WASHINGTON, D.C. —  H.R. 9720 – DC Taxing Authority Review Act, a new bill from House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY), would take control of the District’s taxes, fees, and budget away from the leaders D.C. residents elect and hand it to members of Congress who don’t represent the city. The House Oversight Committee is set to vote on it tomorrow, Wednesday, July 22, at 10 a.m. Councilmember Robert White (At-Large) is urging residents to stand with him at the vote.  

“This bill would be devastating,” said White. “It would let a Congress that can’t even keep its own government open decide whether D.C. can fund its own police, schools, and services. Our budget would become a request we send to Congress that dies the moment they ignore it. That’s not oversight. It’s a veto over our own city.” Comer is selling the bill as a way to stop tax increases, but it reaches far beyond that. It would also block D.C. from lowering its own taxes or updating everyday fees, and it reaches the city’s budget, all while residents are already facing federal job cuts and rising costs. Wall Street is watching, too: Moody’s has warned that federal limits on the District’s revenue could lower the city’s credit rating, which would raise borrowing costs and make services more expensive to deliver.  

Here’s what would change. Today, when the D.C. Council passes a local tax or budget law, it takes effect unless Congress steps in to stop it. Comer’s bill flips that. Those laws would not take effect unless Congress votes to approve them within 60 days. If Congress does nothing, the law dies.  “We’ve balanced our budget more than 30 years running. We’ve earned the right to run our own city,” White said. “No one in D.C. gets to vote for or against the members deciding our future. That’s why we need a vote in Congress, and why I’ll fight this every step of the way.”  

White is inviting residents to stand with him at the markup tomorrow, Wednesday, July 22, at 10 a.m., in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building, to show Congress that D.C. governs itself.  White will keep working with Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, regional allies in Congress, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, his Council colleagues, and community and business leaders to stop the bill.  

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