House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Photo by R2DC

First it was Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). Then Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. And now it’s Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) who has added his name to the list of Republicans that seem sympathetic to the District’s demands that it be able to spend its own money without having to jump through the usual congressional hurdles.

A spokesman for the second-ranking House Republican told the Post’s editorial board that Cantor is “certainly willing to work with the District toward its goal of budget autonomy…and he remains hopeful that there will be more flexibility by the District to find a path forward on this issue.”

Sounds great, right? Sure, but notice that little catch at the end? Cantor seems to hope that “there will be more flexibility by the District” in moving towards budget autonomy, as if it’s been the District’s fault that Congress maintains full control over the city’s locally collected tax dollars and budget priorities. Cantor’s statement is a not-so-subtle hint that D.C. should take the deal Issa floated late last year—budget autonomy on everything by the use of local funds for abortions. Those would remain strictly verboten. (McDonnell backed that plan, despite the fact that D.C. officials explicitly rejected it.)

Given that much support from such senior officials—including a pleading from President Obama—are D.C. officials going to compromise? Maybe, and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton seems inclined to finally get a deal done, according to a statement put out by her office today:

The President, the House Majority Leader, the chairman of the committee of jurisdiction and our neighboring Republican governor, in short order, have all publicly expressed their support for D.C. budget autonomy. I appreciate the support of Majority Leader Cantor, who is familiar with our city and its central role in our region. His support adds to the momentum and our hopes for budget autonomy this year. I look forward to working with Majority Leader Cantor and the other House leaders to secure the District’s right to enact and enforce its own budget, like every other jurisdiction in the country.

That being said, abortion and women’s rights have certainly been a hot issue in recent months, both in Congress and in Virginia. Will Norton and other city officials bow to Cantor’s likely anti-abortion demands for the larger goal of budget autonomy, or hold out for a clean bill?