Four U.S. senators moved Thursday to grant the District its longstanding wish — statehood — but the proposal is poised to encounter the traditionally heavy resistance on Capitol Hill that has stonewalled similar legislation in the past.

“This bill seeks to end a longstanding injustice,” said Sen. Tom Carper, the Delaware Democrat who authored the measure. “It is incumbent upon those of us who enjoy the right and the privilege of full voting rights to take up the cause of our fellow citizens here in the District of Columbia and find a solution.”