For over 200 years, the residents of Washington, DC have desired to be equal citizens of the United States of America.
Congress' Power Over The District
The United States is the only nation in the world with a representative, democratic constitution that denies voting representation in the national legislature to citizens of the capital. In addition, all local legislation, including DC's local budget, must go before Congress for approval. Congress routinely uses this approval period as an opportunity to interfere in local affairs.
Statehood for the People of DC
DC residents fulfill all the obligations of US citizenship and yet are denied representation.
DC taxpayers pay federal taxes – more per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 12 states and pay more in total federal income tax than 22 other states.
DC has 712,000 residents, more than Vermont and Wyoming and comparable with other states including Delaware, Alaska, and several others.
DC residents have contributed to this nation just like residents of all other states. More than 11,000 DC Residents currently serving in the military can be sent to war to fight for American values, but do not have full voting rights in their own place of residence.
Since World War I, DC has sent nearly 200,000 brave men and women to defend and fight for democracy abroad, and tragically 2,000 of those patriots never made it home.
DC elects a non-voting Delegate to the US House of Representatives who can draft legislation but cannot vote. The current Delegate for DC is Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Washington, DC operates its own
school system; manages its own SNAP and Medicaid programs and receives federal block grants that are typically awarded to states (i.e., Workforce training grants, Community Development Block Grants for housing, Ryan White funding to combat HIV and Violence Against Women Act grants).
DC has passed 23 consecutive balanced budgets funded mostly by locally raised revenues.
While DC is fiscally independent and has a $15.5 billion local budget, it is still subject to the Congressional appropriations process and riders that allow every member of Congress to impose their will on DC residents.
Statehood is the only remedy that provides full representation in Congress for the residents of Washington, DC.
We are Washington, DC—the 51st State.
