House Republicans Push Sweeping Rollbacks on D.C. Autonomy in New Spending Bill

House Republicans have advanced a new appropriations bill that would significantly restrict Washington, D.C.'s ability to govern itself.

The bill includes provisions to slash funding for local programs, block marijuana sales, ban noncitizen voting, and override D.C. laws on issues like gun control, abortion, and traffic safety. Local leaders and D.C.'s congressional delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, have strongly criticized the bill as an attack on home rule and self-governance. These interventions are part of a longstanding pattern where Congress imposes its will on D.C., but advocates say the current proposals are particularly severe.

The move has reignited debates over D.C. statehood and the city's right to manage its own affairs.