Scott Votes For DC Statehood

Press Release

Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 51, the Washington D.C. Admission Act, which would admit the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as our nation's 51st state.

"Today the House of Representatives once again affirmed that the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth should become the 51st state in the Union, finally empowering D.C. residents with voting representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and full local self-government. Statehood for D.C. is long overdue for the more than 700,000 disenfranchised American citizens who currently live in the District of Columbia. I have long been a proponent of D.C. statehood and was the only member of the Virginia delegation to vote for statehood the first time it came before the House in 1993.

"In addition to the voting rights abuses suffered by D.C. residents, the last year has highlighted other key reasons why D.C. statehood is imperative. Despite having a population larger than several states and paying more in federal income tax than the residents of 22 other states, D.C. was not allocated the same COVID relief funds from the CARES Act passed in 2020. During the deadly January 6th insurrection, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was not able to deploy the D.C. National Guard to the Capitol because the President controls the D.C. National Guard unlike all other National Guards that operate at the discretion of their Governor. Additionally, former President Trump deployed thousands of federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops against D.C. residents engaging in constitutionally protected protests last summer.

"I also want to congratulate my colleague Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has been a tireless champion for the citizens of our nation's capital. Supporting D.C. statehood is fundamentally about our nation's core constitutional principles of self-determination, opposition to taxation without representation, and giving an equal voice to all Americans regardless of where they live. This bill will finally end the historic injustice that has persisted for more than 200 years for the people of Washington, D.C."

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