{"id":1378,"date":"2026-08-08T19:33:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:33:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:33:59","slug":"doordash-pushes-to-end-dcs-self-governance-over-a-20-cent-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1378","title":{"rendered":"DoorDash Pushes to End DC\u2019s Self-Governance Over a 20-Cent Tax"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more With Blanche Confirmed as AG, Epstein Survivors Say DOJ Continues to Fail Them<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ever since he reentered office, Donald Trump has laid siege to Washington, D.C., dropping banners with his face all over federal buildings, enacting a bizarre \u201cbeautification\u201d project, and unleashing thousands of National Guard members to effectively put the city under military occupation. Now, as D.C. residents wonder what awaits the rest of his term, the delivery company DoorDash is joining forces with Republicans in Congress to further undermine the capital\u2019s right to govern itself.<\/p>\n

That right to govern, otherwise known as home rule, is a precedent which has allowed Washington, D.C. to elect a mayor, council members, and neighborhood commissioners who manage the day-to-day affairs of life in the District. Since the passage of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1972, Republicans and special interest groups have continued to challenge the District\u2019s ability to make decisions for itself, including when it comes to taxation. <\/p>\n

The DoorDash saga began in July, when the D.C. Council approved a new 20-cent fee for third-party deliveries. The revenue from the 20-cent tax will go directly toward addressing food deserts and improving food access across D.C.<\/p>\n

DoorDash unsuccessfully fought the new tax with polls, petitions, and ads. The company argued that the new measure implemented \u201cregressive taxes that hit small businesses and working families the hardest.\u201d<\/p>\n

After losing the fight against this new tax with the D.C. government, DoorDash quickly pivoted to a new medium: Congress. Just days after the new tax was approved by the council, Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) introduced a resolution with significant support from DoorDash that would \u201cfunctionally end home rule\u201d in Washington, D.C. <\/p>\n

While sources familiar with the law \u2014 H.R. 9720, the D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act \u2014 consider it a long shot, the intention behind the resolution worries advocates for D.C. statehood. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt would block D.C.\u2019s elected local officials from changing local taxes and fees without the explicit approval of Congress,\u201d said Melissa Wasser, senior policy counsel at ACLU-D.C. \u201cIntroducing this bill and then immediately moving this bill is a tyrannical and nonsensical power grab, plain and simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

20 Cents to Help Close the Gap<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

In Washington, D.C.\u2019s least-populated ward, Ward 3, where the median household income is over $140,000, there are currently 17 full-service grocery stores. In D.C.\u2019s most densely populated ward, Ward 7, where the median household income is under $70,000, there are just three full-service grocery stores.<\/p>\n

The new 20-cent tax is designed to help close that gap. The funds will go to a pilot program offering free Instacart memberships to low-income residents, a nonprofit grocery store in Ward 8, and a program that allocated grants to new food businesses in neighborhoods with food inaccessibility. According to local organizers, these solutions to food access are a reasonable cost for delivery services. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese delivery companies should be paying a fee to address food deserts and food access. DoorDash profits off food deserts,\u201d said Alex Dodds, campaign director and co-founder of Free DC, a fiscally sponsored project of Community Change that advocates for the dignity of the residents of D.C. \u201cIt only makes sense that they should give some of that money back to address the problem they are profiting off of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truthout<\/em> reached out to DoorDash for comment; at the time of publication, the company has not responded. In a recent letter addressed to the D.C. Council, DoorDash defended its support for H.R. 9720 and insisted that it is in favor of home rule. <\/p>\n

\u201cFundamentally, DoorDash didn\u2019t like something that D.C. government did. And for some reason, the company thought that it was appropriate to go around the back of D.C. government and try to overturn the law altogether, rather than just be a good partner for D.C. communities,\u201d said Dodds. <\/p>\n

Undermining Home Rule<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

H.R. 9720 would require both the House of Representatives and the Senate to approve any tax increases or additional fees passed by the D.C. Council. If passed, the legislation would strip D.C. of the ability to change its own tax code. <\/p>\n

Under the current process, any changes to local D.C. tax code go into effect after a 30-day congressional review window. At any time in this window, Congress can block changes passed by the D.C. Council. H.R. 9720 would instead make congressional approval mandatory for any changes, creating a permission structure further limiting D.C. legislators from autonomous governance. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat law functionally ends home rule,\u201d said U.S. Sen. for Washington, D.C. Ankit Jain. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why a company would support a bill that\u2019s unlikely to pass and antagonize the government that runs one of their major markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Foreign Aid Priority? Investigating Crime Against White South Africans<\/a><\/p>\n

