Washington, D.C. -Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued the following statement after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, will be considered on the House floor next week:
“Last week, the entire world witnessed President Trump trample on the Constitutional rights of the people of the District of Columbia who were peacefully protesting our nation’s history of systemic racism and police brutality-just so he could have a misguided photo op.
“Unfortunately, these are not the only fundamental rights denied to the citizens of the District. Our country is the only democratic nation on Earth that still denies voting rights to the residents of its capital city.
“As millions of Americans cry out for equality under the law, I urge my colleagues to correct this historic wrong and support this landmark legislation to give basic human rights to the disenfranchised citizens of the District of Columbia.
“I commend House Leaders for their commitment to bringing this historic legislation to the floor, and I thank Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for advocating so strongly on behalf of the more than 700,000 Americans in the District of Columbia."
The bill, introduced by Congresswoman Norton in January 2019, would admit the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth into the Union as a State consisting of most of the territory of the present-day District of Columbia.
On Feb. 11, 2020, Chairwoman Maloney held the Committee’s historic markup of the legislation-the first on a D.C. statehood bill in more than 25 years-and the Committee voted to pass the landmark legislation and pave the way for next week’s vote on the House floor.
Last year, the Committee held a hearing on the bill, featuring testimony from Mayor Muriel Bowser and others.
Background:
The District pays more in federal taxes than 22 states.
The District pays more federal taxes per capita than any state.
The District has a larger population than two states.
The District has a higher per capita personal income than any state.
The District has a higher per capita gross domestic product than any state.
The District’s annual budget is bigger than 12 state budgets.
The District’s bond rating is better than 35 states.
Yet, D.C. residents have no vote in Congress, and they cannot consent to the laws that govern them.
The people of the District have been fighting for equal rights for more than 200 years.
In 2016, an overwhelming 86 percent of D.C. residents voted for statehood.
