House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
The House of Representatives voted 216-208 on Thursday to pass a bill that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C.
The big picture: It's the second year in a row that the Democratic-controlled House has voted to recognize D.C. as the 51st state. The bill now heads to a divided Senate, where it faces little chance of reaching the 60 votes necessary to send to President Biden's desk.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised to bring the legislation to the chamber's floor for a vote, but it's opposed by Republicans and even some Democrats.
How it works: H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, would give the district two senators and a voting representative in the House.
- The new state would be called "Washington, Douglass Commonwealth" in honor of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
- It would exclude federal buildings and monuments, and federal territory would be known as the Capital.
Why it matters: Statehood for the district is a priority for Democrats, who have painted statehood as a civil rights issue, and a matter of enfranchisement for the city's Black plurality.
- Republicans have argued that the measure is an unconstitutional power grab that the country's founders did not envisage.
- The District tends to vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.
Go deeper: D.C. statehood explained (USA Today)