Law DC Statehood: Manchin comes out against, says constitutional amendment needed

Should Washington D.C. receive statehood status?


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Update 4/20/21
White House formally backs bill to grant DC statehood
The Hill
The White House on Tuesday formally declared its support for a House bill that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C., saying it would provide the residents of the District with "long overdue full representation in Congress."

"Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state will make our Union stronger and more just," the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement of administration policy. "Washington, D.C. has a robust economy, a rich culture, and a diverse population of Americans from all walks of life who are entitled to full and equal participation in our democracy."

The statement further called for Congress "to provide for a swift and orderly transition to statehood for the people of Washington, D.C."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki previously said President Biden is in favor of giving statehood to D.C. The District is home to roughly 700,000 full-time residents, which is more than Wyoming or Vermont.

Update 2/22/21
Bowser will make case for D.C. statehood at congressional hearing next month
Washington Post
imrs.php

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will make the case for D.C. statehood to members of Congress next month at a congressional hearing where lawmakers will debate the constitutional and logistical hurdles to making the District the 51st state.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold the hearing for Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s statehood bill on March 11.

After the social justice demonstrations that followed the killing of George Floyd, the disputed 2020 election and the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, Democrats are pushing the statehood issue as a top civil rights and voting rights priority this session.

Last I checked with this, 28 Democratic Senators were on board with this and now it is 47, with only Manchin (D-WV), Kelly (D-AZ) and King (I-Maine) not on board yet. This probably will continue to move slowly. This hearing in March looks to be the next piece of the story.




Original Post 6/27/20
Only passed the House but worth noting as it's the first time this has ever passed. It would still need to go through the Senate and President so at the moment, it's probably dead. Not sure if Pelosi is allowed to hold onto it until 2021 to send it to the Senate but either way, Dems would need to win the Senate, expect a consensus majority there. It looks like the President might not be involved in this process at all.




House approves Washington, D.C., statehood in historic vote
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four decades after launching its drive for U.S. statehood, Washington, D.C., was poised to take a step toward becoming the 51st state as the House of Representatives on Friday approved its admission.
The initiative passed in the Democratic-controlled House by a vote of 232-180, with no Republicans supporting it.
The Republican-controlled Senate is not expected to consider the legislation, and Republican President Donald Trump has publicly opposed the move, noting that statehood would result in electing more Democrats to Congress.
Indeed, voters in the city of Washington have elected only Democratic mayors. Creating a state out of Washington would likely make it more difficult for Republicans to win majorities in the Senate.
On the House floor ahead of the vote, Republican lawmakers argued that making the district into a state was a political ploy by Democrats and would require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Some also said Washington was not equipped to be a state and should be absorbed back into Maryland.
The state would be named Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, after George Washington, the first U.S. president, and Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person turned famed abolitionist.
The last time the United States expanded was 1959, when Congress approved admitting Alaska and Hawaii as the 49th and 50th states, respectively, following congressional votes and the support of the president.

The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to admit new states without specifying a process.
 
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Notable but what’s the purpose of this ?

this will likely pave the path to more separation
 
Is just a simple majority in the Senate needed to make DC a state?

From the article:
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to admit new states without specifying a process.
The last time the United States expanded was 1959, when Congress approved admitting Alaska and Hawaii as the 49th and 50th states, respectively, following congressional votes and the support of the president.

I'd have to look at Alaska but maybe the president isn't actually formally involved and that "support of the president" doesn't actually matter. I don't see anything specific on vote counts so I'd assume it's the normal rules unless majority leader overrides the filibuster.
 
2 Democratic Senators from DC so the Senate will never approve it.

DC ain't big enough to be a state, should just make it a part of Maryland if anything.

what’s the benefit of making it a state ? Only 700k people live there
 
2 Democratic Senators from DC so the Senate will never approve it.

DC ain't big enough to be a state, should just make it a part of Maryland if anything.

Pretty surprising but DC has a larger population than two states:
Proponents say Washington’s 700,000 inhabitants - more than Vermont and Wyoming - have no voice in the federal government, despite paying federal taxes.
 
Pretty surprising but DC has a larger population than two states:

what’s the point though? I don’t get it

what if Atlanta or lose Angeles wants to become a state next ?
 
what’s the benefit of making it a state ? Only 700k people live there
I just answered your question, and agreed with your point.

House Dems want it to be a state so the Democrats will get two additional Senators.

I said it was too small and should just be incorporated as part of Maryland if anything.

Don't use population though, cause I'm sure it has more people than the least populated states like Wyoming and Vermont.
 
Looks like Alaska did only go through Senate.

Pretty surprising if statehood are just two majority votes in Congress.
Statehood was approved by Congress on July 7, 1958. Alaska was officially proclaimed a state on January 3, 1959.
I know there's a population test and an approval test from the territory to show they want to actually join (PR has shown an issue with that test in the past).
 
I just answered your question, and agreed with your point.

House Dems want it to be a state so the Democrats will get two additional Senators.

I said it was too small and should just be incorporated as part of Maryland if anything.

Don't use population though, cause I'm sure it has more people than the least populated states like Wyoming and Vermont.

That can’t truly be what they’re justifying with can it ?
 
what’s the point though? I don’t get it

what if Atlanta or lose Angeles wants to become a state next ?

? I think you already know how that doesn't match up but those are cities that already exist in a state. DC isn't the same thing. If you are thinking of semi-close examples, it would be the other territories we have.
 
? I think you already know how that doesn't match up but those are cities that already exist in a state. DC isn't the same thing. If you are thinking of semi-close examples, it would be the other territories we have.

like Puerto Rico? So it would
Open the door for Puerto Rico to become a state?
 
like Puerto Rico? So it would
Open the door for Puerto Rico to become a state?

The door is already open for Puerto Rico to become a state. There are two tests before it would go to Congress however. One is a population test (which they check easily on) and the other is a test that the populace of the territory want to become a state. In 2017, PR showed that pretty overwhelmingly with a vote on it despite past polls being more divided. So I'd say they have a possibility of being put to a vote in Congress at this point. I don't know all the technicalities however.
 
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