Biden and Harris Support It. Could DC Statehood Finally Happen?

Statehood can’t wait any longer. As Mayor Bowser states, “Washingtonians have waited over 200 years for the representation we deserve as American citizens.” As long as D.C. residents go without full access to democracy, Bowser said, “our entire nation is denied those voices and votes.”

Eleanor Holmes Norton explains that when D.C. becomes the the 51st state, residents will have voting representation in Congress, starting with two senators and a member of the House. Separate from the new state, the federal district (“Capital”) would simply contain federal sites including the White House, Mall and Capitol, the Supreme Court, federal buildings and grounds. 

Live Action: The D.C. Statehood Bills

Bills are now before Congress:

• In the House of Representatives — Last June, the U.S. House finally passed a statehood bill, but it died in the Republican-dominated Senate. The Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51) was revived in the 117th Congress on January 3rd by Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), with 202 co-sponsors. It looks much like the first bill Norton ever introduced, after joining the 102nd Congress back in 1991.
• In the Senate — Tom Carper (D-Delaware) reintroduced the Admission Act into the Senate on January 27th, announcing that the bill, S. 51, would make D.C. the 51st state.

Nationwide, Democrats’ statehood awareness is rising. And while the former president would never have signed a statehood bill into law, Joe Biden has voiced — and tweeted — support. D.C. artists, too, are speaking out, by painting 51 new murals to inspire awareness and change!

Why Statehood? Count the Reasons.

Statehood is appropriate for D.C. Eleanor Holmes Norton observes the following points:

• Of all the world’s democracies, only the United States excludes people who live in the national capital from federal representation and home rule.
• Statehood is Constitutional. The Admissions Clause empowers our government to admit states when Congress decides to do so.
• When determining whether a new state should be admitted into the Union, Congress takes into account a territory’s population, its desire for statehood, and its involvement with the country’s democratic principles. 
• The people of D.C. are U.S. citizens. And they happen to pay more in federal taxes per person than people anywhere else in the country. 
• D.C. has 712,000 people — more than two other existing states have. 

It’s not going to be a slam-dunk in Congress. But in light of Black community organizing and the power that gave key elections in Georgia, Norton told DCist/WAMU that the government we now have “gives D.C. statehood momentum that it hasn’t had in many years.”

The Capitol Riot Could Have Been Curbed—If Only…

Nationwide, TV viewers who watched the January 6th riots saw Congressmembers in immediate physical danger.

But the people of D.C. also knew it was an attack on home.

When Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol, the mayor called on the D.C. National Guard to protect the city. Because D.C. is not a state, there is no governor. The mayor lacked the authority to deploy National Guard troops. Statehood, on January 6th, might have saved lives. 

As Jamal Holtz, a lifelong D.C. resident and leading advocate for the statehood campaign project 51 for 51, wrote for the Washington Post:  

“Not only does our democracy hinge on Congress passing D.C. statehood, but also the safety of my family and neighbors depends on it. As a state, with all the authority and autonomy that statehood affords, D.C. could have defended its people from Trump’s brutal use of force over the summer and from the mob of white supremacists emboldened to storm the Capitol…”

Only statehood can grant the people of D.C. home rule, fair and equal representation in national affairs — and, as it turns out, personal safety. 

What’s Next?

The Senate is now divided equally. VP Kamala Harris holds a tie-breaker vote. But opponents, whose real concern is that statehood for D.C. would mean more Democrats in Congress, can still obstruct the Admission Act even if a majority decides to support it.

The filibuster allows legislation to be held up or halted by debates, unless and until 60 senators agree to stop the arguments. Statehood is a massive reason for retiring the filibuster for good.

The struggle continues. Follow it on Twitter: #DCStatehood.