The aftermath of the violence Wednesday, when police lost control of the insurgents who stormed the Capitol, once again called for Washington, DC, to become the 51st state.
“We must get state capture on the president’s table within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday. “Congress should immediately transfer the command of the District of Columbia National Guard from the President of the United States and place it directly under the command and control of the District of Columbia.”
It took hours before the national guard was deployed when lawmakers, staff and reporters got cover for pro-Trump rioters who stormed the halls of Congress that received little resistance from less than Capitol officers.
Under legislation, the federal government controls the DC National Guard, which means Bowser had nothing to say about it when she watched her city be torn apart. During the summer during the Black Lives Matter protests, President Trump immediately deployed the National Guard and other federal protection services to counter largely peaceful protesters.
Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate view the violent events of Wednesday as even more reason to strive for autonomy.
“The mayor should not rely on the president to deploy the National Guard to protect public safety in DC, and DC never has to worry about a president taking over his police force and using it as he or she sees fit. not, “Eleanor said. Holmes Norton, DD.C., said.
During the summer, Steny Hoyer, majority leader, brought DC Statehood to the House floor for a vote, where it passed along party lines for the first time in history. The Maryland congressman has long advocated for representation for DC citizens, and after the Capitol came under siege, he renewed his promise to make it a priority for the 117th Congress.
“The events of Wednesday and the unprecedented attack on the Capitol building and the city further illustrate the critical need to grant statehood to the District of Columbia,” Hoyer said in a statement to NBC News. “I will be working closely with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to bring legislation to the House floor early in the 117th Congress to provide statehood to DC residents.”
But the attack on Washington, which pres. Joe Biden mentioned domestic terrorism did not change the minds of those who were against DC for DC for political reasons. Republican Senator Tom Cotton urged Twitter to criticize the movement, calling it “a terrible, unconstitutional idea before the violence of the mob” and “still a terrible, unconstitutional idea”.
A Republican majority says coups will guarantee two extra Democrats in the Senate, and Senate Majority Leader McConnell refused to place the legislation on the Senate floor.
But within a few weeks, they are no longer the Republicans of the Senate. With newly elected Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock assuring the Senate for Democrats on Tuesday, the DC state has a real chance of becoming law.
State capture always depends on democratic control of the Senate. Supposed majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has promised to have the proposal voted on the Senate floor in the past.
“It is past time to end the historic denial of hundreds of thousands of American citizens and make DC a state,” Schumer said in a statement. “As one of my top priorities when it comes to suffrage and democracy reform, I will continue to work in the Senate to ensure state capture, full suffrage and full home rule for DC in this Congress and beyond.”
And there are positive indications that the legislation would become law – Biden tweeted in June: ‘DC must be a state. Forward. “
Josh Burch, a lifelong Washington resident and founder of Neighbors United for DC Statehood, thinks their case will eventually see the light of day in the Senate as a result of the Georgia runoff.
“I know a lot of district residents gave money, wrote postcards, made phone calls and texted,” he said. “We felt that these two senate races were also about our future, not just the future of the people of Georgia. ”
With both the chambers of Congress and the White House under democratic control, Burch says it is now time for state capture and that Democrats should not prioritize a betrayal.
‘It would be an epic moral failure and political idiocy. But more importantly, it would be a moral failure to turn their backs on us if they had the majority. ”
There are currently at least 46 well-known supporters in the U.S. Senate, while Democrats Cinema, Manchin, Kelly and King have yet to make their views known.
While most Republicans in Congress vehemently oppose the idea, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has a unique perspective on the issue from Alaska – a former territory that received statehood in 1959.
‘I’m probably one of the few who was actually born in an area and in my lifetime we fought for state capture. It was something that was driven by the residents, whether we are talking DC or Puerto Rico, as long as it is driven by the residents, I will pay attention, “she told NBC News this summer after the House passed the legislation.
In terms of policy, Burch emphasizes issues such as racial justice and police brutality, which emerged as important issues this summer after the murder of George Floyd, would be a priority for Washington residents, as well as the need for a champion for climate change.
‘Locally, the district has the best climate change policy in its jurisdiction in the country. And so, would we have two more champions of climate change policy in the U.S. Senate? I would hope so. ”
And what would coup d’etat mean for the inhabitants of the city?
“It simply came to our notice then. We are Americans with the asterisk. We are only American in name, but not necessarily in equal status, “Burch said. And that would eventually make us whole Americans. ”