Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said Tuesday night that it was too early to tell whether the new GOP majority in the House of Representatives will take aim at the District's same-sex marriage, medical marijuana or needle exchange laws.
"Everything we do is threatened, that comes with the territory, but it would be foolhardy to declare those things gone," Norton said.
With Democrats expected to retain control of the Senate, she said that chamber will now become the backstop for preventing congressional meddling in District affairs.
"Anything they pass in the House will fail in the Senate," said Norton, noting that 60 votes are needed to break a filibuster.
But Norton said she will have to embrace a new "strategy" for pushing for and protecting local concerns in a GOP-controlled House, which she said she is prepared for.
"I do not sit in fear of Republicans because I have been there before," Norton said.
Norton was unsure what District law could be most threatened, saying that will become clear in a few days when she's able to determine precisely "who won and who lost."
Regardless, she said, District affairs could become entangled in numerous House floor debates.
"You wouldn't have thought Congress could get more polarizing than it was under (former Speaker) Newt Gingrich, but this may be that Congress," she said.
Loading...
Comments