Washington, D.C., may be headed toward statehood if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has anything to say about it.
Pelosi took to the podium Friday to advocate for Americans residing in the nation’s capital as she believes they deserve a vote in the House and the Senate.
“The fact is, people in the District of Columbia pay taxes, fight our wars, and risk their lives for our democracy,” Pelosi said.
She added, “And yet in this place, they have no vote in the House or the Senate about whether we go to war and how those taxes are exacted and how it’s all played.”
Check out her comments below:
Pelosi advocates for Washington, D.C. statehood as the House is set to vote on a bill for it: "The fact is, people in the District of Columbia pay taxes, fight our wars and risk their lives for our democracy" https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/CRsPTM1l5L
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 26, 2020
Several other people have joined Pelosi in advocating for statehood.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser weighed in on the matter during a press conference on Monday.
“This is America, and Americans are entitled to equal protection under the law, and that’s why we are demanding statehood,” Bowser said.
Watch her comments below:
The time is now. #DCStatehood. pic.twitter.com/HIUD7QKcwm
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 22, 2020
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden issued a tweet expressing his support for the initiative.
“DC should be a state. Pass it on,” Biden tweeted on Thursday evening.
DC should be a state. Pass it on. https://t.co/xUJ1sud76f
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 25, 2020
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D), and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), are among several others who have also voiced their support.
Tomorrow there will be a historic vote on #DCStatehood in the House. It’s unacceptable that 700,000+ Americans in the capital of our democracy—63% of whom are people of color—have no voting representation in Congress. We must forever end this injustice: DC statehood now!
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) June 25, 2020
DC residents pay federal taxes, serve in our military, and live under the laws set by Congress. It is long past time for the district’s 700,000 residents to have full rights & representation with #DCStatehood. pic.twitter.com/bYZYpsiEub
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 26, 2020
Denying statehood to Washington, DC is a racial, economic and democratic injustice. Washingtonians have waited too long to have equal participation and representation. I am proud to support #DCStatehood and @EleanorNorton’s landmark #HR51.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) June 25, 2020
More than 700,000 Americans in Washington, D.C.—who are majority Black and Brown—continue to be denied full representation in Congress. It's undemocratic and it must end.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) June 25, 2020
Proud to support #DCstatehood and legislation to make that a reality.
President Donald Trump’s administration released a statement Wednesday opposing the bill and explained he would veto the bill if it were presented to him.
“The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act,” the statement reads.
It continues, “This bill is unconstitutional because the retrocession of portions of the District of Columbia into a separate state would violate the 23rd Amendment.”
The House is set to vote on the bill on Friday.
The name for the state would be Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The name would come from George Washington, the nation’s first president, and Frederick Douglass, a famed abolitionist, as IJR previously reported. It would include all 700,000 residents, but would not include federal buildings, the National Mall, memorials, and museums.