DC needs more local power, not attacks from Congress

As one of your constituents, I’m writing in deep concern and solidarity with the people of the District of Columbia. I urge you to oppose all attacks on DC’s autonomy and to strengthen the power of its local elected leaders. DC is home to over 700,000 people—families, workers, and elders of every race, faith, and ability—who deserve dignity, not armed occupation or political interference. Federal forces have been harassing and arresting DC residents, especially Black and Brown community members, creating a crisis for both local safety and democracy itself. Congress has introduced more than a dozen bills and over 20 budget riders that directly target DC’s right to self-govern. These proposals are part of a coordinated effort to strip power from DC residents and should be rejected outright. Meanwhile, six bills now before Congress would expand local authority. I urge you to support them all. BILLS TO OPPOSE H.R. 4922 – Limits DC control over youth sentencing. H.R. 5140 – Allows children as young as 14 to be tried as adults. H.R. 5125/S. 2854 – Abolishes DC’s Judicial Nomination Commission. H.R. 5143 – Permits dangerous police pursuits. H.R. 5242/S. 2815 – Repeals DC’s Incarceration Reduction and Second Chance Acts. H.R. 2056/S. 1522 – Undoes DC’s Sanctuary Values Act. H.R. 884/S. 2636 – Restricts voting rights in local elections. H.R. 2096 – Forces MPD to rehire officers convicted of crimes. H.R. 5103 – Creates a federal DC oversight commission. H.R. 5107 – Repeals DC’s Policing and Justice Reform Act. H.R. 5163 – Criminalizes homelessness. H.R. 5172 – Expands mandatory minimums. H.R. 5179 – Removes DC’s elected Attorney General. H.R. 5181 – Cuts public school funding for vouchers. H.R. 5183 – Expands congressional veto power over local laws. H.R. 5214 – Increases pre-trial detention and cash bail. BUDGET RIDERS TO OPPOSE Sections 809, 818–823, 825–833, 826–831, and amendments at pp. 67, 141, 203—all of which restrict DC’s local spending authority, reproductive rights, environmental protections, voting rights, and justice reforms. BILLS TO SUPPORT H.R. 5093/S. 2688 – DC National Guard Home Rule Act (Del. Norton/Sen. Van Hollen). H.R. 5092/S. 2689 – DC Police Home Rule Act (Del. Norton/Sen. Van Hollen). H.R. 5070 – Requires body cameras for federal officers in DC. H.R. 5051 – Requires the same for armed forces deployed in DC. H.R. 2693 – Allows DC Council to transmit legislation electronically. H.R. 51/S. 51 – Washington, D.C. Admission Act—statehood for Douglass Commonwealth. As someone sworn to uphold the Constitution, you have a duty to defend democracy where it lives. A capital city under federal occupation, stripped of local power, cannot embody self-governance. I call on you to block every bill and rider that interferes with DC and to co-sponsor and advance all legislation that expands its local authority. Thank you for your leadership and swift action.