Norton Statement After House Passage of Bill to Codify President Trump’s Efforts to Control D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - After the House passed the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act, introduced by Rep. John McGuire (R-VA), which would codify parts of President Trump's March, 2025 executive order, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that she was disappointed by the passage of yet another condescending, paternalistic bill towards D.C. Republicans have filed more than 100 bills, amendments and riders to repeal, amend or block D.C. from carrying out its own local laws and policies this Congress. McGuire's bill is the 11^th that the House has passed this Congress.

"Today the House passed yet another condescending bill that treats the more than 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia as though they are incapable of governing themselves," Norton said. "This so-called 'Safe and Beautiful' bill is paternalistic and undemocratic, creating a federal Commission to dictate policies in a District whose residents have no voting representation in Congress and are already subject to Congress repealing its local laws. The bill's token inclusion of one representative from the D.C. Mayor's Office among 10 members does nothing to disguise its fundamental disrespect for D.C.'s local self-government.

"Members of Congress who do not represent the District should stop interfering in the local affairs of the District. D.C. residents are both worthy and fully capable of choosing their own local laws and policies through the democratic process, the same way other local jurisdictions throughout the country do. If Congress truly respected democracy, it would grant the District the full rights of statehood instead of repeatedly undermining home rule."

McGuire's bill would establish the "D.C. Safe and Beautiful Commission." As originally introduced, the Commission included only federal officials as members and excluded any representation from the D.C. government, despite the power to make consequential changes affecting the District. The bill has since been amended to allow a representative from the D.C. Mayor's Office as one of its 10 members.

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