US House of Representatives pass bill to make Washington DC 51st state

The House of Representatives voted on April 22, 2021 to pass a bill that would make Washington DC the 51st state of the United States. The legislation was passed with parties voting along party lines with 216 Democrats voting in favour and 208 Republicans voting against. None of the Republic legislators voted in favour of the bill.

The bill sailed through the House of Representatives, as Democrats have a majority there. However, the real challenge will await it in the Senate, which is evenly divided between the two parties. 
The House has passed the legislation for the second time in history with unprecedented support from Democrats nationwide.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents Washington DC in the Congress as a non-voting delegate said in a statement, "Today's victory was historic, both for DC residents and for the cause of DC statehood."

Why is the bill important?

•Washington DC, the capital of the United States does not enjoy elected voting representation in Congress, although its residents pay federal taxes. 

•The movement for DC statehood gained national attention and an unprecedented level of support before the November 2020 election, with advocates campaigning on a platform of "equality" for DC voters.

•Both US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have voiced support for the measure along with many celebrities and legislators. 

Can the bill pass in the US Senate?

•The bill is most likely to fail in the evenly divided Senate unless it receives support from some Republicans. The Democrats only have 45 votes in the US Senate, five votes short of the number needed to pass the bill.

•The bill will also face a procedural hurdle in the Senate, which it did not face in the House. 

-The Democrats need at least 10 Republicans to agree to let the measure come up for a vote, even if they don't support the bill.

-Or they need all Democrats to agree to amend the"filibuster" threshold and allow the vote to take place needing only 51 Votes to pass it. This will require support from all Democrats.

More about the legislation

•The bill proposes to create Washington DC as the 51st state of the United States with one representative and two senators. 

•The White House, the US Capitol and the National Mall would remain as a federal district. 

•The bill proposes that the new state be known as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth instead of the District of Colombia.

•Washington DC is named after famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in Washington from 1877 until his death in 1895.