During the Senate runoff elections, Republicans warned that if Democrats gained the Senate majority, they would immediately push for D.C. statehood.
Now, Democrats claim that it’s only fair for Congress to grant D.C. statehood; they also argue that recognizing Washington D.C. as a state is a matter of fairness and equal representation.
This is false. The reality is that the leftist push for D.C. statehood is merely a power grab that Democrats are attempting to force through in order to get more votes, and hence power, in Congress.
On Monday, congressional debates on the pros and cons of D.C. statehood officially began, as Washington Examiner reports.
The D.C. Statehood Debate
On Monday, Democrat lawmakers pushed for D.C. statehood and presented H.R. 51 for a congressional hearing. 214 House Democrats are already on board with H.R. 51, which is enough for the legislation to pass the House without any issues.
Yesterday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appealed before Congress, arguing that D.C. residents are “disenfranchised” by the lack of D.C. statehood. Bowser’s support for D.C. statehood is backed by not only Democrats in the House and Senate, but also President Biden himself.
DC STATEHOOD: At a House hearing, Rep. James Comer sparred with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on the issue of statehood for Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/vXMOijsXIe
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 22, 2021
Republicans, on the other hand, are not supportive of D.C. statehood. GOP legislators argued on Monday that making Washington D.C. a state is simply not constitutional. Moreover, turning D.C. into the 51st state would actually demand a formal amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
GOP Rep. Paul Gosar challenged Mayor Bowser’s support for D.C. statehood. The Republican representative pointed out that the Constitution’s Article 1, Section 8 deems D.C. as a city, rather than a state. Gosar also pointed out that D.C. statehood would create issues regarding the location of U.S forts and dockyards.
The Filibuster Factor
Despite the national, constitutional, and legal problems that D.C. statehood would engender, Democrats are eager to make it a reality. Leftist support for D.C. statehood is tantamount to a Democrat power grab and nothing less.
DC STATEHOOD: Rep. James Comer argues against a Democratic-led push to make Washington, D.C, the 51st state. pic.twitter.com/55sELCWsW8
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 22, 2021
However, because Democrats do not have 60 Senate seats, H.R. 51 would not pass a Senate filibuster. Hence, the left is calling for the complete abolition of the Senate filibuster. With Republicans as the minority party, the filibuster is the last line of defense against radical policies like D.C. statehood.
Democrats know this and they don’t like it. In the weeks and month ahead of us, Americans can expect more conversations and debates about D.C. statehood and the Senate filibuster.
Do you believe Washington D.C. should become a state? Let us know in the comments section below.
