WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked 102 national and local groups for sending a letter on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 calling on Congress to retroactively fix the treatment of the District of Columbia as a territory rather than a state in the state stabilization fund in the third coronavirus response bill, which deprived the District of $750 million.
The letter, led by DC Vote, was signed by leading national civil rights, labor, environmental and democracy reform groups, as well as by local D.C. groups, according to a press release published in Congresswoman Norton’s weekly newsletter.
“Momentum is building to retroactively fix the treatment of D.C. in the state stabilization fund in the third coronavirus response bill and to also ensure that D.C. is treated as a state for future coronavirus state stabilization funding,” Norton said. “I am deeply grateful to DC Vote and the 101 other national and local groups for showing Congress the strong, across-the-board support for equal treatment for D.C. Collectively, these groups have millions of members and supporters in every state and congressional district, ensuring D.C. is not alone in this fight. With the support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has made ensuring equal coronavirus funding for D.C. a top priority, allies in the House and Senate and, now, 102 outside groups, I am increasingly optimistic D.C. will be made whole.”
The Republican Senate and the White House, which primarily drafted the third coronavirus response bill, intentionally treated the District as a territory rather than a state in the state stabilization fund, even though the District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding. The District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding because it pays the same federal taxes as states. In fact, the District pays more federal taxes than 22 states and pays more per capita federal taxes than any state.
In the last two weeks, more than 120 members of the Senate and House have joined letters urging congressional leadership to retroactively fix the treatment of D.C. See Congresswoman Norton’s Weekly Newsltter at https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwHMsSvWWDjNBRGfRVNXkPJjzDs
