be part of the conversation at discover.monsanto.com . good morning. where the new congress now in session how will the new republican leadership on capitol hill impact life for residents of the district of columbia? this morning we've invited democratic congressman eleanor holmes norton to talk about that. welcome to "viewpoint." >> thank you pat. >> can we start, congresswoman norton with your reaction to the tragic attack on metro. you've called for mts briefing in a couple days. >> first i want to express my condolences to the family of the one person we lost from virginia. we shouldn't have lost a single life. we immediately asked for and got a staff briefing but i wanted something more. i wanted a briefing of the house and senate.

as you know some of them are away now. so we are going to have a briefs, a member briefing republicans and democrats of every member of this region next wednesday afternoon so we can find out at least what we need to know now. we've gotten a promise from the national transportation safety board that we will have an early report, less than 30 days. pat, that's really important. and i comment the ntsb forgiving us that kind of early information because it means that metro can begin to rectify even before the final analysis of what really happened occurs. we need the earliest understanding of why people were caught in the worst way about the greatest fear you can have if you are a metro rider you go into a closed car, go under

ground and then go into a tunnel. that's scary enough for some people. smoke? you can't get out of the car? and then there is now confirmed at least a half-hour delay. we need to know why. was it because of our first responders, or was it as we have also heard, instead because of the delay in closing down the third rail so the first responders could enter the tunnel? that's the kind of information i hope we get some clue on at least by early this week. >> and what does it suggest to you about this reg on's readiness for a mass casualty emergency? that's what a lot of people are concerned about. >> pat, this is kind of two tales. i don't want people to be afraid to go on metro. metro has come a very long way since we lost nine people 2009 -- >> all of them were d.c. residents. it was a great tragedy for our

city. it would be a great tragedy if we lost even one as we did with this incident. at the same time that we have seen these repairs make real progress as they've had to reinvent metro. we have a new problem we have to ask ourselves. even if it is a more modern metro, are they prepared for a real emergency. now, in the capital city of the united states or this region, a real emergency can be a lot more than mechanical failure or even smoke in the car. it can mean a terrorist incident in the era of isil. so there's every reason to be concerned first and foremost about emergency response. the emergency response failed in almost every single respect here. i can think of no way that we can say "at least this occurred," not when you're half

hour of getting people out of a smoky car and told not to even go on the tracks to escape the smoke. >> metro says it needed 16 million -- >> $16 billion. >> to maintain the system and improve safety. there doesn't seem to be any indication that that's going to happen. so what does that mean? >> we have a congress now controlled by my good colleagues on the other side that doesn't even want to pay for the surface transportation needs of our country roads, bridges transit. but what we have been able to do with the help of the entire region i must say is to get the annual $150 million that is now being used to rehabilitate metro -- the 34e9 tomorrow system itself. that doesn't go for what you pay to get on the cars but it does mean a system that was built in 1976 needs to be completely over

hauled. that's happening now. the $16 billion is quite apart from that. that's what we need. that's what new york needs. that's what san francisco needs. that's what the nation needs. that's what we've got to do in the congress of the united states. >> congress is now controlled by republicans in both houses. what does this mean for the district? >> that's a loaded question. all i can say to our constituents is be not afraid. that's not the way to approach republicans. first, don't approach them in a stereotypical fashion. i have been -- it has been my fate to be for more than 20 years in the congress under republicans in charge and often with a republican president. still we got d.c. tagged. that's the d.c. tuition access grant which sends our students to college. we've done all kinds of economic

development. the new wharf is being developed. the old post office into a luxury hotel. that's with republicans in charge. all right this is an all right republican congress. we already have i think good indications. the kinds of indications that make me know that i begin, as i always have, to find people to work with. let's think of our chairmen. both of them chairmen chair fis on the house side and chairman on the other side both said they support home rule. those are two conservative republicans. you want to started that way, i'm with you. don't fight until there's something to fight about the. >> we're going to continue to talk about the issues of the district and the new congress with congresswoman eleanor holmes norton right after the break.

