On Thursday the House of Representatives voted on a bill that would grant statehood to Washington D.C. making it the 51st state if it goes through the Senate. The new legislation named H.R. 51 would result in the state named Washington, Douglass Commonwealth being established in honor of Frederiks Douglass. Current monuments in D.C. like The National Mall, Capitol Hill, White House, and other government property will all still be under congressional control. The district has more than 700,000 residents more than states Vermont and Wyoming, yet lacks any voice in government in both the Senate and in the House. The proposed bill would give the state two senators and at least one representative in the House. D.C. would be one of the most diverse states having a population that is majority non-white and 46% of whom are African American. While the bill did pass with a vote of 216 to 208 with no republicans voting in favor it remains doubtful that the Senate would approve of the new state. Republicans haven’t been too open to the idea in the past as it would most likely give the democratic party two more seats in the Senate tipping the current 50-to-50 seat balance in the favor of their party. Similar legislation was approved last year in a 232 to 180 vote however it didn’t make its way to a vote as the Republican-controlled Senate declined to look at it. Democrats in the Senate would likely need support from 10 of their republican counterparts to vote in favor of the bill to be able to pass which none have expressed their support to do so. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s non-voting House delegate who has fought for the legislation to be passed wrote “This country was founded on the principles of ‘no taxation without representation and consent of the governed, but D.C. residents are taxed without representation and cannot consent to the laws under which they, as American citizens, must live.” While support for Washington D.C.’s statehood has increased in the past couple of years especially after the events on January 6th, and the impact of Covid it still seems unlikely that Democrats will be able to get enough votes this year to create the 51st state.
Questions to consider:
1. Should Washington D.C. become a state?
2. Should other U.S. territories become states like Puerto Rico?
10 comments:
In my opinion, I think it makes a lot of sense to make Washington DC a state. The article already lists a number of pros, such as that the 700,000 residents would finally be represented, and that it would help break the tie in the senate. There aren't many downsides to doing so--the only thing I could think of would be that it might be weird to have one state be more special than the others, assuming Washington DC remains the capital?--that, or the fact that a 51st star would mess up the nice array of stars on our flag.
As for the other territories like Puerto Rico, that would be a different question. Those territories seem much more independent from the rest of the US than Washington DC: geographically, even linguistically, and I assume politically too. Perhaps one day, but for nowI don't see much reason to try to get them added as states.
Although it may be unlikely that Washington DC will obtain statehood, should it even be considered? DC receiving representatives in Congress would probably shift the political tides in favor of the Democratic Party. I think that's a big reason why many Democrats are pushing for statehood for the city. Not because they really care about the desires of the people (Some congresspeople do), but Democrats know in the back of their minds that adding a heavily Democratic state would help them out a lot. This phenomenon is true for both parties in America but happens to be seen with the Democrats in this situation.
Nevertheless, the citizens of DC make a good point, as they do not have representation in Congress. A solution to that problem could be to have the city vote with a neighboring state, either Virginia or Maryland, which would undoubtedly shake up the political stances of either of those states, but in a more minor way than adding them as a state would.
I don't know much about the political privileges of US territories like Puerto Rico or Guam, but I agree with Brandon above that those places seem to be more independent of the US socially and politically. They haven't seemed to have vocalized much opposition to being territories, or at least no major opposition has been reported, so I support them staying as is - at least for now.
This bill will restore equal citizenship to the resident’s of the nation’s capital and create a more inclusive democracy. It gives a voice to the 712,000 citizens, 46% of whom are Black, that live in the capitol without a say in their nation’s laws. Adding DC as a Senate will create a government that is a more accurate representation of American, as DC is a diverse area and its demographics match many who are underrepresented in government.
While it would be nice if Congress passed this legislation swiftly, it seems unlikely. Not only will the Senate likely use the filibuster to slow voting on this bill, Democrats also need several Senators to break party lines and vote with a unified Democratic front. Even while DC statehood is unlikely at this point, it is still good that Congress is pushing the statehood of DC, and hopefully other US territories as time goes one.
