The “Stop Taxation Without Representation” license plates from Washington, D.C., seem to have President Biden’s ear.
Pushing the news: A review of The Beast show’s images and videos Without the slogan, which is the standard on D.C. tags, Biden has been moving.
Why it’s important The 672,000 people who live in the nation’s capital and pay taxes but are unable to choose members of Congress have long sought the support of 1600 Pennsylvania, whether it be literal or metaphorical.
Late in his presidency, Bill Clinton used the plates. Bush, George W., got rid of them.
Members of the D.C. Council petitioned Barack Obama to bring them back, and he finally did so in 2013. In 2018, the Trump White House increased them.The larger picture: For Washington D.C., Biden’s license plate snub adds salt to injury. Although the president supports statehood, there are genuine issues between them.
One of Mayor Bowser’s and inside-the-Beltway business heavyweights’ top demands, that Biden order hundreds of thousands of federal workers back to work full-time, is that they will revive the zombie economy in downtown.
While Democrats controlled Congress, the president did little to help lift a federal ban on Washington, D.C., authorizing the sale of recreational marijuana. As a result, the District missed a huge opportunity to find a fresh source of income at a crucial moment.
Notably, there hasn’t been a White Office meeting between Biden and Bowser. President Trump and Bowser had an early meeting.
What they’re saying: One way Biden can speak up more about District autonomy “is to put Taxation Without Representation on his license plate,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton told me.
“I’ll be sending him a letter indicating that,” she added.
Flashback: You might recall that on Inauguration Day in January 2021, Biden’s limo sported a spiffy blue license plate that did say “Taxation Without Representation.”
The other side: The White House did not respond to numerous emails and phone calls seeking comment.
