Martin Falbisoner/Wikipedia Commons. Edits on Blingee.

Of the many frustrating aspects of Congress’ attempt to block D.C. from implementing marijuana legalization, the misunderstanding by many of its right to do so is near the top of the list.

That misunderstanding can be seen in the follow passage from a Fox News article on the subject:

If the spending bill is implemented, it would mark the first time Congress has meddled in local D.C. affairs in decades. Congress was granted the federal city “home rule” in the 1970s but generally stays out of D.C. affairs, though it can always legally intervene.

This is patently false. Congress — or the “super city council,” as Fox News calls the federal body — meddles in D.C. affairs every year by attaching riders to the spending bill that authorizes the city’s budget. Since 1996, D.C. has been denied the right to spend local funds on abortions for low-income women through one such rider. The rider has been used as a bargaining chip, including in 2011 when President Obama told Speaker John Boehner, “John, I’ll give you D.C. abortion,” to reach a deal.

Then there’s D.C.’s needle exchange program. The Super City Council blocked D.C. from spending public funds on the program between 1998 and 2007, a decision D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said “killed” local residents.

These are just two examples of the many ways Congress has controlled the residents of D.C. without their consent, even since the Home Rule Act passed in the 1970s. It’s precisely why the city’s residents need budget autonomy or statehood.