Senator Cory Booker honored Cuban freedom fighter Oswaldo Payá as a true hero of democracy — but objected to Senator Ted Cruz’s bill to rename a D.C. intersection in Payá’s honor, calling it a direct violation of the District’s right to self-governance.
Booker said that while Payá’s legacy should absolutely be elevated, Congress should not override D.C.’s locally elected leaders to do it. He urged his colleagues to respect D.C.’s Home Rule, the basic democratic principle that local communities should control their own affairs, and vowed to work together on another way to honor Payá’s sacrifice and ideals.
