Skip to main content
Tags: dcstatehood | bill | house | democrats

House to Vote on DC Statehood Next Thursday

House to Vote on DC Statehood Next Thursday
(Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

By    |   Friday, 16 April 2021 05:18 PM EDT

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next Thursday on a bill that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st U.S. state.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee passed H.R. 51, also known as the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, last Wednesday in a 25-19 party-line vote.

The legislation has 215 co-sponsors and is likely to pass the House with all Republicans voting against it. D.C. does not have full representation on Capitol Hill and Congress can also vote to overrule laws passed by the D.C. Council.

D.C. residents overwhelmingly voted for statehood in 2016.

"As American citizens, D.C. residents are entitled to equal citizenship, but they have also earned it,'' D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, said Wednesday. ''They have fought in every American war, including the war that led to the creation of the nation, the Revolutionary War. D.C. servicemembers have helped get voting rights for people throughout the world yet have always been denied those same rights when they returned home.''

Ranking member James Comer, R-Ky., during the hearing on the bill referred to it as an unconstitutional power grab by liberals in a bid to create a ''socialist utopia.''

"If my Democrat colleagues want D.C. to become a state, the cleanest and fastest way for that to happen, is to repeal the 23rd Amendment before consideration of this bill," he said. "But that’s not good enough for the progressives. That’s not good enough for The Squad. That’s not good enough for the liberal left. This bill is part of their no-holds-barred plan to reshape the American landscape to one of higher taxes and daily government intrusion into the lives of Americans.''

Former President Donald Trump said statehood will never happen ''unless we have some very, very stupid Republicans'' because it means ''two automatic Democrat'' seats in the Senate.

Solange Reyner

Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next Thursday on a bill that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st U.S. state. The House Oversight and Reform Committee passed H.R. 51, also known as the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, last Wednesday in a 25-19 party-line...
dcstatehood, bill, house, democrats
308
2021-18-16
Friday, 16 April 2021 05:18 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved