Constitution grants Congress authority over D.C. alongside Home Rule Act
Robert White Jr., the Democratic nominee to be the District of Columbia’s sole delegate to Congress, unveiled the “Defend DC” mobilization effort at a downtown Washington plaza Monday, pitching the initiative as a response to congressional actions against the city.
White said the plan will recruit, train and transport city residents and supporters to canvass in nearby congressional districts for candidates who back the district’s independence. He added that he will launch a political action committee to support candidates favoring D.C. statehood and local control.
“Congress has used its power over D.C. to attack us. So Washingtonians are banding together to use our collective power to change Congress,” White told supporters at the event.
The Constitution grants federal lawmakers authority over the District of Columbia, while the Home Rule Act of 1973 allows residents to elect a mayor, a council and neighborhood commissioners. Congress retains significant control over the district, including the power to approve its budget and all laws passed by the D.C. Council.
The delegate seat is nonvoting, but it grants the district’s nearly 700,000 residents — who have no other representation in Congress — a voice through speechmaking on the House floor and bill introduction.
White won the Democratic primary in June with more than 63% of the vote to succeed retiring Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has held the seat for more than 35 years. As MSI previously reported, he pledged in his victory speech to carry forward her advocacy, declaring, “I too will not yield on behalf of the people of Washington, D.C.”