Thursday afternoon the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would make DC a state. This is the second time that DC statehood legislation has passed trough the House. It was also passed last year.
This bill was first introduced by DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and, at the time of the vote, had 216 co-sponsors.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) issued a statement shortly after the vote expressing gratitude to House members working to advance DC statehood.
“Today, every member of the House of Representatives who voted in favor of DC statehood made the decision to believe in a stronger, more inclusive democracy,” Bowser wrote. “We are especially grateful to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton who has led this cause for over three decades.”
Bowser also emphasized that 45 Senators have already “acknowledged that our nation will be a stronger, more inclusive democracy” and urged other Senators to do the same.
“We call on the 55 Senators who have not yet signed on in support of DC statehood to fulfill their responsibility to build a more perfect union and seize this important opportunity to right a 220-year-old wrong,” Bowser wrote.
Ward 6 DC Council member Charles Allen tweeted shortly after the vote expressing support for statehood and emphasizing its importance for racial justice in the nation.
🧵 #DCStatehoodNow isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s a moral & just act for racial justice. Opposition is grounded in a history of actively denying voting rights based on race & power. It’s a part of our American story that must be told & must be repaired with DC Statehood.
— Charles Allen (@charlesallen) April 22, 2021
Earlier this week, the Biden administration issued a policy position in support of DC statehood.
“This taxation without representation and denial of self-governance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded,” the administration wrote.
Sarah Payne is a History and Neuroscience student at The University of Michigan interning with HillRag. She writes for and serves as an assistant news editor for Michigan’s student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. You can reach her at sarahp@hillrag.com.
