The House of Representatives, in a vote of 216-208 passed H.R 51- a bill to let D.C become the 51st state of the United States. This bill would allow 712,000 Americans to be able to be represented properly- preventing taxation without representation. DC- an area that is predominantly inhabited by BIPOC would allow disenfranchised communities to be able to have a voice.
Although publicly, this bill has significant support, it is unclear if this bill will make it through the Senate. Republicans have many criticisms for this bill, like R-KY Rep. James Comer, stating that H.R 51 “goes against the Founding Fathers' intent, and is unconstitutional, impractical and a blatant power grab”. Other lawmakers like Rep. Nancy Mace R-SC, claim that DC statehood is a link to getting a plethora of more progressive policies through, stating that “This is about government-run health care, a 93 trillion [dollar] Green New Deal, packing the Supreme Court, higher taxes and a bigger, less efficient form of government.” She sees this as a power grab which tips the balance of power towards the Democrats.
Democrats, however, see this differently- they see statehood for DC as a fight for equal representation for citizens. Rep Jamie Maskin D-Md states her perceived difference between the Democrats and Republicans on this front- "[Republicans] don't see taxation without representation. They don't see military service without representation when tens of thousands of people from the nation's capital have served America in every war that we've ever had. She doubles down, even more, stating “"All that they see is two new liberal Democrat senators, but that cuts against everything that we believe in about American democracy. We do not deny people the right to vote based on our expectations of how they will vote. We don't disenfranchise people because we disagree with who they might elect."”
Only time will tell to determine whether if there are 60 votes for statehood of D.C. President Biden urged the Senate to pass the legislature, but potentially not even all Democrats are unilaterally in support.
Should D.C receive statehood?
Which argument do you think you side most with- the Republican or Democrat. Or somewhere in between?
3 comments:
I personally do not believe that DC should be come a state. I do see that the republicans are attempting to keep down the power of democrats inside of the US government. I do agree that the founding father did not want the capital to belong to a specific state. I feel that the capital is not meant to be or belong to a specific state.
I believe that if DC becomes a state, it would definitely give Democrats more representation, so I see the point Republicans are trying to make. However, the issue of taxation without representation is one that I think is more important. I believe DC should be a separate state because since the lack of representation is what led to the formation of America, it should be one that is held consistent when deciding on things like this. While I see what Liam is saying where DC wasn't meant to be a state, I believe providing representation to those in DC is more important.
I think the issue of DC statehood is another example of when “political questions” act as a barrier of entry to true debate and consideration of a matter; too often, the question of one party gaining or losing power overshadows the true underlying goals, like voting rights and equality. Although they are generally ‘universally’ held values, there are often many divergent approaches to meeting them due to political ideology, which is where the issues tend to fall apart. If every citizen in the US is to have equal rights, that means every citizen is entitled to the same level of representation, and those in DC do not. I understand the desire to maintain federally “neutral” grounds for the nation’s capital, but I think that if there is a way to distinguish the capital grounds from the (potentially) surrounding “state” grounds, that concern would be a non-issue.
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