Washington, D.C. Admission Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I hope America is watching what is going on on the floor today, and they are paying careful attention to this debate.

We hear speaker after speaker from the other side of the aisle say things like, ``It has been done before.'' The majority leader: ``Clear precedent.''

Yeah, there is clear precedent. We know the person who was in the Chair just before comes from the State that actually was the clear precedent: In 1847, when retrocession occurred. You know, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say this isn't politics. This is about getting voting rights. This is about things like this. I would suggest that perhaps the people watching go to Wikipedia and see what the history is about the support for retrocession back to Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, because, you see, this is not Congress's land. This is Maryland's land. Maryland gave it to the United States for the sole purpose of a permanent, Federal enclave. The nerve of hundreds of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle thinking it is their land. It is Maryland's land. And if you want voting rights, it is simple: Do exactly what occurred in 1847 and give the land back to Maryland.

But, whoa, wait a minute. That is not what this debate is about, because retrocession has been proposed many times with no Democrat supporters. In fact, the majority leader was in Congress when these bills were proposed. If what he really wants is voting rights, he should have cosponsored the bill.

Mr. Speaker, you know that if retrocession occurs, every single resident--except those ones in the White House--because of the amendment to the Constitution they actually get three electoral votes under this proposed legislation, every single one of those residents would have representation in Congress. And, yes, Eleanor Holmes Norton could sit in Congress representing people from the State of Maryland.

This is a pure political ploy. That is why none of my colleagues from Maryland are going to vote against this bill today. That is why none of my colleagues from Maryland have put in a retrocession bill. That is why all of my hundreds of colleagues across the aisle are going to pretend this is Congress' land. This is not.

The Constitution is clear. If this land is given back to Maryland, Maryland has to accept.

Well, the argument is that Maryland doesn't want it back. That is interesting. I sat in the Maryland legislature with my colleague, who is sitting across the aisle right now. If our representatives from Maryland are so concerned about getting voting rights, it is very simple. Go to their colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly, fully controlled by the Democrats, and say: ``Let's take it back. Let's give those 700,000 people voting rights.''

Mr. Speaker, that is the correct approach. Don't steal this land from Maryland.

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