Could Washington D.C. Become an Official U.S. State?

Washington D.C., or the District of Columbia, the capital city and federal district of the U.S., is not a state. It has been that way for more than 200 years, since it was established in 1790 by the Founding Fathers.

The District of Columbia's creation came from the Constitution. It has a population of 689,545 people, according to the most recent census from April 2020.

Since its creation, the federal district was meant to serve as a seat for government and was not meant to be a state.

According to the official website campaigning for Washington D.C.'s statehood, more than 500 laws treat the District of Columbia as a state.

Denizens of the district pay taxes, can vote and can serve on juries and in the military.

How Could Washington D.C. Become an Official U.S. State?

It can become an official state if both chambers of Congress—the House and the Senate—as well as the president, sign a law admitting it as a new state.

In general, statehood legislation requires a majority vote and cannot be repealed.

The population of the District of Columbia has voted for statehood and approved a state constitution, a representative form of government and proposed state boundaries. The movement to try and make the district into a state began in 1980, when voters approved the constitutional convention to draw the proposed constitution for the new state.

A Congressional passage of statehood legislation is still needed for the District of Columbia to become a state.

Residents of neighboring states Maryland or Virginia are not interested in annexing the district of Columbia and D.C. residents prefer the full autonomy of their own statehood, according to the official Washington D.C. statehood website.

Who Supports Washington D.C. Statehood?

Many residents of Washington D.C. want statehood because they believe that they have been denied the same representation in Congress and sovereignty of local affairs as the 50 U.S. states.

Many Democrats support D.C. statehood, including President Joe Biden who endorsed the legislation and the bill—the H.R.51 Washington, D.C. Admission Act—has passed in the House of Representatives twice in as many years. The bill, which was first introduced in the 117^th Congress, was last passed in April 2021.

The bill still needs to pass through the Senate and be approved by the President before it can become law.

Washington D.C. has no representation in the Senate, despite being its home. It means that residents of the district have no say in federally appointed positions, such as ambassadors or the President's cabinet. It does however have a delegate in the U.S. House of Represenatives (Eleanor Holmes Norton). Although she can sit on committees and vote in them, she is forbidden to vote on bills considered by the full House.

Who Is Against Washington D.C. Statehood?

Some legislators are against Washington D.C. becoming a state. Although most Democrats have been supportive of the District of Columbia being made into a state, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has poured cold water on the current bill in Congress.

In May last year, he told a West Virginia radio station: "If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment. It should propose a constitutional amendment, and let the people of America vote."

Republicans have generally opposed D.C. becoming a state for several reasons, the main being that it is likely to be a Democratic state and would hand the Democrats more electoral votes.

Thomas Gift, Director of the Centre on U.S. Politics (CUSP) at University College London, said the odds of Washington, D.C. obtaining statehood "are slim to none."

"Procedurally, the reform would require a constitutional amendment, and because D.C. is so overwhelmingly liberal, it would ensure more Democrat representation in both the Senate and the House. That's a non-starter for Republicans, who have limited incentive to help their opponents secure a greater voice in Congress," Gift told Newsweek.

"Statehood for D.C. would ensure that its residents obtain representation on Capitol Hill, ending their permanent status of disenfranchisement that's been a persistent source of complaint. For years, for example, D.C. residents could get a license plate with the moniker 'Taxation without Representation,'" he added.

Gift said that advocates of statedom often fail to mention that D.C., because of its special status, also obtains huge federal benefits that shore up its operating budget.

"This includes hundreds of millions of dollars a year in help from Uncle Sam for capital expenses related to its public subway system, Metro," he added.