Two weeks ago, Obama finally announced his decision to use the District’s “taxation without representation” license plates on the presidential limousines in time for last Monday’s inauguration. Although it is a small act, the President’s use of the politically significant plates is a meaningful step forward in the struggle for D.C. statehood.
First authorized by D.C. leaders in 2000 and now standard issue for District residents, the license plates are a powerful allusion to the American revolutionary slogan: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Indeed, D.C. citizens find themselves at the mercy of legislators they do not elect and who come from wildly different demographic groups and geographic regions from the average Washingtonian. D.C. residents pay federal taxes but have no voting representation in the U.S. Congress, the body that controls local courts, reserves the power to overrule local laws and budget decisions, and may even abrogate the District’s elected local government.
Though President Clinton briefly used the plates during his last weeks in office, Bush was quick to remove them from presidential cars. D.C. rights advocates have waited four years for a decision from Obama, who publicly expressed his support for D.C. statehood as early as 2007.
In a recent statement, White House officials said Obama’s use of the license plates demonstrates the President’s “commitment to the principle of full representation for the people of the District of Columbia and his willingness to fight for voting rights, Home Rule, and budget autonomy for the District.” This expression of solidarity is promising, but with the hard battles Obama faces in the new term, we doubt that he will actively dedicate himself to D.C.’s plight.
Fortunately, District residents have taken the struggle into their own hands. Last October, a bill to amend the Home Rule Act was introduced in the D.C. Council. The bill pushes for budget autonomy, which would allow the District government to allocate and spend locally-raised tax revenue without having to wait several months for congressional approval and to operate on its own fiscal calendar. Mayor Vincent Gray signed the bill earlier this month, and residents will vote on the issue in a referendum on April 23.
The bill’s legality has been questioned by several lawyers, including the District’s Attorney General Irvin Nathan, who claim that the only way to secure budget autonomy would be for Congress itself to amend the Home Rule Act. Nevertheless, statehood advocacy organizations insist that the Charter does not prohibit budget control from amendment through referendum. Evidently, city leaders agree—or at least they are willing to take the risk.
If supporters of the bill are correct, then the referendum can only be overturned by a disapproving vote from Congress within 35 legislative days, in conjunction with Presidential disapproval. As this renders Obama’s support for District rights crucial, we hope that his decision to adopt D.C.’s protest license plates is more than symbolic.
