House Democrats this week will pass a measure to make Washington, D.C., the nation’s 51st state, a move that would virtually guarantee their party two additional senators and a Democratic voting representative if the bill becomes law.
The statehood bill lacks the vote to pass the Senate, but House Democrats put it on a fast track after President Joe Biden included it as a priority in his 100-day agenda.
“Residents of DC pay taxes, serve in uniform and contribute to the economic power of our nation while being deprived of full enfranchisement,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week on Twitter in support of the bill. “The sacred right to vote and have a voice in our government is a core pillar of our freedom. It’s time to finally grant #DCStatehood.”
Republicans call the bill an unconstitutional power grab aimed at solidifying the Democratic majority in the Senate.
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Voters from Washington, D.C., overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates and would be all but guaranteed to elect two Democrats to the Senate.
But the measure does not have sufficient support to pass the Senate, where 60 votes, including from 10 Republicans, would be needed to proceed to the measure.
Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, warned against supporting the bill in a Monday tweet.
“It’s about one thing & one thing only — adding more Democrats to Congress to lock in a radical agenda,” Daines said. “It would dilute MT’s voice & empower the Left to fundamentally change our nation for generations.”
So far, 44 of 50 Senate Democrats have signed on to the measure.
Democrats could pass the bill if they voted to eliminate the filibuster, but that also lacks the needed votes among their caucus members.
Proponents would also have to convince a group of Democrats who have not pledged to back the statehood bill, among them West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly.
Manchin said earlier this year that he might be willing to examine adding two states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. But Democratic leaders aren’t interested in fast-tracking Puerto Rico statehood. The territory regularly elects Republicans, including current Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon.
The House is poised to pass the measure on Thursday with a simple majority and along party lines. It first passed the measure in 2019, but with Democrats now in control of both the Senate and the White House, proponents see a path to pushing it into law.
District officials said it is unfair that residents are taxed by the federal government but lack voting representation.
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The Washington, D.C., population was about 712,000 in 2020, compared to Vermont’s 623,000 and Wyoming’s 582,000 residents.
