House OKs Washington, D.C. as 51st state in historic vote
In a historic vote Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives have passed a measure creating Washington, D.C. as the nation’s 51st state. The 232-180 vote passed with only Democratic support.
Paul Strauss has spent nearly a quarter-century as Washington, DC’s shadow senator, advocating for the district to become the nation’s newest state.
“We don’t get voting members of Congress who represent us,” Strauss explained. “We don’t get the sovereignty that comes from having a governor and an elected legislature that can pass laws without Congressional approval.”
Strauss’s efforts have made his dream one step closer to reality on Friday. In a historic vote, the House approving legislation that would make D.C. the 51st state.
“It will bring our national closer to our founding ideals, which were to create equal and just representation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday ahead of the vote.
D.C.’s name would change from the District of Columbia to Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, named after famed abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. The bill deems the state would include land in much of the city, but would create a smaller federal capital area encompassing major federal landmarks, including the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Hawaii Rep. Ed Case (D) says the inequities facing D.C. residents, are what Hawaii residents faced more than 60 years ago.
“Hawaii residents had earned the right to be a state, had earned the right to full voting representation in Congress,” Case said. “I’ve come to same conclusion about the District of Columbia.”
Friday’s vote is mostly symbolic. Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump have largely opposed D.C. statehood, arguing the move is unconstitutional. House Republicans agree.
“Our Founders laid out the District of Columbia for the very specific purpose that our national capital would not be located in any specific state and, therefore, that state having any undue influence on our nation or our nation’s policies,” said Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.).
“When our nation was founded, D.C. wasn’t supposed to be controlled by any one state,” said Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.). “That’s why it’s the District of Columbia, and that’s why it’s separate from the states.”
Republicans also argue Democrats are playing politics with D.C. statehood. The District votes heavily Democratic; the District’s lone non-voting member of the House is a Democrat, and the two new Senators would likely be Democrats as well.
“Getting a little diversity into the United States Senate wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing,” Strauss said. “But, that’s not what drives this.”
What drives this, according to Strauss and other statehood supporters, is justice. One of the most notable examples of the injustice they are fighting against is on the district’s license plates: “taxation without representation.”
“Until we become a state, it has become clear to us that we will not enjoy the political equality that we deserve as American citizens,” Strauss said.