Public Citizen Applauds House Passage of H.R. 51
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 51, which would grant the District of Columbia statehood. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate. Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“For over 200 years, D.C. residents have been denied the full rights of citizenship, paying taxes without receiving representation. Today, Eleanor Holmes Norton’s critical legislation to right this wrong passed the House. It’s now time for the Senate, where the bill has a record 44 cosponsors, to act swiftly to do the same, ensuring that the 700,000 people – predominantly Black people – living in our nation’s capital have a voice in our government and democratic process.
“The need for Washingtonians to have true control of their local government and representative voice in the halls of Congress could not be clearer. Without D.C. statehood, we cannot claim to live in a fair, functional democracy.”