Top Republicans Stop D.C. Statehood Movement as Trump Says It Could Send More Democrats to Senate

One more white star will not be added to the American flag's square of navy blue anytime soon.

Republicans have no intention of entertaining a Democratic endeavor to make Washington, D.C., the Union's 51^st state, refusing a longtime push by local leaders governing the nation's capital city that the House plans to make come to fruition next week.

"The Senate is not gonna take that bill up," said Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the No. 4 Republican.

House Democrats unveiled Tuesday they will vote and pass a bill, H.R. 51, on June 26 that would classify the district as an official state, a move that would open the door to a slew of new resources—namely the ability to have congressional voting powers—and end the territory's "taxation without representation" slogan.

But Senate Republicans will not place the measure up for a vote and have no interest in the movement, a symbol of the opposition to statehood that persists among national GOP lawmakers in the wake of the party's leader saying it would only assist Democrats and would be "very, very stupid" for Republicans to allow.

Blunt suggested the district should rejoin Maryland, which originally gave part of its territory to form District of Columbia, if it wants voting powers.

"I'd be glad for D.C. to be represented in the Senate as part of Maryland, would be my view," he said.

The push by Democrats for district statehood marks a change in tone for some in the party, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. But in the wake of a massive $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus shortchanging the District some $750 million of relief because it was not treated as a state and the deployment of federal troops onto the city's streets amid racial justice protests, the Maryland Democrat said it was time for a city with such a large, black population to be "treated equally" as the rest of the country.

As it currently stands, the district's "shadow delegates"—Rep. Eleanor Norton Holmes (D) and Senators Paul Strauss (D) and Mike Brown (D)—have no voting power. The bill would change that and make the district fully autonomous, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said, ending the territory's treatment as "chopped liver."

"We must bring to an end the disenfranchisement of 700,000 American citizens," Hoyer said, flanked by district leaders and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "We are the only free nation in the world whose capital does not have voting members of their parliament."

Democrats already have enough co-sponsors in the House to pass the legislation next week, an achievement that would be historic: Neither chamber of Congress has ever approved such a statehood bill. Statehood proponents and Democrats argue that its roughly 700,000 residents deserve the representation, given that two states—Wyoming and Vermont—have smaller populations, yet each are awarded two senators and one representative.

"Statehood means much more to us than dollars and cents. Statehood is priceless," Holmes said. "Statehood assures that living in the nation's capital is about pride not prejudice."

Senator John Barrasso, a member of GOP leadership who represents Wyoming, declined to speak with Newsweek about the statehood bill. He briefly chided House Democrats for working remotely and defended his home state, saying Wyoming "has been a state since 1890."

President Donald Trump has previously cited the district's liberal voting population for why the city should never be awarded statehood, noting it would tip the Senate's power in favor of Democrats. He told the New York Post last month that Republicans would be "very, very stupid" to allow that to occur.

"D.C. will never be a state," Trump told the outlet. "You mean District of Columbia, a state? Why? So we can have two more Democratic—Democrat senators and five more congressmen? No, thank you. That'll never happen."

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, a Democrat, contended opponents' reasoning continues to center on the long-held belief that the city is "too Democratic, too black and too liberal."

Statehood opponents often cite the U.S. Constitution and argue an amendment would be needed. However, the district's leaders want to use the Tennessee Plan, a method used by a half-dozen other states that entails public support, local authorities drafting a state constitution and gaining Congress' approval.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of pandemic relief money that the district was shortchanged. This has been corrected and Newsweek regrets the error.