WASHINGTON — A new rules package, that passed the House on Monday, is receiving local criticism after D.C.'s mayor was stripped of a privilege granted to numerous other categories of leaders, including governors and foreign ministers.
The rule removes the House floor privileges of the D.C. mayor. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) was not in favor of this rule and made it known from the House floor herself.
Norton argued that the close to 700,000 D.C. residents have all the obligations of citizenship, including all federal taxes, while being denied voting representation in Congress and full local self-government.
“To add insult to injury these rules take away the floor privileges of the D.C. mayor," Norton said.
Norton continued by stating that the mayor of D.C. operates in the same way as a state governor which includes managing a jurisdiction that has both a budget and population that are larger than those of several states. Even though this is the case, Norton says "Congress has undemocratic plenary authority over D.C. and regularly uses this authority to legislate on local D.C. matters.”
In closing, Norton said she believes that D.C. deserves statehood.
"If any non-member of Congress deserves and needs floor privileges, it is the D.C. mayor," Norton said.
In a question and answer portion of Mayor Muriel Bowser's announcement of DC's Comeback Plan, she accepted questions about the rule change. In her response, in a stern tone, with a faint smile between words, she expressed that this isn't a joke.
"I haven't used it in eight years," she said of her previous House floor privileges. "I think it sounds like some petty thing that was developed in the rules and I don't laugh it off, however because it shows how petty some people will be. So it helps us be very focused on protecting our democracy and home rule and sadly we'll probably have to do that."
She closed that question's answer the same way she began - by stating that she hasn't used this privilege during any of her terms.
"I haven't done it in eight years, that's all I have to say about that," the mayor said.
In a follow-up, asking why she hasn't acting on this privilege, the mayor said, "I didn't think it would be effective. My strategies with the member of the Congress have been to deal with them on very specific issues and try to win their support."