“Today is a historic day for our country – and our democracy,” Superintendent Carolyn Maloney said in her opening speech before the vote. “For only the second time in a generation, we will vote or hundreds of thousands of American citizens will finally have their votes counted in Congress.”
“The United States is the only democratic country that denies both the right to vote in the national legislature and local self-government to the residents of its capital. This is wrong. It violates everything we stand for as Americans,” the New York Democrat said.
The committee votes to approve the bill, paving the way for a vote on the floor on the measure, which is expected to take place next week.
Now the Democrats are bringing the bill up again for consideration in the new Congress and they are pushing for it again. This time, the Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate, but the DC bill will still face an uphill battle in the chamber, where it is unlikely to get enough Republican support for a 60-vote threshold. to get to pass. Delaware Sen. Tom Carper on Wednesday claimed that his bill, which gives the DC state, now has the support of 45 senators, the most ever.
HR 51 was introduced by delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC’s non-voting House member and longtime advocate for state capture.
“Congress can no longer exclude DC residents from the democratic process, forcing residents to watch from the sidelines as Congress votes on laws affecting the country or even votes on the laws of the duly elected DC government. Democracy requires a lot more, “Norton said. in her opening speech.
“Residents of DC deserve full representation in the Senate and House and full control over their local affairs. They deserve state capture,” she said.
Democrats have raised the issue of state capture in Washington, DC as an important step toward equal representation and suffrage in the United States, while Republicans have argued that the legislation represents a biased effort by Democrats to pursue a progressive agenda. to place the scales in Congress. in their favor.
“Let’s be very clear what HR 51 is about. It’s about creating two new Democratic Senate seats in the US,” said Kentucky GOP representative James Comer, a member of the committee.
“That’s what it’s about. We can end the debate there. That’s what this bill is about and everyone in America knows it. This bill is part of the progressive path that President Biden, leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi have to reform America. that socialist utopia that the group is talking about. ‘
During the hearing, Democrats made it clear that they viewed the granting of statehood to DC as a civil rights and representation issue, while Republicans claimed to make the state’s capital the 51st state through legislation, rather than through a constitutional amendment, opposing and repelling the legislation of the country. on other logistical and political matters.
In her testimony, Bowser calls the cases against HR 51, including allegations that it is unconstitutional or that Washington, DC, is too small or not governing, ‘bad faith arguments’.
“To argue that Washingtonians should remain dissatisfied with protecting the interests of the federal government is dangerous, outdated and downright insulting,” she said.
This story and headline was updated on Wednesday with additional developments.
CNN’s Kristin Wilson, Alison Main and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.