Eleanor Holmes Norton Reacts to Recession Tweet

By Alex Gangitano

Posted March 28, 2016 at 2:38pm

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said she reacted with “outrage” when she read Rep. Rod Blum’s tweet last week calling for a recession in Washington.

“It’s bad enough to be wishing a recession on anybody but his ignorance is quite overwhelming, giving that he’s a freshman,” she said Monday on “The Politics Hour on WAMU” with Kojo Nnamdi.

“If you’re in the House of Representatives, you ‘oughta know the difference between federal money and local money,” she added.

D.C.’s delegate said she reacted to the Iowa Republican on Twitter last week, but wants to do so in-person as well.

“I’m going to go up to him at the next Oversight and Government Reform [Committee] hearing so that him and I can talk about this,” she said. Both Holmes Norton and Blum serve on the committee.

Blum tweeted on March 21 “Washington DC is booming. Tower cranes everywhere. Being built on the backs of US taxpayers. DC needs a recession.”

The cranes featured in Blum’s tweet represented redevelopment that came with two of Holmes Norton’s bills, she said.

“I think this guy has got crane envy,” she said.

She said one of the bills brought cranes to the southwest waterfront and the other to federal land.

Nnamdi said he invited Blum to be on the show, but said he declined.