The 51st state?

With Democrats now in control of the White House and Congress, supporters for making Washington D.C into the 51st state see this as a golden opportunity to reshape the nation.⁠

The Washington, D.C. Admission Act was passed in the House of Representatives on April 22, along party lines by a vote of 216 to 208. 

The act proposes that the 51st state be named Washington, Douglass Commonwealth in honor of Federick Douglass. A new federal district named the “Capital” would then be created within the boundaries of the new state encompassing the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, and other federal buildings and monuments. 

The composition of Congress would also change as Social Science teacher Cory Nelson states that the admission of D.C would, “add 2 more senators and potentially more people in the House. This could affect the balance of power and a very contentious fight between political parties.” 

However, the bill faces a near-insurmountable hurdle in the narrowly divided Senate. With the existing Senate filibuster, Democrats would need to compromise with Republicans as they need 60 votes to pass the legislation, instead of a simple majority. Republicans state that D.C. should not be a state because the framers didn’t intend for D.C. to become a state. 

At this, Social Science teacher Mike Kennedy raised a question, “How do we want our government to represent us? Should the people in DC be allocated a voice in national elections and in Congress that impact them?” 

Max Lara ’22 stated, “I think the founders had some reason for preventing DC from becoming a state, and I think we should take that reason into consideration before making any decisions.”

Public opinion is also evenly divided with 40 percent supporting D.C. statehood and 41 percent opposing it.  

If D.C. were to be admitted into the Union, Americans can expect calls to admit U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico, into the Union as well.