Statehood Gains Momentum

Statehood gains support on the Hill, in the city, and across the country

Because of the shock and disappointment of the Presidential and Congressional elections, the success of the statehood referendum was largely overlooked by DC’s press and pundits. But statehood advocates were confident that the DC voters’ strong affirmation of statehood would make it possible to recruit even more cosponsors of the statehood bills certain to be introduced in both a House and a Senate where the leadership was hostile to DC self-determination. And statehood advocates joined the record crowd that came to DC on January 21 for the historic Women’s March, which gave them and Mayor Bowser the opportunity to recruit supporters from outside of DC.

As the 115th Congress got underway, Washingtonians were appalled by proposed federal legislation that would gut DC’s progressive policies. A succession of bills for overturning the District’s death with dignity law, repealing the city’s gun safety laws, and permanently banning abortions for poor women were painful reminders of why DC needs statehood. Because a growing number of Washingtonians were feeling a sense of urgency about self-determination, the rallying cry of Hands-Off DC drew a huge crowd to a town hall and sparked numerous follow-up protest activities.¹

By 2017, DC had significantly increased its financial investment in statehood. In addition to the annual budgets of $200,000 for the Voting Rights and Statehood Grants and $257,800 for Shadow Delegation expenses, the budget for the statehood efforts carried out by the Mayor’s office was over $900,000 a year.²

During the 115th Congress, statehood advocates continued to build Congressional support for statehood and with the help of DC Vote organized lobby days with record numbers of participants. In 2018, they were able to take advantage of the Democratic National Committee’s Winter Meeting to recruit additional cosponsors for the House and Senate statehood bills The DC Statehood Coalition drafted letters from 20 Democratic state committees to the Senators and Representatives from their states who were not yet cosponsors of Congressional statehood legislation, urging them to add their names to the bills. During the Winter Meeting in early March, coalition volunteers spoke to the officers of the state committees and asked them to sign the letters. Most of the state committee leaders were glad to sign the letters.

In April on Emancipation Day, the signed letters were in the packets of a record group of statehood advocates recruited by DC Vote to visit Congressional offices. Between the April lobbying event and the end of the Congressional session, eight more Senators became cosponsors and 31 Representatives added their names to the House bill.

Statehood advocates, like many other Washingtonians, were glad to say goodbye to the 115th Congress and its threats to DC self-determination. They were, however, pleased and proud that it ended with more Congressional support for DC Statehood legislation than there had ever been. The Washington DC Admission Act now had 30 Senate cosponsors and 181 in the House.³

As a result of the 2018 Congressional election, for the first time in 25 years, DC statehood legislation was being considered by a House of Congress controlled by Democrats.  Moreover, DC statehood, which was included in the House leadership’s principal legislative package--H.R.1, was a priority. As the House convened on January 3, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act with a record number of 155 cosponsors, more than any other measure introduced on the first day of Congress. Statehood advocates also welcomed the news that Congressman Elijah Cummings, Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, was committed to holding a hearing and having a vote on H.R. 51.⁴

The DC Statehood Coalition again organized letter signing at the Democratic National Committee’s Winter Meeting. The letters, signed by state party leaders, were delivered to Congressional offices during a February lobby day. That year’s lobby day, organized by DC Vote, involved a record number of volunteers and managed to visit a record number of offices. Between the lobby day and the end of 2019, twenty-six more House members and eight additional Senators became cosponsors.

As Congressional support for statehood continued to grow, so did support from other states and from organizations. In April, DC Attorney General Karl Racine delivered a statement signed by him and Attorneys General from 20 states urging Congress to approve DC Statehood. In anticipation of the hearing on the House statehood legislation Delegate Norton announced that over 100 local and national organizations were on record in support of DC statehood.⁵

September 19 was a sparkling late summer day. Pennsylvania Avenue was lined with 51-star flags. And nearly a thousand Washingtonians, many in red statehood t-shirts, headed for the Rayburn Building and the first House hearing on DC statehood in over 25 years. The hearing room and overflow rooms quickly filled up, and several hundred statehood supporters gathered in a park behind Rayburn to watch the hearing on a giant television screen. Testimony from the Mayor, Council Chair, and Chief Financial Officer demonstrated that DC is ready for statehood. Many Democratic members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform voiced their support for DC statehood, while Republican members made their opposition clear.⁶

¹ Congress Moves to Quash D.C. Laws,” Washington Post, Jan 19, 2017; “Congress: Keep Your Hands Off D.C.’s Laws,” Washington Post, Jan 22, 2017; “Point Man in the ‘Hands Off DC’ Fight,” Washington Post. Feb 20, 2017.

² “In 2017, Pursuing DC Statehood in Congress Is Like Hunting a Bear with a Rock,” Washingtonian, Dec 12, 2017.

³ https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1291/text.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1278.

⁴ “New House Leadership Gets Behind D.C. Statehood,” Washington Post, Jan 5, 2019; https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/51/text; https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/631.

⁵ https://dcstatehoodyeswecan.org/j/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98:timeline-dcs-quest-to-regain-its-democratic-rights&catid=46:statehood&Itemid=56.

⁶ “District Officials Make Case for D.C. Statehood in Face of GOP Opposition,” Washington Post, Sep 19, 2019.