Why Should Washington D.C. Be a State? Lawmaker Questions Mayor Bowser

The Case for D.C. Statehood

• 🏛️ D.C. residents bear the full obligations of American citizenship, including federal taxes, jury service, and selective service registration.
• 🗳️ Despite these obligations, Congress denies them full self-government and voting representation in Congress, which is framed as undemocratic.
• 📜 The admissions clause of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to admit new states, and HR 51, the DC statehood bill, is presented as constitutional.

Constitutional and Historical Precedents

• ⚖️ Congress has historically admitted new states, and the district clause allowed for the reduction of the federal district's size in 1846.
• 🗺️ HR 51 proposes reducing the federal district to a minimal size (2 square miles) containing federal buildings, with the new state comprising the residential and commercial areas.
• 📊 Constitutional scholars argue that the admissions clause has no prerequisites, but Congress has considered factors like support for statehood, commitment to democracy, and resources and population.

D.C.'s Qualifications for Statehood

• 📈 86% of D.C. residents voted for statehood in 2016, demonstrating strong local support.
• ⏳ D.C. residents have demanded democratic rights for over 220 years, highlighting a long-standing commitment to democracy.
• 💰 D.C. boasts a larger gross domestic product than 16 states and a higher per capita GDP and personal income than any state.
• 👥 D.C. has a larger population than two existing states, further supporting its case for statehood.

Lack of Representation and Autonomy

• 🗣️ Mayor Bowser emphasizes that the 700,000 residents of D.C. are the only citizens in a democratic country's capital without a voice in the national legislature, calling it "un-American."
• ✊ The lack of voting representation is seen as an affront to taxpaying Americans, and the lack of full autonomy is a significant issue.
• 🚨 A peculiarity of the home rule charter allows the President to declare an emergency in the District, and lack of autonomy prevents D.C. from using its own tax revenue as intended, as seen when funds were cut from the approved budget, delaying police pay raises.
• 🇺🇸 Expanding democracy should be a priority, and denying D.C. statehood constrains it.