Washington DC actually does have 1 representative in Congress. But she can’t vote. Same thing goes for all the territories - they all have a single representative that can propose bills and speak on the floor but can’t vote. This makes sense for the territories, since the people in those territories don’t pay U.S federal taxes. But people in Washington DC do pay taxes - more than people in most other states, which is why their license plate says “taxation without representation.” On the other hand, the constitution specifies that the capital should be located in a neutral location (i.e not a state). However, congress has still made some concessions, like allowing DC residents to elect a governor. The actual plan would maintain a smaller district around the government buildings but would make the rest of neighborhoods in washington DC a state. And yes, this would give the democrats more political power, as DC is overwhelmingly progressive. In the past, states were added in pairs, one being progressive and the other being conservative to maintain balance, however it would be difficult to apply that pattern here as there is only one state in question. During the beginning of the pandemic, when each state got at least a billion dollars of federal funding, Washington DC was treated like a territory and got about 500 million dollars. Obviously, this isn’t fair to the business and people living in DC. When the black lives matter protests were occuring in DC, the national guard occupied the streets. This is illegal in all states. At least those in DC should be given a choice - stay a district, be treated like a territory and pay no federal taxes, or continue to pay taxes and be a state. It’s quite ironic that taxation without representation takes place right in the capital of the US. Says a lot about those that run this country.
I feel like making Washington DC a state would be a great move. They have no representation and are still paying the taxes just like the states. Like Arnav said, the lack of representation would be fine if they didn't have to pay US taxes like the other territories. Even though I believe making Washington DC a state is a good move, I understand why some feel its a bad idea. If Washington DC was given representation, there would be more Democratic representation, which is why many Republicans are against it. However I believe since America was kind of created because of the "taxation without representation" problem, making Washington DC a state would definitely be in line with previous history.
With 700,000 residents, already more than some other states within the country, I think that Washington D.C. does deserve statehood. I also believe that the use “no taxation without representation” is an especially compelling argument for this cause. It was through this philosophy that America and it’s states emerged from colonial England and is a message that resonates within Americans. In some aspects, it is unjust for Washington D.C. residents to have to pay taxes for a country that they have little say in. As taxpayers, everyone should be able to have some sort of influence on where their money is located within the country. However, the fact that a Washington D.C. state would add 2 more seats in the senate for Democrats does not seem like an outcome Republicans would be willing to accept. Thus, I am interested to see on this upcoming vote with Washington D.C.’s statehood whether Republicans put the country's old morals of no taxation without representation first or whether they will sacrifice such a perspective for the sake of keeping party strength within the senate.
I think that it makes sense to grant Washington D.C. statehood. The two states with lower populations than Washington D.C., Vermont and Wyoming, already have representation in Congress and the 2016 referendum mentioned in the CBS article makes it clear that the residents of Washington D.C. support statehood. I also agree with the decision in the current plan to leave federal properties like the White House and the Capital under congressional control.
Arnav mentioned that territories don’t pay federal taxes. While most citizens of those territories don’t pay federal income taxes, they do pay other types of federal taxes, such as payroll taxes. The results of the 2020 statehood referendum in Puerto Rico were 52.52% in support of statehood, so I do think that statehood for Puerto Rico should be considered by Congress.
I understand how Washington D.C. becoming a state would make sense. However, I do not believe it will happen for a while. For one, there's the simple fact that the U.S. wouldn't be 50 states anymore, but rather, an awkward 51. Of course, that's a pretty trivial reason not to grant D.C. statehood, but it still would cause most people to not even want to consider voting in favor of it. Secondly, it is stated in the Constitution that D.C should be a "district," causing virtually all traditionalists (republicans/conservatives) to vote against any attempt to alter this. One last reason (arguably trivial, again, but still significant to most U.S. citizens) is that the U.S. would have to change its flag. Where would that extra 1 star go?
Looking at the arguments, it would make sense to make Washington D.C. a state to give the 700,000 residents adequate representation in government. Of course, Republican opposition would have a great chance of preventing it. Republican senators Mitt Romney and Susan Collins even propose making D.C. a part of Maryland, which does not seem like a solution anyone wants; D.C. would not be a state either. The fact that Republicans are afraid of Democrats gaining representation reminds me of the antebellum period, as slave states and free states do not want the other side to have more representation than them.
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