1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

As one of your constituents I'm writing today out of extreme concern for and solidarity with the people of the District of Columbia and to ask you to do everything in your power to oppose all current attacks against DC and increase the power of DC's local elected leaders. DC is home to 700,000 people including families, children, seniors, workers, and people of every age, race, ability and faith. These communities are joyful, powerful, and deserve dignity, not armed soldiers, masked agents, disappearances, and violations of their Constitutional rights. Donald Trump's forces have now been occupying DC for many weeks. These forces are profiling, harassing, arresting, and disappearing Black and Brown DC community members in DC. They are armed, sometimes unidentified, and moving in gangs through DC neighborhoods confronting people who are simply at home, driving to work, or doing routine daily activities. This occupation is a danger to DC residents and to American democracy. In the midst of it, Congress has introduced more than a dozen bills and more than 20 budget riders that attack DC. These bills are a unified attack against DC and they deserve unified opposition. They should not be considered on the merits but rather on the fact that they are being advanced against the will of the people of DC and as part of an authoritarian regime's attempt to seize control of the nation's capital. Instead, six additional bills are currently moving through Congress that would expand DC’s local power. I ask you to support all of them. More information about the bills is below. BILLS TO OPPOSE: 1. Oppose H.R. 4922 which would restrict DC’s power over criminal sentencing laws, particularly around youth sentencing. 2. Oppose H.R. 5140 which would lower the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses to 14 years of age. 3. Oppose H.R. 5125/S. 2854 which would abolish the DC Judicial Nomination Commission and grant the president sole authority to nominate DC judges. 4. Oppose H.R. 5143 which would enable dangerous high speed vehicular pursuits by law enforcement in DC. 5. Oppose H.R. 5242/S. 2815 which would repeal DC’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act of 2016 and DC’s Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022. 6. Oppose H.R. 2056/S. 1522 which would undo DC’s Sanctuary Values Amendment Act. 7. Oppose H.R. 884/S. 2636 which would take away some DC residents’ right to vote in local elections. 8. Oppose H.R. 2096 which would force DC's Metropolitan Police Department to rehire officers who commit serious crimes. 9. Oppose H.R. 5103 which would establish a federal commission to oversee DC immigration and criminal enforcement. 10. Oppose H.R. 5107 which would repeal DC’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. 11. Oppose H.R. 5163 which would make it illegal to camp on public property in DC, essentially criminalizing homelessness. 12. Oppose H.R. 5172 which would increase or establish mandatory minimum sentences for a number of offenses. 13. Oppose H.R. 5179 which would remove DC’s elected Attorney General and grant the president sole authority to nominate a replacement. 14. Oppose H.R. 5181 which would reduce funding to DC public schools in order to expand a federal voucher program. 15. Oppose H.R. 5183 which would upend DC’s local legislative process by requiring a 60-day Congressional review period for all legislation and allow a line-item veto, among other changes. 16. Oppose H.R. 5214 which would increase pre-trial detention and require cash bail for a range of alleged offenses. BUDGET RIDERS TO OPPOSE: 1. Section 809 which would prohibit DC from spending local funds on abortion services for low-income people. 2. Section 818 which would prohibit DC from using local funds to carry out its Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014. 3. Section 819 which would repeal DC’s Death with Dignity Act. 4. Section 820 which would require DC to submit a report on its enforcement of the Partial Birth Abortion Act. 5. Section 821 which would prohibits DC from spending our own locally raised funds on updated vehicle emissions standards. 6. Section 822 which would prohibit DC from using local funds to enact our no-right-on-red law. 7. Section 823 which would prohibit DC from using local funds to carry out automated traffic enforcement. 8. Section 826 which would force DC to allow concealed weapons from other states 9. Section 827 which would undo DC’s Policing and Justice Reform law. 10. Section 828 which would repeal parts of the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act of 2018. 11. Section 831 which would prohibit the use of funds to implement the Insurance Regulation Amendment Act of 2024, which relates to reproductive health care and gender-affirming care. 12. Section 832 which would prohibit funds for implementing or enforcing the Consumer Protection Act against oil and gas companies for environmental claims. 13. Section 833 which would provide $20 million for the DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), a 50% decrease from the current funding level. 14. Section 825 which would prohibit non-citizen voting in DC. 15. Section 832 which would repeal the provision of DC’s Anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation law, or Anti-SLAPP law, that exempts from that law any claim brought by the D.C. government. 16. Section 829 which would prohibit the use of funds to implement, administer, or enforce any COVID–19 mask or vaccine mandate. 17. Section 830 which would prohibit the use of funds to commercialize recreational marijuana. 18. Amendment from Rep. Joyce at p 67 which would change DC’s SOAR Act formula on funding to public, private and charter schools in the District. 19. Amendment from Rep. Joyce at p 141 which would prohibit the use of DC funds for DC to enter into sister activities between DC and any city within China. 20. Amendment from Rep. Joyce at p 203 which would prohibit the use of DC funds to carry out parts of its Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act. BILLS TO SUPPORT: 1. H.R. 5093/S. 2688, the “District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act,” introduced by Del. Norton and Sen. Van Hollen, would give DC power over our own National Guard. 2. H.R. 5092/S. 2689, the “District of Columbia Police Home Rule Act,” introduced by Del. Norton and Sen. Van Hollen, would restrict the president’s authority to assume control of MPD. 3. H.R. 5070, introduced by Rep. Beyer, would require federal law enforcement officers in DC to wear body cameras. 4. H.R. 5051, introduced by Del. Norton, would require members of the armed forces performing active service in DC “in response to an order of the president related to crime or civil disturbance” to participate in a program substantially similar to the Body-Worn Camera Program of MPD. 5. H.R. 2693, the “District of Columbia Electronic Transmittal of Legislation Act,” introduced by Del. Norton, would allow DC Council to transmit legislation to Congress electronically. Right now Council has to hand deliver it. 6. H.R. 51/S. 51, the "Washington, D.C. Admission Act," for the establishment of the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, and its admission into the United States. -- As someone who has sworn a sacred oath to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution, you have an obligation to act in this moment. Democracy will be unable to function if the capital city is under military control, cannot pass or enact its own basic laws, and is subject to anti-democratic interference against the will of the people. As one of your constituents I call on you to block every bill and rider that interferes in DC, and co-sponsor and support all bills seeking to expand DC's local power. Thank you for your attention and swift action on this matter.