House Passes Bill Granting Washington D.C. As 51st State; Here's What You Need To Know

The House of Representatives passed a bill to grant Washington D.C. statehood. D.C. Democrat House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton sponsored the bill H.R. 51, in the provision of admission that D.C. should have an equal footing with the other states.

Norton said that D.C. citizens are taxed without representation and “cannot consent to the laws under which they as American citizens must live.” According to the Internal Revenue Service, D.C. citizens paid more federal taxes.

Thursday’s vote showed a close fight of 216-208 with the House approving of the measure and is backed by the Biden administration.

While Democrats state that the bill is a civil-rights priority for the residents to have equal representation in the congress, Republicans say it’s more likely a power grab and a play of politics.

According to Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.), Democrats are simply “consolidating their power in Washington.” If D.C. becomes a state, the government would add two new Democrats in the Senate.

“Let’s be clear what HR 51 is all about: It’s about Democrats adding two new progressive U.S. senators to push a radical agenda,” Comer said to the press.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kan.) proposed that D.C. should be made part of Maryland. That way, D.C. residents would be able to vote for the House and Senate but, won’t gain new senatorial seats.

At present, the bill now seats at the Senate, where it needs a 60-vote threshold to be passed.

What you need to know about D.C.

If the bill passes the Senate and D.C. would become the 51^st state, here’s what you need to know.

1. If ever the bill becomes state law, Washington D.C. will be renamed as State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth in honor of the first U.S. president and American abolitionist and antislavery figure Frederick Douglass.

2. The new state will elect two senators and one representative.

3. The Capital of the country will include a two-square-mile area which includes federal offices, the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court.

4. Officials will unveil a new flag design comprising 51 stars.

5. The new state will be the smallest, which covers only 66 square miles.

6. Washington D.C. has a plurality of Black residents and plans to advocate and fight for racial justice.

7. Hawaii was the last state admitted to the U.S. in 1959.

President Joe Biden has expressed his support for D.C. statehood in a statement. He writes, that “taxation without representation and denial of self-governance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.”

The Administration also calls for Congress to provide for a swift and orderly transition to statehood for the people of Washington, D.C.