Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) cast her vote in favor of H.R. 51, the Washington, DC Admission Act, legislation that will grant statehood to the District of Columbia and finally ensure that the more than 700,000 people who call it home have an equal voice in their government.

“We as a nation cannot claim to be a beacon of democracy in the world while simultaneously supporting a system that disenfranchises more than 700,000 fellow Americans. Not another day should go by where D.C. residents are denied full representation in the halls of Congress or equitable federal resources because of their zip code,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “I’m proud to support the Washington, DC Admission Act, which is supported by an overwhelming coalition of civil rights, legal, business, and environmental organizations, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Committee.”

For more than 200 years, D.C. residents have petitioned for voting representation in Congress and local self-determination. Most recently, 86 percent of residents voted for statehood as part of a ballot question in November 2016. The District is home to 712,000 residents, who pay more federal taxes than 21 states and more per capita than any other state. D.C.’s budget is larger than 12 states and its population is greater than two states.

In the last year alone, there have been prominent examples of why the District of Columbia desperately needs statehood. Under the CARES Act passed last spring, each state received a minimum of $1.25 billion in fiscal relief. However, D.C. was treated as a territory and received only $495 million. Additionally, during the January 6th insurrection, the city’s mayor was unable to deploy the D.C. National Guard to the Capitol because the President maintains sole control over the troops.

Under H.R. 51, the newly established state would consist of 66 of the 68 square miles of thepresent-day federal district. The remaining two square miles would comprise the federal district – the “Capital” – and would include the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, principal federal monuments, and federal buildings adjacent to the National Mall.

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