The chorus of calls to make Washington, D.C. the next state is growing louder. President Biden is joining those who say it’s long overdue to make DC a state.
More than 700,000 people live in DC and pay taxes, yet because it’s a special district and not a state, residents don’t have any voting representation in Congress.
House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney will hold a hybrid hearing next week on the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, introduced by Committee Member and democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia. If the bill would pass the House and Senate, a DC statehood could tip the balance of political power in the nation’s capitol.
Which is why the Republicans are trying to stop it. South Dakota representative Dusty Johnson is introducing a bill to counter the Democrats’ move. Johnson’s bill would place much of the district within the state of Maryland.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Washington, D.C. has made no secret of her feelings on the issue.