OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Washington, D.C. Admission Act

Floor Speech

Date: June 26, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Federal, State and Local Relations

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would end centuries of taxation without representation and make Washington, D.C., the 51st State.

And nobody is giving back anything. Washington, D.C., is the home to more Americans than two States, and more than 46 percent of its 700,000 residents are Black.

Make no mistake, race underlies every argument against D.C. statehood, and denying its citizens equal participation and representation is a racial, democratic, and economic injustice we cannot tolerate.

It must be acknowledged that the chance to right these wrongs with today's vote would not be possible without my good friend, Eleanor Holmes Norton. We were both elected at the same time, and she has been dogged and consistent every single year since then in her fight for this bill and D.C. statehood.

I am so pleased to join my friend in today's milestone vote, and I am hopeful that Eleanor's long effort will finally give D.C. the rights they deserve.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward