Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD). (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
It’s like an advent calendar for our best buds in Congress: for the month of January, D.C. statehood nonprofit D.C. Vote is showcasing all the Congress members who either voted against, or didn’t stand up for Initiative 71 with “30 Days of Disapproval.”
Yes, it’s an all-star lineup of Congress members who have been using their oversight authority “to intervene in local D.C. law.” In the lineup, we’ve got D.C. legislative supervillains like Rep. John Mica (R-FL), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), and our number one best bud Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD).
In a release, D.C. vote says the 30 Days of Disapproval, which began last week, near the start of the 114th Congress, is a direct response to a rider in a recent omnibus spending bill that overturns the voter-approved marijuana legalization initiative as well as another rider that bars the District from using their own locally raised revenue to provide funding to low-income women who seek abortions services.
“The tables are turned during this digital challenge: 30 Days of Disapproval,” Kimberly Perry, Executive Director of D.C. Vote, said in a statement. “Instead of Congress doing the disapproving, this time American citizens get to disapprove of their actions to overturn a local election and violate the core principles of American democracy.”
In week two of the month-long public shaming, D.C. Vote is highlighting Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), John Mica, Rep. Debbie Wasserman (D-FL), and Andy Harris for their actions or inactions in Congress that have interfered with D.C.’s laws.
According to D.C. Vote, “media in the home state of the Representative or Senator will be notified of our actions,” and “constituents in the members’ home states and districts who support democracy will be weighing in as well.” Anyone can vote to disapprove them and at the end of the week, the member of Congress with the most votes of disapproval will be sent letters from people who disapprove of their actions via D.C. Vote.
