The Obama administration is keeping local leaders in limbo over demands to put D.C. license plates with the city’s pointed “Taxation Without Representation” motto on the presidential limousine — a practice President Clinton embraced before George W. Bush replaced the plates with ones that do not highlight the city’s lack of voting rights in Congress.
Members of Mr. Obama’s staff on Friday met with D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and council member Mary M. Cheh, both Democrats, after city lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution that calls on Mr. Obama to use plates with the motto.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Cheh said the administration officials did not provide a timeline for when Mr. Obama would decide whether to install the plates.
A call for action on the White House’s now-famous petition website has obtained more than 3,000 signatures from those who want Mr. Obama to install the plates before the inauguration. The petition, kick-started by advocacy group D.C. Vote, still needs more than 21,000 signatures to qualify for consideration.