In a case that H.R. 9720 does make it through the House and the Senate and becomes law, local leaders warn of the impending consequences. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have no recourse, which is why this is so devastating that a District-based company would be undermining us in this way,\u201d said D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker. \u201cWe all want to advance a responsible budget and act fiscally responsibly \u2026 reasonable people can disagree on policy, but we should all agree here in D.C. that decisions about D.C. should be in the hands of D.C. electeds who are held accountable by D.C. residents and not Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

While DoorDash is headquartered in San Francisco, the company operates out of an additional office in Ward 6. <\/p>\n

This is not the first time that outside interests have acted to influence democracy in D.C. In 2018, D.C. voters passed Initiative 77, which would have increased the tipped minimum wage to $15. Following pressure from the restaurant lobby and Trump-affiliated consultants, the council voted down the initiative. In 2022, a similar piece of legislation, Initiative 82, was approved by 74 percent of voters but again was struck down by the council after significant pressure from the restaurant lobby. <\/p>\n

Local leaders point to the lack of statehood as a paramount reason why D.C. is so vulnerable to corporate interests and external powers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all happening because D.C. is not a state, and D.C. statehood is the only solution,\u201d said Senator Jain. \u201cUntil D.C. is a state, we will always be at risk of these kinds of big corporations exploiting our lack of democracy to advance their interests over the interests of the people of D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n

#DeleteDoorDash<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

While H.R. 9720 is awaiting further action in the House of Representatives, residents of D.C. have organized around a response. Free DC launched a campaign called \u201c#DeleteDoorDash.\u201d The organization is calling on communities to delete their accounts on the app and submit proof to a growing list of residents who disagree with DoorDash\u2019s lobbying efforts. Free DC also has demands for the food delivery company, including withdrawing support for H.R. 9720. <\/p>\n

\u201cDoorDash is trying to get out of this 20-cent fee by paralyzing the entire city\u2019s ability to regulate revenue,\u201d said Dodds. \u201cThere\u2019s just absolutely no excuse for any company that seeks the business of D.C. residents to lobby against home rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

DoorDash drivers in D.C. have already reported a drop in orders following Free DC\u2019s boycotting efforts. <\/p>\n

One of Free DC\u2019s other demands is for DoorDash to \u201cissue a public statement against ICE and other federal police who are hunting and killing delivery drivers.\u201d Since August 2025, when Donald Trump\u2019s federal occupation of D.C. first began, federal immigration agents started working alongside local police to target food delivery drivers. In addition to other recent cases of violence by federal officers in Maine, Memphis, and Houston, last month U.S. Park Police in D.C. killed food delivery driver Nolberto Meza after a high-speed chase. <\/p>\n

DoorDash\u2019s opposition to the 20-cent tax follows $13.717 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025, a nearly 30 percent increase compared to 2024. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it just exemplifies corporate greed in a way that is not beneficial to the business. And it calls into question what they really value,\u201d said Councilmember Parker. \u201cThey are doubling down on whatever will get them more profits, which is a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local leaders continue to point to D.C. statehood as the sole solution to attacks against democracy in the District. About 700,000 people call D.C. home; that\u2019s more people than entire states, including Vermont and Wyoming. As DoorDash continues to support H.R. 9720, Washingtonians set their eyes on the inherent protections that becoming the 51st state would grant. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no other capital in the democratic world where our residents don\u2019t have these same political rights equal to their fellow citizens,\u201d said Wasser. \u201cIt\u2019s beyond time for D.C. to become the 51st state. If we were a state, this would not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more ICE and Data Centers Aren\u2019t New, But Face Growing Pushback as They Intertwine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If passed, new legislation backed by DoorDash would strip DC of the ability to change its own tax code.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nDoorDash Pushes to End DC\u2019s Self-Governance Over a 20-Cent Tax - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1378\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DoorDash Pushes to End DC\u2019s Self-Governance Over a 20-Cent Tax - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If passed, new legislation backed by DoorDash would strip DC of the ability to change its own tax code.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1378\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:33:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1378#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1378\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"DoorDash Pushes to End DC\u2019s Self-Governance Over a 20-Cent Tax\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-08T19:33:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1378\"},\"wordCount\":1522,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1378#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1378\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1378\",\"name\":\"DoorDash Pushes to End DC\u2019s Self-Governance Over a 20-Cent Tax - 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