Democratic senators have introduced a bill to grant statehood to Washington, D.C.
The 99-page “Washington, D.C. Admission Act” would give residents of D.C. congressional representatives.
U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both Virginia Democrats, said in a statement, “All Americans deserve to have their voices fully heard in our democracy.”
“But Virginia’s neighbors in D.C. don’t have the same representation in Congress as other states and are unfairly subjected to taxation without representation—a denial of political freedom that defies the ideological framework upon which our Founding Fathers established this nation,” they said. “We are proud to support this legislation to recognize D.C. as the 51st state.”
Warner and Kaine’s bill is cosponsored by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Companion legislation was introduced by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton in the House on January 7.
