For the first time in decades, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, headed by Jason Chaffetz of the 3rd CD of UT, has vowed to strip Washington, D.C. of its autonomy. This committee has jurisdiction over laws passed by Washington, D.C., but has used its power only a few times since “D.C. Home Rule” was established forty years ago. While Congress has the constitutional authority to overturn a D.C. city law, it has been reticent until recently to exercise such authority.
The largely democratic city had passed an assisted-suicide law to which Chaffetz objected on “moral” grounds. Chaffetz’ committee challenged it and voted to stop its implementation.
There are 680,000 citizens in D.C. who have no voting representation in Congress. The population exceeds that of states such as Vermont and Wyoming.
There are further plans to conduct reviews of D.C. Laws which seem to conflict with Federal laws. These plans are part of a two-year agenda published by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The mayor, Muriel Browser, has also been warned that her plan to use federal monies to harbor illegal immigrants and protect them from deportation may be Chaffetz’ next target.
Here in Utah, Chaffetz continually argues for “State’s Rights.” He wants federal lands to be turned over to State jurisdiction. He has co-sponsored legislation to defund the Department of Education because he believes States are better at regulating educational standards. The State of Utah already gives considerable autonomy to local school boards. We consistently get national education grades of C or C minus.
It seems, therefore, hypocritical of Chaffetz to advocate for more local control in Utah, a traditional conservative State, and yet try to strip it from Washington, D.C., a city that leans heavily Democratic.
His vigilance in investigating Washington, D.C.’s affairs, Hillary Clinton, and “tweets” about the Bears Ears National Monument are perplexing considering his reluctance to investigate what is truly causing anxiety to so many of us: the conflicts of interest of Donald Trump, and his possible ties to Russia.
For these reasons and many more, I am seriously exploring running against Rep. Chaffetz in 2018. Please take a moment to read about me and consider sharing my CrowdPac page with others who long for a change of leadership of the Oversight Committee and on our home front of the 3rd District of Utah. I am grateful for any support you can give me!
https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/181376/the-us-congress-needs-a-caring-physician