House Republicans Move to Strip D.C. of Local Control in Sweeping Spending Bill

House Republicans have advanced an appropriations bill that would significantly restrict Washington, D.C.'s autonomy by slashing funding and overriding local laws on issues such as traffic safety, abortion, gun control, marijuana sales, and voting rights.

The bill includes provisions to cut college tuition assistance, ban noncitizen voting, and block D.C. from using its own funds for certain programs. Local leaders and D.C.'s congressional delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, have strongly criticized the bill as unreasonable and patronizing, arguing it undermines the city's right to self-governance. These interventions are part of a longstanding pattern where Congress imposes restrictions on D.C., but advocates say the current proposals are particularly severe.

The move has reignited debates over D.C. statehood and home rule.