Congress To Leave The Oversight Business (Sort Of)

Well, this news seemed to come out of nowhere.

House Democrats are pushing this year to give the District full control over how it budgets and spends city revenue, severely limiting opportunities for Congress to intervene in local decisions such as support for same-sex marriage, needle-exchange programs and medical marijuana.

Now, don't go getting your knickers in a bunch. Despite the misleading article title, Congress will not be completely striped from D.C. budget oversight.

Congress still would have the power to enact laws on the District and block new legislation approved by the council, and would have oversight of federal money earmarked for the city.

I honestly think this is a perfectly appropriate compromise in advancing further autonomy for the District. Kudos to U.S. Rep. José E. Serrano for putting this out there!