Congress has plenary authority over the District [of Columbia], and it is the only entity that can provide budget autonomy.

Emmet G. Sullivan, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia, ruling that the ballot referendum passed last year by Washington, D.C., giving the city the right to spend its local tax and fee revenue without seeking an annual appropriation from Congress, was illegal. While Sullivan said he sympathized with the city, Congress ultimately maintains control, and only Congress can grant the city the right to control its own money.