On Friday, the Post reported that Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) had been selected to chair the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which is charged with dealing with the District’s budget. Emerson formerly served as ranking member on the subcommittee, and former chair Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) — who was recognized by the D.C. Council last year for being a good friend to the District — is likely to become ranking member.

In the grand scheme of things, Emerson’s rise to the chairmanship is about as good as it gets with respect to D.C. voting rights and self-determination under a Republican-dominated House. In 2007, Emerson voted in favor of legislation that would have granted the District a seat in the House — for which she was rewarded with tickets to prime seats at Nationals Park by Mayor Adrian Fenty. Additionally, despite having voted over a decade ago to prohibit the District from implementing a medical marijuana initiative, she seems more inclined to let the District govern itself than some of her colleagues.