Norton Highlights Importance of D.C. Statehood in Hearing on COVID Fiscal Relief
Press Release
At a Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR) hearing on Tuesday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) highlighted how her District of Columbia priorities were included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). The hearing examined the impact of ARP's fiscal relief for states and localities. ARP retroactively provided D.C. the $755 million it was denied when the CARES Act treated D.C. as a territory instead of a state for fiscal relief, and ARP treated D.C. as a state, county and city for new fiscal relief, since D.C. provides each level of service.
"The CARES Act was one of the starkest examples in recent years of why Congress should grant statehood to the District of Columbia," Norton said. "The Republican-led Senate intentionally treated D.C. as a territory instead of a state for fiscal relief in the CARES Act, depriving D.C. of $755 million during the most critical period of the pandemic. Republicans did so even though D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state, and even though D.C. pays more federal taxes than 21 states. The American Rescue Plan retroactively provided the $755 million I sought for D.C."
Investments D.C. has made with ARP fiscal relief include $323 million in affordable housing production, $127 million to support the coronavirus response and safe reopening of public facilities, $120 million to the Bridge Fund to support small businesses in the hospitality, entertainment and retail sectors, $58.7 million in workforce development, $57.7 million to improve food access and security, $32 million in child care grants, $30 million to replace lead pipes, $15.8 million to the Small Business Growth Loan and Grant Fund, $15 million to support an alternative 911 response initiative and $8 million to eviction prevention and relief.
"Only a few months after the funds were awarded, D.C. was already able to report on their initial impact--meals delivered to 4,000 seniors, financial assistance for 14,000 households and over 2,000 small businesses, tutoring for over 600 students and eviction prevention services for over 11,000 households," Norton said. "This is just the beginning of the impact of the American Rescue Plan in the District of Columbia and across the country. I look forward to seeing more results in the next reporting period."
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