DC officials renew push for statehood

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Officials representing the District renewed their effort to make the nation’s capital its 51st state again today.

The newest edition of the bill carries support from some of the nation’s most powerful Democrats – including President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

READ MORE: The history behind DC's push for statehood

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held D.C. statehood hearings on Monday – with testimonies from a number of prominent figures in the District, including Mayor Muriel Bowser.

"We are here to demand that the 220-year history of US not being represented in the capital of our country be corrected and this congress has it in its authority to do that," Bowser said during the hearing.

READ MORE: South Dakota Congressman’s bill looks to ‘circumvent’ call for DC statehood

The mayor’s office provided a statement before the hearing began challenging a number of the criticisms leveled at the prospect of D.C. statehood, including:

- They say Washington, DC statehood is unconstitutional, even though several constitutional experts have repeatedly declared that to be false. Article I of the Constitution is not an obstacle because, as H.R. 51 makes clear a "federal district" will remain for the federal government, its buildings and its workings; and the rest of the area, where people live, will become the separate state.

- They say Washington, DC is too small, or our economy is not diverse enough. Even though we’re bigger by population than two states and pay more federal taxes per capita than any state, and we pay more total federal taxes than 22 states.

- They say that Washington, DC is badly governed. This is simply not accurate. In fact, by many objective measures DC is better governed than most states. We have balanced our budget 25 times in the last 25 years. And we already operate as a state and perform the same functions that states do. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have led COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and vaccination efforts, just as states do.

Monday’s hearing was largely split along with party lines – with Republicans keenly aware that granting D.C. full representation would provide their Democratic rivals across the aisle with two additional Senate seats via the largely liberal city.

"DC Statehood would mean a money grab from neighboring states and a power grab for the United states Senate -  all done in a impractical and unconstitutional fashion,"  said Georgia Representative Jody Hice.

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Last year, the same committee passed a bill for D.C. statehood, sending it to the House floor for the first time since 1993.

The House of Representatives adopted last year’s bill, but it stalled out once it reached the Senate.
 

Norton re-introduced the bill this year, with over 200 co-sponsors.

D.C. officials advocating for statehood point out that residents in the nation’s capital pay federal taxes, but lack a voting representative in Congress, which has the final say in local affairs.