Washington D.C. has long been the capital of the United States of America where the White House and other major national landmarks reside. Despite its fame, this place is considered a special federal district that doesn’t hold any voter representation in Congress, specifically the Senate. D.C. residents have fought for D.C. statehood in the past, but it seems like the recent Capitol attack, Biden’s victory in the presidential elections, and the Georgia Senate Runoff Election results have re-invigorated this issue.
When the Capitol attacks first began, the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police force and the mayor of Washington D.C. requested urgent backup from the National Guard to help subside the violent mob uproar, but it didn’t come until more than an hour later. The need for National Guard became apparent at around 3pm, but they didn’t come until 5:40pm when the violence had already ended. Unlike governors, the National Guard (specifically the District of Columbia Guard in this case) cannot be summoned at will by the Washington D.C. mayor and, instead, has to be approved by the Pentagon and the president. And, in this instance, the approval was said to be delayed because President Trump didn’t sign off the deployment of the National Guard. With such a large delay in the deployment of guard backup, the deaths and the damages sustained from the mob uproar could’ve entirely been managed more safely and efficiently.
Eleanor Holmes Norton is D.C.’s only representative in Congress. While she can introduce legislation, she is unable to vote on the final passage of bills on the House floor. In the 2nd impeachment vote on Donald Trump, D.C. didn’t have a say/vote. Just recently, after the insurrection at the Capitol, Eleanor has re-introduced a bill that would give control re-introduced a bill that would give Washington D.C. control over local prosecutions. In 1978, a constitutional amendment that would give Washington residents a voice in Congress cleared both houses in 1978 but failed to get 22 out of the 38 states required to ratify the amendment. Proponents of D.C. statehood also argue that Washington D.C. (693,972) has a larger population than that of Vermont (623,657) and Wyoming (579,315). With this push for D.C. statehood, this may very well be able to set the precedent for other US-owned territories like Puerto Rico.
With both Georgia Senate seats belonging to the Democratic Party and the new Biden administration, there seems to be hope for a D.C. statehood to become a reality. Just last year, the House of Representatives passed a proposal to grant statehood to much of the Washington D.C. area (except for most federal offices, the Capitol, the White House, and the Mall), but was completely denied by the Republican-dominated Senate.
An interesting fact is that D.C. has 6 of the 10 richest neighborhoods in the country, and is home to the nation’s top schools.
What are your thoughts on the fight for D.C. statehood? Would it become easier or harder for a potential bill or statehood consideration to be passed in a Biden administration?
1 comment:
For a country that was founded upon the principle of representation (whether directly or indirectly), I do believe that the civilian population of D.C. is entitled to more representation, nationally, simply as citizens of the US. (Based on some quick research) I think it’s ironic that one of the main arguments against D.C. statehood is that it would make it harder for Republicans to gain a majority in the Senate (given that D.C. has consistently elected a Democratic mayor). Aside from issues about the potential expenses and logistics, the fact that party affiliation would have anything to do with whether they should be up for statehood or not seems absurd; every citizen is entitled to a voice in the government regardless of their political leanings. This argument is clearly just a symptom of the now increasingly polarizing power struggle between the two major parties who would do whatever it takes to undermine the interests of the other. I realize that’s somewhat of a broad generalization, but in terms of principle, D.C. residents pay federal taxes and make significant economic contributions to the country, and quite simply put, deserve the same level of representation as any other citizen of the US.
Post a Comment