Congress should rescind D.C. home rule

Sept. 2, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to rescind home rule for Washington, D.C.:

“Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser’s call for the removal or defacing of the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument and other D.C. landmarks puts the nail in the coffin for the argument that the District should be self-governed. Washington, D.C. was set up constitutionally as a federal district to house the federal government as a limit on the national government.  Since Congress granted the District home rule in 1973, it has seen a drug addled mayor, a federal budget control board so it could avoid bankruptcy and on-going corruption.  Here is the truth.  Over the past few months, America has witnessed our national monuments being defaced, the local government choosing to not provide adequate protection for people leaving the White House following the President’s nomination acceptance speech, and a local refusal to call out the D.C. National Guard in the face of riots that threatened the security of the White House.  The D.C. Mayor has even refused to pay for the hotel rooms for the National Guard members who were called to serve from South Carolina and Utah to defend the city.

“The sole reason Washington, D.C. exists is to house the federal government, and the D.C. local government has effectively abdicated that responsibility putting our nation’s lawmakers and others at risk.  It is time for Congress to rescind the home rule act, declare a smaller portion of D.C. to be part of the federal district and return the remainder of the city to the state of Maryland.  Protecting our national treasures, monuments and even politicians is too important to leave up to incompetent radicals dedicated to the destruction of America and our history.  It is time to end this failed experiment by repealing home rule and jettisoning a significant portion of the current District of Columbia to beleaguer the poor citizens of Maryland.  The city has lost its right and honor to house our federal government as well as the tourist revenues generated through that honor.”

To view online: https://getliberty.org/2020/09/congress-should-rescind-d-c-home-rule-2/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 or at media@limitgov.org.

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