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welcome back. we're tubing with congress woman eleanor holmes norton. congresswoman, your first bill right out of the gate was the new columbia district act to make the district a 51st act. you got a record number of co-sponsors. you started the new year with this new congress with that bill. >> right in their face, knowing the republican house and senate would not pass my statehood bill. we have marvelous momentum. the first official senate statehood hearing last congress. you don't let that lie on the floor. >> in september. >> yes, we did, just before that congress ended. how do you build on that momentum? we got the largest number of co-sponsors ever for that bill. what makes this bill distinctive is this is the largest number of original co-sponsors. there's people willing to sign on to the same time i signed on

there were 90 of them. that means there's enthusiasm in the house for the new columbia statehood act, for us to build on so we can build a larger movement in the nationwide because our fate now lies not in the house or the senate, but with the constituents of my colleagues. >> how many of those are republicans? are there any? >> of course none of them are republicans now but that's not unusual either. there's not pressure out there on their republican constituents. that's got to come from us. congress gives you nothing. you do your own momentum and with 90 original co-sponsors very few bills have more than two, three, maybe ten original co-sponsors. that means people willing to get on board at the get-go. then you're going to get more. and that does tell you that at least at the base, and that's what you start with -- do you at least have your own party with you? then you go further.

i believe when the senate decides who the new chair of the full committee is we will be able to introduce the bill there. we do have word of a very good chair of our appropriation committee in the senate, senator coombs of delaware who we know he supported and indeed was a sponsor of the statehood bill last time. >> you have your party with you and you have the president with you. he's also endorsed statehood. >> very important. >> however, congress has taken away your vote in the committee as a whole. what are you doing to get that back and what are the chances to get it back? >> when i first came to congress, since i had the voting committee which was created by rule why shouldn't i have voting committee of the whole? committee of the whole votes on some things. went to the democratic leadership they said oh, d.c.

has never had a vote on the house floor. let's send it to council. council said, yes they did it. the republicans sued them. it went all the way to the court of appeals. the court of appeals said your discretion. i have voted for three congresses, that would mean six years of votes. every time the republicans come under control, they take away my vote. even though, pat, and i do want your listeners to know this, when we say taxation without representation, we don't mean the same tangss that our good friends in maryland and virginia pay, we mean more taxes. we pay the highest taxes per capita, that's $12,000 per person in the district of columbia more than the residents of any other jurisdiction, california is something like $8000 per person, mississippi is the lowest it's $4,000 per person. you can understand the rage that we feel when they shut down the

district government or want to take away our marijuana reform law. who in the world do you think we are? we not only have paid we have overpaid. >> we've got to take a break but we'll continue our talk with congresswoman eleanor holmes norton in just a moment. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ ♪ green giant ♪

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8 years running. plus, fios has the fastest wi-fi available from any provider. period. see the difference for yourself. get a fios triple play online at an amazing price guaranteed for two full years! plus, get a $300 bonus with a two-year agreement. welcome back. we're talking with eleanor holmes norton this morning. congresswoman norton talk about the showdown of d.c.'s pot law. congress has sent the bill to congress triggering the 30-day review period. under the new budget, congress can't spend the money. >> fortunately it isn't law. i believe the loophole i found will stand. chairman chaffetz says there will not be a bill to overturn it because he thinks it isn't law. that means probably nothing will

happen. and 30 days after this, it will go into law. andy harris the culprit, if you will forgive me whose amendment this was says he thinks therefore, the house ought to sue them. i doubt that the house will sue the district of columbia. first of all, marijuana reform is sweeping the country. secondly, i don't think -- i don't want to be technical about this, but i don't believe the house has standing to sue. therefore, i believe after 30 legislative days, the district of columbia will be able to enforce a very modest marijuana reform law, two ounces in your own possession no selling, we will be able to do that and have that in the district of columbia remembering that pot is de facto legal anyway. so why should our african-american citizens who turn out to be virtually the only ones that get a record, spoils them for the rest of their lives because it's a drug conviction, why should they have

to suffer this particular offense when essentially young people all over the united states use it. this law only conforms to practice. >> then, of course there's still many who believe it leads to more serious drug use. >> i caution my own residents don't do it. i don't think you should smoke anything. nevertheless, i also don't think you should go to jail for it or get a record for it. >> regarding the budget you're seeking an agreement to permanently exempt the district from federal shutdowns so the city isn't continually caught in the cross hairs. >> our budget shouldn't be up there in the first place. $7 billion we raise on our own in the district more than many states. i've been able on an annual basis to keep us from being shut down. this year we won't have a shutdown. i don't think the republicans think we should be shut down when they get shutdown. >> you've beaten back another attempt to beat the district's gun laws. >> so important, pat.

