The D.C. Council is considering legislation that brings budget autonomy for the District closer to reality than ever before. The recent Washington Examiner editorial (“Groundhog Day for D.C. budget autonomy,” Nov. 26) calling this budget freedom bill detrimental to this laudable goal runs counter to the real-world facts about this fight.
The council bill would allow D.C. voters to amend the Home Rule Charter in a referendum next spring to establish greater budget autonomy for the District, untangling local tax dollars from congressional control. Under the bill, once the D.C. Council and the mayor approve the spending of the city’s local revenues in its local budget, the city would no longer have to wait indefinitely for Congress to pass affirmative legislation approving the budget.
