Norton Releases Prepared Remarks for D.C. Statehood Press Conference

Press Conference

The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her statement ahead of a dual-purpose District of Columbia statehood press conference today with Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. Today, Norton introduced her bill to make D.C. the 51st state, with a record number of original cosponsors in the House (116). Senator Carper will introduce the statehood bill in the Senate. Mayor Bowser and Chairman Mendelson delivered the D.C. Council's formal petition for statehood to the Congress, at the direction of the statehood referendum passed overwhelmingly by D.C. voters.

Norton's full remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow.

STATEMENT FOR D.C. STATEHOOD PRESS CONFERENCE

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Today, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and our city leaders come united for a dual-purpose D.C. statehood event--the delivery of a petition to Congress for statehood by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and the introduction of our statehood bill, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, in the House and Senate by me and Senator Carper.

First, I am happy to welcome Mayor Bowser and Chairman Mendelson, who have come to deliver the D.C. Council's petition to the Congress for statehood. The statehood referendum asked voters "whether the Council should petition Congress to enact a statehood admission act…" D.C. voters made their choice loud and clear with 85 percent support. To follow their direction, we will receive a petition from city leaders, who generated the idea to follow the Tennessee Plan of fulfilling all the prerequisites for statehood followed by a direct petition to Congress to become the 51st state.

No matter who was in the White House today, our mission for statehood this year would be the same. Secretary Hillary Clinton was a strong supporter of D.C. statehood, but neither she nor any other president could make statehood happen. Of course, we had looked forward to the bully pulpit as a centerpiece for statehood, but the road to statehood begins in District of Columbia and in Congress. Each session, we have grown our foundation of support for statehood here in the Congress, and each time we have achieved measurable progress. When the makeup of Congress is aligned for statehood, we intend to be prepared with ready-made support.

Today, 60 percent of House Democrats are introducing our statehood bill alongside me, joining me not only as cosponsors, but as equal original cosponsors. This 60 percent in just the first two months of the 115th Congress smashes the record we set last Congress when 50 percent of Democrats joined me as original cosponsors. By the time the 114th Congress was over, 72 percent of House Democrats were cosponsors of my bill, with only logistics and timing accounting for why there were not more. By the end of this Congress, our goal is to beat the total number of cosponsors we got last Congress. We hope that residents will similarly set goals for themselves--for example, gathering increased support for statehood in the city and the country.

We are particularly fortunate that Senator Tom Carper from the great state of Delaware is here with us today. Senator Carper is a foremost champion of D.C. statehood. He held the first-ever Senate hearing on D.C. statehood in 2014 while serving as chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the District. We are pleased to have such a strong advocate for statehood in the Senate. He will be introducing the Senate statehood bill in the coming days, and I will be working with him in the coming weeks and months to build support in the Senate for statehood.

The referendum vote and the record original cosponsors have residents energized more than ever, and they will continue to build momentum for statehood, equality, and self-determination.

Today, we demand statehood because it is the only remedy to grant full, equal democratic rights to the citizens of the District of Columbia. To be content with less than statehood is to concede the equality of citizenship that is the birthright of our residents as citizens of the United States. That is a concession no American citizen has ever made, and D.C. residents will never make as we approach the 216th year in their fight for equal treatment in their country. The city's petition and our bills reaffirm our determination to obtain each and every right enjoyed by citizens of the United States, by becoming the 51st State in the Union.

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