House Republicans Move to Override D.C. Laws and Slash Local Funding in Controversial Spending Bill

House Republicans have advanced a federal appropriations bill that would significantly restrict Washington, D.C.'s autonomy by slashing funding for local programs and overriding several local laws.

The bill includes provisions to cut college tuition assistance, ban noncitizen voting, block marijuana sales, loosen gun restrictions, and prohibit traffic enforcement cameras. Local leaders and D.C.'s congressional delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, have strongly criticized the bill as unreasonable and an attack on D.C.'s right to self-governance. These interventions are part of a longstanding pattern where Congress imposes restrictions on D.C. despite local opposition.

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