Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has been fighting for budget autonomy for Washington, D.C. for years. Now the D.C. Council is poised to try gaining financial independence another way.
It's not clear what effect the referendum might have on Issa's willingness to continue supporting autonomy legislation, especially if he continues to serve as chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the 113th Congress.
Issa's spokesman would not say how the chairman felt about the new developments and what effect it might have going forward. A spokesman for Norton, who might feel slighted in her own efforts to mobilize support on Capitol Hill and work with Issa and other influential lawmakers, also declined to comment.
But Ilir Zherka and Walter Smith, executive directors of DC Vote and D.C. Appleseed, respectively, emphasized that while pursuing the referendum was clearly an acknowledgement that things weren't working out the way they would prefer in Congress, it's not a signal that they don't appreciate Norton's efforts.
"I think it makes sense for the District and for the Council to open up a second track, given that the prospects of legislation passing are not great and difficult, even according to what our allies have said," Zherka told Roll Call.
Smith agreed.
"I think [the referendum] sends a very strong message to Issa that we support D.C. budget autonomy," he said.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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