Democrats Just Introduced A Bill That Would Add A 51st State To The U.S.

It may be time to add another star to the flag.
Contributor

Its been 62 years since the United States added a new star to its flag, but it may soon happen if this new bill goes through.

House and Senate Democrats Tuesday night reintroduced a bill that would make the nation's capital, Washington D.C., the 51st state.

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For far too long the people of the District of Columbia have been denied their right of self-governance and have faced taxation without representation. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton

The bill was brought to the House by D.C. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, and its companion was unveiled to the Senate by Delaware Senator Tom Carper, who believes the matter is not a Republican or Democratic issue.

"It's an American issue because the lack of fair representation given to D.C. residents is clearly inconsistent with the values on which this country was founded," said Carper.  

The bill's reintroduction comes just six months after it initially passed through the House but was axed by the Republican-run Senate in June 2020.

However, Norton believes achieving statehood is very likely this time around, as Democrats now hold the majority in both the House and Senate.

President Joe Biden is also a supporter of the idea. 

“Democrats have the majority in the House and the Senate, and President Joe Biden supports D.C. statehood. This is the time we can finally correct this historic injustice and give D.C. residents the same rights as other taxpaying Americans,” said Carper.

She also claims that the bill was introduced with a "record" 202 co-sponsors as of Tuesday evening.

The last state to join the United States was Hawaii on August 21, 1959.

  • Noah Borden was an Associate Editor for Narcity Media.

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