D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said Monday that her legislation designating the U.S. Postal Service facility at 400 Southern Avenue SE in Ward 8 as the “District of Columbia Servicemembers and Veterans Post Office” has been signed into law.
The bill passed in the House last month and went through the normal legislative process without opposition.
In Congress, the renaming of post offices is often a non-controversial matter with a great deal of deference given to the legislators desiring the change.
“District of Columbia residents have served, and continue to serve, their country in the armed forces despite being denied voting representation in Congress and full local self-government,” Norton said. “It is remarkable that they serve a country that denies them basic democratic rights — rights they have often been sent overseas to defend. Currently, there are approximately 30,000 veterans who live in D.C., and almost 200,000 D.C. residents have served in the military since World War I. The new name for the post office will honor the service and sacrifice of D.C. residents.”