with all the talk about the marijuana reform and how i believe we've beat that back and how it's going into effect the worst thing we encountered was an attempt actually passed the house, to essentially erase all of our gun laws assault weapon ban and the like, was able to get that taken out of the appropriation. perhaps they'll try again. they'll have to try again because it didn't make it this time. >> we've seen a wave of protests in recent months in the wake of ferguson and cleveland and staten island, the incidents there. police officers gathered here yesterday for a solidarity march. what do you say to those who believe there hasn't been enough focus in the process on the tough job that police all over this country have to do every day? >> pat another member and i, downey davis from illinois, are going to have a forum probably next month on getting a conversation between police and communities, because i don't

think that there's been enough conversation about what the police do for us and how, in fact, we can have good relations. look at us in the district of columbia. although we had demonstration here, they're not about the district of columbia. the protest is about racial profiling. it's about police practices, not about the police. the police are greatly appreciated, most so in the neighborhoods where they're most needed. so we welcome the police here to demonstrate just as they should welcome our demonstrations. >> we'll continue and conclude our discussion with eleanor holmes norton in a m

tomorrow we celebrate martin luther king junior day. this year marks the 50th anniversary of the voting rights ability. there are issues on capitol hill that you don't think will be resolved by this congress. >> martin luther king could hardly tolerate the 50th

anniversary of being faced with chairman goodlatte of the you dishry committee saying that he does not intend to move the voting rights act this year. last year we did have some republican support. with an all republican senate in the house and even given the growth throughout the states, north and south, of obstacles to voting, he does not intend to move that act on the 50th anniversary. that means people need to get out of here and take care of that. it's not going to move urnless we do what we did to get it there in the first place. we went to the streets and made sure they had no alternative. >> if dr. martin luther king, junior, were alive today, what do you think his message would be about race about polarization and the fact that no one can get along. >> sn. >> he was all about reconciliation. while he was forthright for all

he stood for and race was only one of the things. the for people's campaign here in washington he would be talking about poverty, income and equality. on the 50th anniversary of the voting rights act, the first thing he would be talking about is reenact that act this year on its 50th anniversary. perfect time to do it. >> your annual tax fair is coming up at the convention center. tell us about this year's fair. >> let's do that. my constituents expected it to be d.c. residents only. on saturday february 21st we will do the income taxes and give all kinds of financial advice of various kinds to d.c. residents, and we do it in no small part because they pay the highe capita in the united states. why should they have to pay to have their taxes filled out. at the convention center saturday february 2100 a.m. to noon we will do the

taxes so long as they fall within the groups that are moderate income, we will do your taxes that saturday, february 21st beginning at 10:00 a.m. we'll do it with tax preparers from around the city who gather in the convention center and thereafter they'll do them in your neighborhood. >> you generally get quite a response. >> we do. residents not only come to have their taxes done, but they can find out other things having to do with financial matters generally about banking, about how to make sure that the children get scholarships, many financial matters that face families today. >> you mentioned at the very beginning of the program that there's nothing to fear. do not fear, you said, should be

the belief on the part of residents and those concerned about congress now being controlled by republicans. what is the overarching message you'd like to send to d.c. residents today about how far this city has come and can go under this congress? >> pat, i urge people to understand -- the mayor for example, came to see me the day after she was elected. we already have a good partnership. >> she had her first press conference on the hill. >> se certainly did. that partnership is already good. i ask them to remember what we've gone through. some of what i have been able to do in the congress since almost all of the time i've been in a republican congress i have done with the help of very conservative republicans who are conservative on national issues but have been willing to help us in local issues. i'll name names familiar to everybody. speaker newt gingrich, darrell

issa, very conservative republicans. but when they came to the district, we had a partnership. i'm going to approach chairman chaffetz in the house a man who seemed very anti d.c. when he came in the same way and his counterpart in the senate as well. be ready to fight. for now just help us get statehood, get out in the city and work for it. >> congresswoman eleanor holmes norton thanks so much. >> always a pleasure. >> nice to talk with you on "viewpoint." i'm pat lawson muse. that's our program. stay with us. "news 4 today" continues.

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we're getting ready for a soaker. storm team 4 radar tracking heavy rain in some areas. some of you woont see a drop until later. meteorologist chuck bell is timing out when you'll need the rain boots. new this morning, the printed apology to anyone who has ever taken a ride on metro. >> good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm adam tuss. >> i'm angie goff. early this sunday we have clouds that have been lingering overnight. we're getting ready for the rain to return. good morning, chuck. >> good morning, angie and adam. a very cloudy start outside for most. rain has already moved into southern maryland. that's where we'll