Norton To Push Budget Autonomy During Lame Duck

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is hoping that Congress can take up D.C. budget autonomy when it returns in November. 

District officials are hoping this is the year they can wrest their budget from the hands of federal lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Many top Republicans in Congress have endorsed the idea, including the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), and Majority Leader Eric Cantor. 

Norton is trying to turn that support into action in November. 

"We have support from very highly placed Republican officials, and haven't been able to get that done yet," she says. "I'm going to push for budget autonomy for the District in the lame duck." 

As for its chances, Norton says she's seen more movement on budget autonomy this year than in the past. "Well I'm very hopeful about budget autonomy because we've moved very far in a year," she says. 

Congress has a full plate awaiting it in November, so it's still unclear if the longtime District delegate will be able to push a budget autonomy vote to the top of the agenda.