Congress overruled DC's crime bill
- Congress Prohibited Municipal Trash Trucks from Collecting Refuse at Apartment Buildings
- DC Was Prohibited from Using Any Funds to Subsidize Abortion Care
- DC Residents Passed a Law Allowing Domestic Partnerships Between Gay Couples Which Congress Blocked
- DC Residents Passed a Referendum to Legalize Marijuana and Congress Prevented Them From Counting the Votes, Then Later Prohibited Any Funds to Implement the Referendum
- DC Was Prohibited From Using Any Funds on a Needle-Exchange Program
- Congress Forced DC to Have a Referendum Reinstating the Death Penalty (which failed)
we can do this
We can protect DC
We can make DC even stronger.
We can show the nation a way forward.
We can be heard.
Subscribe to Updates
Get updates on threats to DC autonomy.